Many newly qualified teachers in the UK are choosing to teach abroad due to poor pay and conditions in schools at home, according to new evidence. Universities across the country report that more teaching graduates are opting for international posts for their first job, attracted by higher pay and more respect. The trend will worsen the teacher shortage crisis in UK schools, with vacancies nearly doubling since before Covid. The government is also missing its teacher-training targets, leading to reliance on non-specialist teachers and supply cover. Evidence from the Institute of Education at Manchester University shows that 15% of its primary cohort plans to work abroad. Pay for early-career teachers is often below training bursaries, leaving them unable to afford living costs.
Our HR comment: Newly qualified teachers leaving UK for higher pay abroad | Consensus HR | Herts, Beds
Matthew P Chilcott, FCIPD, ACEL, Owner of Consensus HR comments: “I always remember the phrase “everyone remembers a good teacher” and I do, to this day. Mrs Morgan is the teacher I always remember. Why? Because she knew how to get the best out of you when teaching any subject whilst motivating, developing and encouraging you at all times. At Consensus HR we provide development in a wide range of management subjects such as Performance Management, Employment Law, Communication, Feedback and many more to give the skills required for the team and the businesses success. Was also note when recruiting and asking specific behavioural and technical questions the vast difference in responses from candidates which can make a vast difference to the outcome. Teaching whether at school or in the workplace, is vital for the continual success of both the student / employee and business whilst also being able to adapt to ensure you meet the needs of the individual and their learning style.”
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I you have a team and would like to look at how you can manage their performance and provide the development required, give us a call now.
Consensus HR | “Helping companies take the pain out of managing people, whilst preventing people problems.”
Rishi Sunak and Elon Musk sat down for talks about the future of artificial intelligence as the UK’s summit on AI safety came to a close on Thursday. The wide-ranging discussion included questions about the future of work, with the Tesla billionaire suggesting that AI will one day eradicate the need for jobs. On the topic of robots, Musk emphasised the need to have an off switch for humanoid cyborgs. “A humanoid robot can basically chase you anywhere,” he said, adding, “it’s something we should be quite concerned about. If a robot can follow you anywhere, what if they get a software update one day, and they’re not so friendly anymore?” Elsewhere, Sam Altman, the founder of ChatGPT developer OpenAI, has said that older workers could be squeezed out of the job market because they will lack the artificial intelligence skills of their junior colleagues. Speaking at the University of Cambridge, Altman said younger workers are starting to outperform more experienced staff because they are more comfortable using AI tools in their job.
Our HR comment: – Musk tells Sunak that AI will mean people no longer need to work | Consensus HR | Herts, Beds
Matthew P Chilcott, FCIPD, ACEL, Owner of Consensus HR comments: “Following the latest news since the Bletchley Park meeting of the UK Summit on AI, I am not surprised to see this in the press and the range of stories that are currently being told in the news. AI is definitely going to make a change to the way we all work but can you ever really take the personal management and customer service out of a business? At Consensus HR we like to work with our clients to ensure that their culture includes their team playing a key part in the business and the service that it offers to the customers and cannot really ever see the personal, human contact ever disappearing, well not in my lifetime anyway. We wait to see, but what are your views and the latest that in the future, humans will not have to work, only for fun, if they wish to?
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If you run a business and wish to look at your HR Strategy and how it can get its team to play a big part in the success of the business with areas such as performance management (Appraisals) introduced, give us a call now.
Consensus HR “Helping companies take the pain out of managing people whilst preventing people problems.” 01438 576750
Preventing work-related stress: the leading cause of illness at work | Consensus HR | Herts, Beds
Did you know that this week (1 November) marked UK National Stress Awareness Day?
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) have provided some very interesting statistics and guidance on how to support your teams in the workplace.
Statistics:
HSE’s statistics show 914,000 workers were suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2021/22, the cause of 17 million working days lost in this period.
Legal duty:
Employers have a legal duty to ensure risks of stress and mental ill health are factored into health and safety risk assessments and acted upon.
our Talking Toolkit, which can help structure conversations with workers to help prevent stress at work
Working Minds Campaign:
HSE’s Working Minds campaign aims to help businesses prevent work-related stress in 5 steps, bringing together practical tools and resources
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If you would like to review your current HR strategy within your business and evaluate whether it is working for the success of the business and team, give us a call now.
Consensus HR | Herts, Beds- “Helping companies take the pain out of managing people, whilst preventing people problems”.
Income inequality in the UK has narrowed since the pandemic, thanks to a rising minimum wage and increased hiring. The proportion of employees earning below two-thirds of the median hourly rate reached a record low of 8.9% in April 2023, down from 10.7% in 2022 and 16.2% in 2019, according to the Office for National Statistics. Meanwhile, the percentage of high-paid employees fell to 23.4% from 25.4% in 2019. The decline in low-paid workers is attributed to government policies on the minimum wage and tax breaks for high earners who became self-employed. The data also reveals that full-time workers in the bottom fifth of the pay distribution experienced faster pay growth than inflation. Sectors with low-paid occupations, such as caring and leisure, saw the strongest wage growth.
