Blogs

The latest blog articles from Highfield HR
Upcoming Flexible Working Measures for 2024
4th Jan 2024
Flexible working is a broad term and can relate to a wide range of options such as working hours or patterns. These include part-time, term-time, flexitime, compressed hours, or ad...
Read More
A Milestone for Workers: National Living Wage Set to Increase by Over £1 an Hour in April 2024
28th Nov 2023
In his latest announcement, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt revealed that the National Living Wage (NLW) is set to experience its largest-ever increase, marking a historic milestone for wor...
Read More
A Guide for Employers on Christmas Staff Parties
17th Nov 2023
'Tis the season to be jolly, and for many companies, that means organising the annual Christmas staff party. While these festive gatherings provide a great opportunity for employ...
Read More
World Suicide Prevention Day: Empowering Employers to Support Their Employees
10th Sep 2023
World Suicide Prevention Day, recognised on 10th September every year, serves as a solemn reminder of the global issue of suicide and the importance of mental health support. Suici...
Read More
Why Is Employee Training and Development So Important?
30th Aug 2023
Businesses that prioritise employee training and development gain a competitive edge in today’s face-paced and ever-changing working environment.  Training and developm...
Read More
Effective Recruitment and Hiring Strategies: Finding the Right Talent
8th Aug 2023
In today's competitive business setting, finding and hiring the right talent is crucial for any organisation’s success. Effective recruitment and hiring strategies enable bus...
Read More
Is Micromanagement an Increasing Concern With Working From Home?
19th Jul 2023
The rise of hybrid and home working arrangements has presented both opportunities and challenges for businesses and their employees. Recent studies indicate that a significant numb...
Read More
Pride 2023: Celebrating Love, Diversity and Equality
27th Jun 2023
Happy Pride Month!  June is a special month that celebrates the LGBTQ+ community, their achievements, and their ongoing fight for equality and acceptance. It is a time t...
Read More
Mental Health Awareness Week 2023
15th May 2023
Monday 15 – Sunday 21 May 2023 marks this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week and provides an ideal time for people to increase their understanding and awareness of men...
Read More
UK Government Proposes Smarter Regulations To Reduce Burdens on Businesses
12th May 2023
The first of the Government's regulatory reform announcements this week focusses on how smarter regulation across the UK economy can help "reduce burdens, push down the cost of liv...
Read More
Your April 2023 Employment Law Checklist
24th Apr 2023
See below our list of employment law changes, reminder and actions for April 2023… National Minimum Wage Changes From 1 April, the National Minimum Wage rates have cha...
Read More
Earth Day 2023: How Can Employers Make A Difference?
20th Apr 2023
Join us in celebrating National Earth Day! Is sustainability an important factor in the culture of your business and across your team of employees? Are you doing enough to make yo...
Read More
How Can Employers Support Employees Suffering From Long Covid?
4th Sep 2022
Those with long Covid can experience symptoms for weeks or years, with some symptoms crippling enough to have a significant impact on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day a...
Read More
Virtual vs In-Person Job Interviews: What are the Benefits?
22nd Aug 2022
With software such as Skype, Microsoft Teams and Zoom readily available at our fingertips and a global pandemic preventing us from leaving the house in 2020, the traditional method...
Read More
Strikes to Cause a Summer of Discontent: What Action Should Employers Take?
23rd Jul 2022
Britain is braced for a summer of discontent as transport workers in National Rail, Transport for London and Heathrow Airport threaten strike action over pay. Industrial dispu...
Read More
Jewellery Policy in the Food Industry: How to avoid claims of Religious Discrimination
14th Jul 2022
A factory worker who had been fired for refusing to remove his crucifix necklace while at work has successfully been awarded more than £22,000 after an employment tribunal ru...
Read More
Long Covid; Does it Meet the Definition of a Disability?
6th Jul 2022
In a recent employment tribunal ruling, Terence Burke, who had been dismissed from his job due to ongoing long Covid, successfully claimed that long Covid is a disability under the...
Read More
Can I ask an Employee to Work on their Day Off?
20th Jun 2022
One of the main components to the smooth running of your organisation is having adequate staff each day to carry out the daily tasks required. Being understaffed can cause a wealth...
Read More
Men's Health Week 2022
27th May 2022
This year, Men’s Health Week is running from 13th to 19th of June 2022. This year’s theme is ‘time for your Man MOT’. You may be wondering what a Man MOT is...
