The longest month of the year is over and hopefully we can look forward to some better weather and some lighter nights.
It’s February and love is in the air!
Let’s talk about personal relationships at work and how they could be an issue for you the employer:
- Workplace relationships can create perceived or actual favouritism which then could undermine team morale and create resentment among colleagues. Employers need to look out for conflicts of interest, especially if one is a manager of the other.
- Romantic relationships can distract employees from their duties and negatively impact their performance. It can also distract other members of staff where it becomes a subject of gossip.
- What about if the relationship ends badly? one party might allege harassment or retaliation, leading to potential legal and reputational risks or create a toxic environment, where colleagues may be forced to pick sides. Breakups or disputes between partners may lead to one or both parties leaving their roles, disrupting team continuity and increasing recruitment costs.
- If not handled professionally, workplace relationships can harm an organisation’s public image, especially in cases of scandal or negative media coverage.
And these are just a few reasons why employers need to ensure they are aware of personal relationships between staff so that they can manage them. I highly recommend that all businesses have a policy in place.
Please give me a call for a policy or if you would like to chat to me about an issue you have regarding personal relationships at work.
Neonatal Care Leave and Pay Act
The Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023 is expected to come into force in April 2025. This will enable parents with babies needing specialist care after birth to get up to 12 weeks of paid leave, in addition to existing maternity and paternity leave.
Parents will qualify for neonatal care leave from day one of their employment if their baby is admitted to hospital within the first 28 days of birth and stays for at least seven full days. The leave can be taken for up to 12 weeks. Those with at least 26 weeks’ continuous service will also qualify for statutory pay during this leave period, and they’ll have the same employment protections as those associated with other forms of family related leave, including protection from dismissal or detriment as a result of having taken leave.
If you would like a Neonatal Care Policy please contact me.
Case 1
A trainee optician has received £14,588 in compensation after being dismissed for taking time off following a miscarriage.
The tribunal concluded that her dismissal was both unfair and discriminatory because of her pregnancy.
The claimant had been signed off work by her GP for one week after experiencing a miscarriage and was “struggling to come to terms” with it, the tribunal heard. Despite this, her employer, Bingham & Young Optical, terminated her contract. The company had argued that her dismissal was unrelated to her miscarriage and said that they had received customer complaints, however the tribunal found these to have been fabricated.
The government are proposing changes to the employment bill to include paid bereavement leave for women and partners who have a miscarriage/still birth before 24 weeks. Watch this space for further information when we have it.
If you have any questions concerning this case please give me a call.
Case 2
A cleaner at an NHS hospital, who was fired after having 400 sick days in four years, was unfairly dismissed and her employer failed to make reasonable adjustments, a tribunal has ruled. Yes, 400 days is a lot and you may have a policy which enables you to discipline after certain triggers are hit – however, this cleaner had a disability. The Company failed to acknowledge this and dismissed without making any reasonable adjustments.
If you have any absence issues or require an occupational health report please contact me.