The Menopause and Mental Health at Work

Posted in: HR Updates on 21/09/2021 It is fantastic to see the increased attention and discussion that the menopause is getting at the moment. Open discussion and the sharing of knowledge and resources will help to remove the stigma around the menopause and help to build more supportive and open workplaces. In Northern Ireland, hig...

Avoiding and Resolving Workplace Conflict & Disputes

Posted in: HR Updates on 14/09/2021 All employers have to deal with conflict and disputes within the workplace at some point and every employer has the same end goal – to resolve the conflict and dispute as quickly as possible with the least amount of risk to the business. In May 2021 ACAS published a report estimating the costs of w...

Overcoming Recruitment Difficulties

Posted in: HR Updates on 06/09/2021 According to the latest Quarterly Recruitment Outlook survey by The British Chambers of Commerce (for Q2 2021) 70% of firms are currently facing recruitment difficulties, up from 63% in Q1, itself a steep rise from 53% in Q4 2020. So how do we overcome this or at least position our organisations ef...

Getting the Most Out of Online Interviews

Posted in: HR Updates on 31/08/2021 Even before the current wave of remote interviewing, some people enjoyed interviews, and some did not. Over the last eighteen months, the increasing use of ZOOM (other brands are available) has probably exacerbated that Marmite divide. As an interviewer, I have found the Zoom experience less prefer...

Understanding Criminal Record Checks

Posted in: HR Updates on 18/08/2021 Access NI is the system used in Northern Ireland to carry out criminal record checks. The system is complex and includes three different levels of checks: Basic, Standard and Enhanced. It is a criminal offense to require candidates and staff to undergo a criminal record check in which they are not ...

Is Hybrid Working All It’s Cracked Up To Be?

Posted in: HR Updates on 09/08/2021 The global pandemic has shone the spotlight on remote working and made it a reality in many organisations including those previously averse to such. Suddenly, many organisations were forced into new ways of working with little choice, but many have since realised the benefit. As the pandemic ebbs a...

Mergers And Acquisitions On The Rebound - The Role of HR in all Things TUPE

Posted in: HR Updates on 20/07/2021 For the latter half of 2021, experts across the M&A disciplines are predicting a continued-up turn in confidence levels as a result of the following conditions: a more stabilised global political status; the vaccine roll out; and improvement in capital markets. These are all underlying factors...

Mental Health First Aid: Spotting The Signs And What To Do About Them

Posted in: HR Updates on 29/06/2021 Last week I completed day 1 of a 2-day Mental Health at Work First Aid course. With rates of suicide among men in Northern Ireland, particularly young men being the highest in the UK, as well as the anticipated post-pandemic rise in PTSD, employers need to be vigilant to the signs and symptoms of c...

When Coffee isn’t Enough… Combatting Work Place Fatigue In Remote Workers

Posted in: HR Updates on 24/06/2021 ‘I’ll get round to it soon – I’m just too tired.’ ‘I just don’t have the energy. The tank is empty.’ ‘I don’t have time to stop and rest.’ How many of us have been feeling like this recently? Our self-imposed expectation of having to ‘keep it all together’ during the Covid pandemic and our fear o...

Mental Health and Wellbeing - A Structured Approach

Posted in: HR Updates on 03/06/2021 MORE than £18 million was spent on anti-depressants in Northern Ireland last year, a £7 million increase on the previous year. Whilst health officials said price increases among some of the most commonly used anti-depressant drugs had led to a "significant impact" on costs, there is no doubt that p...