Read More
Managing Employee Holiday Requests
20th May 2022
With summer months and school holidays just around the corner,  travel abroad as well as staycations are about to take off! Holiday requests (especially those made last minute...
Read More
Mental Health Awareness Week 2022
6th May 2022
Mental health awareness has been a pivotal talking point for many organisations across the country, and what better time to discuss the issues than now, as the 9th – 15th May...
Read More
Supporting Employees with the Rising Cost of Living
22nd Apr 2022
Inflation has increased the cost of food to its highest price in 13 years, along with the rise in energy bills and the rocketing prices of petrol and diesel, there will be few empl...
Read More
NEWS; Our Feature in Business News Wales
14th Apr 2022
Welsh HR Firm Celebrates the Creation of Over 120 Work Placements As the Kickstart Scheme draws to a close this month, Bridgend-based HR consultancy and scheme gateway provider, H...
Read More
The Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday; Employee Holiday Entitlement FAQs
8th Apr 2022
To celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee there will be an extra Bank Holiday and as such your employees may be entitled to an extra day of holiday depending on the exact wor...
Read More
Your April 2022 Employment Law Checklist
31st Mar 2022
See below our list of employment law changes, reminders and actions for April 2022... National Minimum Wage changes  From 1 April the National Minimum Wage rates wi...
Read More
Kickstart Scheme in Review
25th Mar 2022
The Kickstart Scheme has provided a boost to the careers of over 100,000 young people since its beginnings in September 2020. During the stress and upheaval of a pandemic, the init...
Read More
Shortening the Notice Period of an Employee who has Resigned; What Should Employers Consider?
14th Mar 2022
In the recent case of Mr M Fentem v Outform EMEA Limited, the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) upheld the decision that shortening Mr Fentem's notice period by paying salary in li...
Read More
Recruitment in the Social Media Age: How Can Businesses Win the Talent War?
19th Feb 2022
The number of job vacancies in the UK significantly increases every year, and this year is no exception. Many individuals are either seeking new roles, new companies or a complete ...
Read More
Controlling Banter in the Workplace
11th Feb 2022
Promoting a healthy, positive, and inclusive working environment for employees is one of the most important aspects of running a successful business. Without providing a safe envir...
Read More
The Latest Trend: A 4 Day Work Week
4th Feb 2022
Across the UK some businesses are beginning to trial a 4-day work week to innovate the traditional 5-day work week. Countries such as Norway, Denmark, and Netherlands are already a...
Read More
Employment Law Changes for 2022
20th Jan 2022
As the new year commences, there are many new employment law changes that are coming into place and it can be difficult to keep on top of it. This blog covers just a few of the mos...
Read More
Omicron: Controlling Workplace Absences
7th Jan 2022
With cases of COVID-19 rising as the Omicron variant becomes more widespread in our communities, so too is the level of absences in the workplace. While densely populated areas suc...
Read More
Working From Home: Facilitate or Face the Fines
28th Dec 2021
As of Monday 27th December 2021, a new procedure surrounding COVID-19, specifically working from home, has come into place. It is now required that employers in Wales take all reas...
Read More
Why are Employment Contracts so Important?
28th Dec 2021
You’ve found the perfect candidate, congratulations! The next step is to prepare the employment contract to ensure you avoid any future misunderstandings or disagreements&nbs...
Read More
Creating a Climate Conscious Culture Within the Workplace: Tips for SMEs
12th Nov 2021
With COP26 (Conference of Parties) drawing to a close today, climate discussions have likely left employers questioning how sustainable and climate conscious their business and wor...
Read More
Flexible Working: Could It Be Made The Default?
22nd Oct 2021
On the 23rd September 2021, the government issued a consultation regarding “making flexible working the default”. Rather than making significant changes to the current ...
Read More
World Suicide Prevention Day: Managing Mental Health in the Workplace
9th Sep 2021
During the pandemic, discussions surrounding mental health have become more common. According to research carried out by the Mental Health Foundation, the amount of people saying t...
Read More
Alert Level Zero: What Does It Mean for Employers in the Hospitality Industry?
13th Aug 2021
Last Saturday (7th August) the Welsh Government went ahead with their decision to move the country to alert level zero, allowing for unlimited numbers of people to meet indoors and...
Read More
Managing Employee Holiday Requests for Travel Abroad During COVID-19
24th Jul 2021
As a nation we are in a period of relief and celebration! As national lockdown restrictions begin to lift, vaccines roll out, and foreign travel begins to take off, many are optimi...
