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The Knowledge - The Resource - Employment Issues

ACAS
Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service - employment experts funded by the tax payer. They provide impartial information and help and help resolve conflict.

The site offers advice on employment issues and for a code of practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures, which you can download.
T: 08457 47 47 47; Minicom: 08456 06 16 00 - Helpline.
T: 08456 00 34 44 - a confidential advice service for small businesses on equality.
W: www.acas.org.uk
Association of Disabled Professionals
For many years, society did not recognise the abilities of disabled people. Although some work had been carried out to support disabled people to gain skilled, semi-skilled and clerical work, very little support was given to disabled people who wanted to enter or remain working in the professions or who considered work in management.

The ADP was formed to remedy this situation and to provide a forum for disabled people to share both their problems and their experiences of successful personal development and valued work, as well as to help create conditions for other disabled people to realise their full potential.
T: 01204 431 638
F: 01204 431 638
E: adp.admin@ntlworld.com
W: adp.org.uk
Braille Transcription
They offer clients a specialist service creating Braille, large print and audio for all types of business. They can convert letters and press releases, utility bills, bank statements, brochures,restaurant menus/hotel itineraries, books and magazines, PP presentations, spreadsheets and financial/legal material; in fact any type of document.
T: 01782 563 383
W: www.brailletranscriptionuk.co.uk
Businesshr
Commercial reference library of HR and employment best-practice. Also offers templates of common forms and legal documents which can be downloaded and customised.
T: 0845 458 0563
W: www.businesshr.net
Business Link or national equivalent
Information on taking on staff, pay and pensions, managing staff, improving staff performace, problems and incidents. You will also find tools to create a written statement of employment, find out about paid leave, how to follow the correct disciplinary procedure, and more.

England: Business Link
T: 0845 600 9 006
W: www.businesslink.gov.uk

Wales: Business Eye
T: 08457 96 97 98
W: www.businesseye.org.uk

Scotland: Scottish Enterprise
T: 0845 607 8787
W: www.scottish-enterprise.com

Northern Ireland: Invest Northern Ireland
T: 028 9023 9090
W: www.investni.com
Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development
Information about employment law, training, employee relations recruitment and talent management, diversity and equality, and performance management.
151 The Broadway, London, SW19 1JQ
T: 020 8612 6200
F: 020 8612 6201
W: www.cipd.co.uk
Competing for staff
How to compete with the big boys for staff.
W: www.tiscali.co.uk/business
DirectGov
Employees seeking basic advice on employment rights and responsibilities will find the employee section of the Directgov website helpful.
W: www.direct.gov.uk

The Government website to help disabled people and employers.
W: www.direct.gov.uk/DisabledPeople
Disability Rights Commission
Provides information on the Disability Discrimination Act and its effects on businesses and services.
DRC Helpine, Freepost, MID02164, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV39 9BR, UK
T: 08457 622 633; Textphone: 08457 622 644
F: 08457 778 878
W: www.drc-gb.org
Discus Online
Interactive behavioural profiler. Discus Online uses DISC theory to give you detailed and understandable results in an instant.
W: www.discusonline.com
DTI
Comprehensive information from the DTI. For information on masses of employment issues including age discrimination, reduncancy arrangements, employment tribunals, the national minimum wage, part-time work, resolving disupte, working time regulations, and bank holiday issues.
DTI Enquiry Unit, 1 Victoria Street, London, SW1H 0ET, UK
T: 020 7215 5000; Minicom: 020 7215 6740
W: www.dti.gov.uk/employment

Employer Direct
This is the Jobcentre Plus's free online service, enabling employers to post and manage their jobs on the UK's largest jobsite, which receives over 1 million user visits a week. Employers can:
  • Create new vacancies;
  • Amend existing vacancies;
  • Close vacancies;
  • Copy a closed vacancy and re-advertise;
  • Write their own vacancy specification;
  • Manage which company contacts have access;
  • Carry out all these functions online without the need to contact Jobcentre Plus.
All jobs posted are advertised on touch-screen Jobpoint terminals located in the 800-strong network of local Jobcentre Plus offices, through the telephone jobsearch service, along with 120 third-party touch-screen kiosks that are available to the public across the UK (mainly owned by local authorities).

