Recent events...

 

Nov 2007

Rogue Employers To Face Illegal Working Crackdown

Today the newspapers are full of the need for UK citizens to prove who they are when applying for a position, by showing their passports. This seems to be little different from before and is covered under the Asylum Act. The new measures, which will take effect early next year, are part of the Home Office’s Illegal Working Action Plan, launched May 2007, co-ordinated through the new Border and Immigration Agency (BIA). It follows measures designed to toughen border controls, double enforcement resources and joint work with police and benefits agencies to tackle illegal immigration and its consequences. That means making it easier for companies to check whether someone is here legally – but also coming down much harder on businesses which break the rules or turn a blind eye. This requirement for all UK citizens and indeed for all nationalities is covered by EB in their standard search offerings. The articles mention swingeing fines for any employer not following these edicts, but we have not seen them yet put into practice. EB now offer a full explanation of this and all related concerns to all employers. It is completely free. Simply phone 01730 829202 and ask to speak to our Asylum Act specialist.

Nov2007

New Client

A leading supplier of software CRM products has just commence a full Risk Mitigation Programme with guaranteed self funding. If we don't do the job properly then they don't pay.

 

Sep 2007

New CIPD survey shows drug and alcohol misuse to be a significant cause of lost productivity.

Four out of ten employers believe alcohol misuse is a significant cause of employee absence and lost productivity. And one third of organisations report that drug misuse has a similarly negative effect in the workplace, according to new research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and People Management magazine.

Despite the damaging impact of drug and alcohol misuse at work about four in ten of the 500 organisations surveyed have no policy in place to help them manage this challenging issue. The survey also finds employers could do more to support employees with substance dependency problems, with only 38% of employers providing co-ordinated rehabilitation support to help individuals with drug or alcohol problems return to work after treatment. Only a half of employers provide access to counselling or to occupational health services for employees fighting drink or drug problems.

However the survey finds that where organisations refer employees with drug or alcohol problems to specialist treatment or give them rehabilitation support, more than 60% remained working for the organisation after successfully managing their problem.

Ben Willmott, CIPD Employee Relations Adviser and author of the report says: “Supporting employees with drug and alcohol problems has a high success rate with many individuals returning to work. But organisations must make employees aware of the policies and support in place otherwise they will not have the confidence to hold their hand up and acknowledge they have a problem and need help.

“Since 2001 the number of organisations with drug and alcohol policies has remained around the same (58%) and where organisations do have policies they are doing very little to actively promote them. Simply adding a policy to a rarely used staff handbook is unlikely to ensure the issue is seen as an ongoing priority. Organisations should engage with their employees to ensure that they are fully aware of its provisions – this can be done via staff briefings, poster or publicity campaigns at work, internal notice boards newsletters and email alerts.

“Training managers so that they are able to identify and manage drugs and alcohol misuse in the workplace is also essential. Yet only a third of employers train managers in how to manage these sorts of issues at work

“Clearly drug and alcohol misuse is an issue which needs to be taken seriously within the workplace. The Health and Safety Executive currently estimates that up to 14 million working days are lost each year due to alcohol related problems, costing British industry an estimated £2 billion each year.”