Read More
Fair or Unfair Dismissal? What Employers Need to Know
21st Jul 2021
On the 20th May 2021, an employment tribunal found that a man spotted at a pub while signed off from work for illness had been unfairly dismissed by his employer. Th...
Read More
EU Settlement Scheme: What Should Employers Do If Employees Miss The Deadline?
13th Jul 2021
The deadline to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme has now passed. It is possible that some EEA citizens working in the UK did not apply in time, which can leave employers unsure o...
Read More
The Kickstart Scheme: Brighter Future for Young People
1st Jul 2021
"In summer 2020, the UK Government announced the Kickstart Scheme, an employer initiative aiming to place 16 to 24 year olds at risk of long-term unemployment in six-month paid wor...
Read More
Pride and Beyond: Being an LGBTQ+ Friendly Employer
28th Jun 2021
Each June, the LGBTQ+ community across the globe celebrates Pride, a recognition of how far equal rights have come and a celebration of individuality, friendship, and love that has...
Read More
Right to Work Checks – Changes from 1st July 2021 
22nd Jun 2021
On the 1st of July 2021, the UK transitions to its new right to work system, as part of adjustments to the law following Brexit. Free movement between the EU and the UK ended ...
Read More
Men’s Health Week 2021 – Promoting Men’s Health at Work
14th Jun 2021
Men’s Health Week 2021 is running from the 14th to the 21st of June. Men’s Health Forum are promoting a five step Can Do Challenge, encouraging men to get in touch with...
Read More
Carers Week 2021 – Valuing Carers in the Workplace
9th Jun 2021
This year, Carers Week is running between the 7th and the 13th of June with a focus on making caring visible and valued. The 2011 census showed that 6.5 million people, or around 1...
Read More
Why Are Social Media Policies So Important?
28th May 2021
More people are connecting online now than ever before, as many of us have turned to online platforms to keep in touch with friends and family throughout the pandemic. Having emplo...
Read More
Returning to the Workplace: Health and Safety
4th May 2021
Most employers will now be preparing for a phased return to the workplace ready for when the government start encouraging those working from home to return to the office. Employers...
Read More
Why are Employee Handbooks so Important?
26th Apr 2021
What is an employee handbook? An employee handbook is a document that highlights key information an employee should be aware of when starting at a new organisation. Most employee ...
Read More
Returning to the Workplace: Can Employers Make the Vaccine Mandatory?
19th Apr 2021
It has recently been reported that half of UK adults have now received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Considering the fast-paced rollout of the vaccine, many employers w...
Read More
Returning to the Workplace: How to Handle Requests for Remote Working
7th Apr 2021
As we approach the end of another national lockdown, workers will soon be invited to return to the workplace. There are many reasons, such as a better work-life balance or reduced ...
Read More
EU Settlement Scheme: Ensure Your Workers Do Not Miss Out
2nd Apr 2021
The EU Settlement Scheme allows EU citizens resident in the UK to apply for the status required to remain after June 2021. Successful applicants will be granted ‘settled&rsqu...
Read More
Employment Law Changes for 2021
22nd Mar 2021
Here we highlight some of the key employment law changes to look out for in 2021. IR35 The changes to the off-payroll tax legislation, IR35, will see the responsibility of assess...
Read More
Working from Home - Supporting Staff With Their Emotional Wellbeing
1st Mar 2021
Working from home has become the new normal over the past year as businesses were forced to adapt their operations last march as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many businesse...
Read More
Are you Ready for IR35?
19th Feb 2021
IR35 are the off-payroll working rules that currently apply to a contractor that provides their services to a client or organisation through their own limited company or any other ...
Read More
Grow your Workforce Through the Government Kickstart Scheme
1st Feb 2021
What is the Kickstart Scheme? The Kickstart Scheme provides funding for employers of all sizes to create new 6-month placements for 16 to 24 year olds on Universal Credit who are ...
Read More
England’s Three Tier Lockdown and Wales’ Firebreak Lockdown
25th Oct 2020
Recently, the UK government announced the introduction of the Three Tier Lockdown for those living and working in England. Following a series of local lockdowns across Wales, inclu...
Read More
End of Furlough, Start of the new CJSS and the Job Retention Bonus
22nd Oct 2020
A little bit if a warning comes with this blog, its slightly longer than normal but there are a few changes happening in the next few weeks that we think will be useful for you to ...