Employers can also link Employer Direct online with Apply Direct, which means candidates can send their application directly to the recruiter rather than through Jobcentre Plus.
W: www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk
Equality Direct
A help line for employers seeking advice on any aspect of equality legislation and good practice in the workplace.
T: 0845 600 3444
W: www.equalitydirect.org.uk
Federation of European Employers
FedEE provides practial HR resource for companies operating internationally across Europe.
Adam House, 7-10 Adam Street, The Strand, London WC2N 6AA, UK.
T: 020 7520 9264
F: 020 7520 9265
E: info@fedee.com
W: www.fedee.com
FIT
What's it really like to work in your organisation? What's the level of work related stress? What are you doing about reducing this? The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) wants you to find out, and then to do something about reducing it. FIT can help you on both aspects.
W: www.fitcorporation.com
Free Recuitment Online
On online service to help you recuit staff. Better Business magazine has used this service several times and it is easy to use and effective.
W: www.reed.co.uk/freecruitment
Health & Safety Executive
This publishes an excellent range of advice and publications including ready-made self-assessment forms, information on controlling danger at work, information the ten key things you must do as an employer.
T: 0845 345 0055
W: www.hse.gov.uk
HR Profiles
HR Profiles specialises in the use of psychometrics for selection, development and performance coaching.
W: www.hrprofiles.co.uk
HRM Guide
Internet Guide to Human Resource Management. A UK-focused resource for anyone interested in managing people at work.
W: www.hrmguide.co.uk
Illness and injuries at work
You are legally obliged to report workplace accidents. You can do this via the Riddor website.

Reporting accidents and ill health at work is a legal requirement. It applies to all work activities, but not to all incidents. The information enables the enforcing authorities to identify where and how risks arise and to investigate serious accidents. The enforcing authorities can then help and advise you on preventive action to reduce injury, ill health and accidental loss - much of which is uninsurable.

You need to report:
  • Deaths
  • Major injuries
  • Accidents resulting in over 3 days off work
  • Diseases
  • Dangerous occurrences
What if you are self-employed? If you are working in someone else's premises and suffer either a major injury or an injury which means you cannot do your normal work for more than three days, then they will be responsible for reporting. Where possible, you should make sure they know about it.

If you or a member of the public is injured while you are working on your own premises, if there is a dangerous occurrence there, or if a doctor tells you you have a work-related disease or condition, then you need to report it. However, as a self-employed person you don't need to notify immediately if you suffer a major injury on your own premises. Either you or someone acting for you should report it within 10 days.
W: www.riddor.gov.uk
Immigration and Nationality Directorate
It is up to you to check that your employees are entitled to work in the UK. Check out this link for a full list of the documents that are acceptable as proof of this.
W: www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk
Is4profit
Is4profit brings you business advice articles, guides and checklists on issues relevant to small business Advice on staff planning.
W: www.is4profit.com/busadvice
Job Centre Plus
Help to find the people you need to fill your vacancies, plus useful information about recruitment.
W: www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk
Legally Bound
Essential legal documents for England and Wales - employment contracts made easy.
T: 020 7580 5155
E: info@legallybound.co.uk
W: www.legallybound.co.uk
People Management
An only news magazine from CIPD. Searchable database of achive, analysis, legal news, case studies, reviews on HR.
W: www.peoplemanagement.co.uk
Psychological Solutions
Company offering a range of services, including psychological assessment and HR consultancy.
W: www.psychsol.com
Psychometric Advantage
Allows job-hunters to try employment psychometric tests online free of charge.
W: www.psychometricadvantage.co.uk
Psychometrics UK
Company specialising in measuring the skills and aptitudes of IT job applicants.
W: reynoldshrc.com
Safety at work - overview of the law
  • Employers have a legal duty to ensure, so far as it reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of their employees.
  • They must consider the risks to employees (including the risk of reasonably foreseeable violence); decide how significant these risks are; decide what to do to prevent or control the risks; and develop a clear management plan to achieve this.
  • Employers must notify their enforcing authority in the event of an accident at work to any employee resulting in death, major injury, on incapacity for normal work for three or more days.
Issues to consider include:
  • Making home visits to stressed clients: a client may be the subject of disciplinary procedures or may have made a complaint. This can cause heightened emotions. If people are not well, mentally or physically, their behaviour can be unpredictable. If possible avoid making such visits alone. Meet in a public place such as a hotel coffee lounge.
  • Risks associated with travelling: staff sometimes travel for long distances, and in the evening.
  • Verbal abuse and threatening behaviour: this can occur in telephone conversations, face-to-face meetings and in correspondence.
  • Physical assault: this could happen in particular meetings.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) website contains various case studies along with helpful preventative advice.
T: 0845 345 0055
W: www.hse.gov.uk
RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind)
Information on employing blind and partially sighted people.
105 Judd Street, London, WC1H 9NE
T: 020 7388 1266
E: eyehealth@rnib.org.uk
W: www.rnib.org.uk
Royal National Institute for the Deaf
Training and advice for employers and access audits.
19-23 Featherstone Street, London, EC1Y 8SL, UK
T: 0808 808 0123; Text phone: 0808 808 9000
F: 020 7296 8199
E: informationline@rnid.org.uk
W: www.rnid.org.uk
Skills shortages
Recruiting tips on how to attract talent during a skills shortage.
W: www.scalaassociates.co.uk/recruitment/tipspage.htm
Talent drain
Employee retention specialists.
W: www.talentdrain.com
Team focus
A psychology-based consultancy specialising in enhancing the contribution of people at individual, team and corporate levels.
W: www.teamfocus.co.uk
Your People Manager
A service from Investors in People UK, Free practical advice to help you manage your employees and business more effectively.
W: www.yourpeoplemanager.com

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