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EMPLOYMENT HELP FOR THE VERY BUSY
SUMMER SPECIAL 2010
Welcome to my summer e-newsletter which focuses on two important legislative changes likely to affect you under the new coalition government. Some of the government’s intentions are clear, others are a little more murky, but I will be keeping you posted on future changes and what practical steps you can take to meet any new requirements.
RETIREMENT & PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
The coalition government has pledged it support for abolishing the state retirement age and indicated that it would be phasing out the default retirement age of 65 from April next year. However, no timescales have been agreed and further consultation is likely.
Kay Heald comment: Having an enforced retirement age is now widely regarded as an out-dated concept and one that will be disappearing sooner rather than later. Businesses can and should be planning for this inevitable change, by looking at what they have in place to manage the performance of all their staff. Companies will no longer be able to bide their time and ‘get rid of’ people when they reach a certain age. Call me on: 05600 434 727 or email me at: kay@kayhealdhr.co.uk, if you would like to talk through possible options and cost effective methods for introducing a performance management system in your organisation.
FREE RESOURCE: ACAS have produced a great guide called ‘How to Manage Performance’ which is FREE to download from their website: www.acas.org.uk/performance.
EQUALITY ACT 2010
After some debate, the coalition government will support this year’s implementation of the new Equality Act, in October. The Act is designed to consolidate nine existing pieces of equalities legislation and it is intended to simplify terminology and definitions. It is important to note that the protected characteristics (ie the grounds on which discrimination is unlawful) remain the same: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. The Act will also extend protection against Associative Discrimination, which is the discrimination suffered by those due to their association with someone who has a protected characteristic, for example, the carer of a disabled person.
Kay Heald comment: I will bring you more details on the Equality Act later in the year and will be reviewing the relevant policies and procedures of my PPAG (Priority Personnel Advice and Guidance) clients, to ensure they are compliant with the new Act.
LOOK OUT FOR MY NEW HR ARTICLES!
The KHHR Website has been redesigned, to make it more useful and more interactive for you! Keep an eye out for lots of new HR Articles – they will be quick to read and cover a wide range of HR an HR-related topics. If you want to know what Managers and Midwives have in common have a look at: www.kayhealdhr.co.uk
Please Note: The information contained in this e-newsletter is provided for your general use only. It should not be treated as a substitute for obtaining professional employment advice on specific issues.
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