Read More
Handling Flexible Working Requests
15th Sep 2020
The impact of the current pandemic has resulted in many employees having to work flexibly.  While there are many employees that are eager to return to the workplace, many have...
Read More
Local Lockdown
31st Aug 2020
Local lockdowns Many companies have been in the process of bringing their employees back to work from furlough as lockdown restrictions continue to relax.  As we’ve re...
Read More
Dealing with quarantine restrictions
26th Aug 2020
In recent weeks we have seen the government have announced changes to quarantine rules for those returning to the UK, which requires them to self-isolate for two weeks upon return....
Read More
Making Employees Redundant While Still on Furlough
14th Jul 2020
Last Friday (10th July 2020), the HMRC issued some further changes to its guidance on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). The main change for employers to be aware of is t...
Read More
Workplace wellbeing - Getting to the ‘core’ of employee absence
1st Jul 2020
Guest Blog written by Laura Bryan the Founder of Mind Nourishing “All disease starts in the gut”- Hippocrates. Although made over 2000 years ago, there is a dept...
Read More
Working From Home – Is This the New Normal?
26th Jun 2020
Six months ago, ‘Zoom’ was a word used by camera enthusiasts or by a toddler to explain how fast a toy car moved. ‘Working from home’ generally meant taking...
Read More
Guest Blog - Covid Secure Workplace
22nd Jun 2020
Guest Blog by Cherie Coughlan (Managing Director) of Coregenic  If you are planning on reopening your business, Coregenic can provide you with help and advice.  After ma...
Read More
Redundancies – The Small Business Guide
22nd Jun 2020
If you are reading this blog you are likely to be a small business owner faced with the difficult situation of needing to reduce staffing levels.  Making someone redundant is ...
Read More
When should a business consider outsourced HR?
10th Jun 2020
In these unprecedented times, it is even more important that businesses receive the correct advice regarding people management and support.   An outsourced HR partner cou...
Read More
Staggered Withdrawal of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
1st Jun 2020
We love how the Chancellor likes to make his detailed announcements at 5pm on a Friday! However, we will forgive him as there was a small piece of good news for employers.  T...
Read More
Furlough Exit Strategy
1st May 2020
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is set to end on 30th June and there is no news yet as to whether the scheme will be extended by the government.    Employers th...
Read More
Making a successful claim under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
21st Apr 2020
There are inconsistencies between the Government Guidance (updated on 17 April 2020) and the Treasury Direction dated 15 April 2020 additionally the guidance has been updated a num...
Read More
Working from home – how to get it right
16th Apr 2020
For many businesses’ working from home may be a completely new concept. Others will be seeing the numbers of employees that work from home increase significantly in light of ...
Read More
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme - Updated Guidance
6th Apr 2020
HMRC have issued further guidance on the new Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme this weekend for employers and employees.  This is the third update to the guidance documents whi...
Read More
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
23rd Mar 2020
Following the Chancellor’s announcement on about the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, employers are keen to find out how to access the support.  At this point very litt...
Read More
Managing Sickness Absence
24th Feb 2020
Long-term sickness absence is usually defined as a period of continuous absence of more than four weeks. When an employee is off sick for a long time, it can often feel like you&rs...
Read More
The Good Work Plan: UK Employment Law is changing
29th Jan 2020
Have you heard of the Good Work Plan yet? While it may not be familiar to you just yet, it is set to affect almost every business in the country when its policies start to come int...
Read More
Taking on your first employee
5th Jul 2019
Taking on your first employee can be really exciting but if you haven't had to think about issues such as employment law before it can be daunting! Here are our top tips to help yo...
Read More
Holiday Management
17th May 2019
Managing Holidays The majority of us look forward to the sunny weather, school holidays and the chance of a well-earned break. For many employers the holiday season can be a bit o...
Read More
Extreme Weather and Working
2nd Mar 2018
Unless you have been lucky enough to be on holiday in warmer climates you will have experienced the recent bad weather. Many employers do not have a Policy to cover this as situat...
Read More
Employment Tribunals
4th Oct 2017
No-one is surprised that the number of tribunal applications has increased since the abolition of fees. This article from HR Magazine is an interesting read and explains why the fu...
Read More
Employment law changes for 2018
4th Oct 2017
30th March 2018 Gender pay gap reporting for public sector employers Public sector employers must publish first reports before this date (with a snapshot date of 31 March 2017). ...
Read More
Quotes