Our HR comment / advice: Income inequality narrows as minimum wage rises | Consensus HR | Herts, Beds
Matthew P Chilcott, FCIPD, ACEL, Owner of Consensus HR comments: “This is a great article from the ‘Financial Time and The Times’ in relation to pay and inequality and the median of pay received. The government policies are working for the low paid earners which should help many people since the pandemic and high inflation. At Consensus HR, we are always working with our clients to ensure that as part of their HR Strategy that y early pay reviews take place with the employees and clear measurements put into place to ensure all the team know why or if they get a pay rise and that it is dependent on both their performance and that of the company as a whole. This helps to ensure transparency and motivation within the team for the success of both the team member and the future of the business.”
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If you would like to review your current HR strategy within your business and evaluate whether it is working for the success of the business and team, give us a call now.
Consensus HR | Herts, Beds- “Helping companies take the pain out of managing people, whilst preventing people problems”.
Offenders who have served jail sentences of more than four years will no longer have to tell employers about their past crimes under a new law. Previously, individuals jailed for more than four years were required by law to disclose their criminal past to prospective employers, who were also entitled to conduct criminal records checks. However, under the new provisions of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, these crimes will become “spent” seven years after completing the sentence. This change affects nearly 125,000 people sentenced in 2022 alone. Violent, sexual, and terrorist offences will remain exempt from this rule. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk stated that the reforms will help ex-offenders reintegrate into society and reduce reoffending rates.
Our HR comment: Government plans to wipe criminal records of offenders to aid employment | Consensus HR | Herts, Beds
Matthew P Chilcott, FCIPD, ACEL, Owner of Consensus HR comments: “This is an interesting, planned change to the records of offenders apart from Violent, sexual, and terrorist offences and should help those offenders who have “spent” their conviction from biased and discrimination back into the workplace. At Consensus HR we say that everybody should be treated equally, reasonably and to best practice and the law. This can be achieved by ensuring your company has a thorough, user friendly recruitment & HR strategy and your business should be getting the best people for the job whilst ensuring their development and all other areas of the HR Employment lifecycle are covered.
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If your company is currently experiencing problems with recruitment and HR in general and would like to have a non-obligatory discussion to look at how it can be approved, give us a call now.
‘Consensus HR – Helping companies take the pain out of employing people whilst preventing people problems”. 01438 576750
The number of apprentices starting at SMEs has fallen by 49% between 2017 and 2021, from 241,000 to 123,800. At large companies, there has been a 14% decline in new apprenticeships. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) report shows that across firms of all sizes, overall starts are down by 31% since the introduction of the apprenticeship levy in 2017. Investment in training per employee in the UK has declined by 19% since 2011, from £2,191 to £1,778. The CIPD found that six in ten British employers provided some sort of training in the past 12 months, down from two in three in 2017. Lizzie Crowley, the CIPD’s senior policy adviser, said: “Skills and labour shortages continue to be a real problem across the UK and all sectors of the economy, and we need to get apprenticeships and vocational education right if we’re to tackle these challenges.” Martin McTague, national chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, has called for reforms which “must work to reverse the dramatic fall in the number of starts.”
Matthew P Chilcott, FCIPD, ACEL, Owner of Consensus HR comments: “Wow! Some very interesting statistic here in this article from ‘The Times’ and our Chartered Institute the CIPD. At Consensus HR we are a firm believer in Apprenticeships and development of our team and when I was fortunate enough to hold the role of Head of Talent / HR for Veolia Water UK and Welcome Break UK played an active part in ensuring that structured employee development schemes were created and introduced so as to ensure the teams had the skills required for their roles for their benefit and that of the business. Within Veolia water I played an active part in the writing of the skills required for their Apprenticeship scheme working with the Water Authority and Government body which proved very interesting. Apprenticeships and employee development needs to be managed and implemented correctly ensuring that the delegates receive real, business focussed development for the specific role with active support, feedback and praise.”
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If you run a business and have a team and wish to be able to speak to a HR consultant when dealing with any HR / Employment areas, give us a non-obligatory call now – 01438 576750
‘Consensus HR – Helping companies take the pain our of managing people whilst preventing people problems.”
In our current Monthly recap HR blog Newsletter – October 2023 we have:
Former male ‘period dignity officer’ settles discrimination case.
More workers quit over climate.
Sexism in the City inquiry begins.
Lidl worker awarded £50,000 in sexual harassment case.
Acas says companies should provide menopause awareness training for managers.
UK migration advisers call for tighter foreign worker rules.
NHS staff granted ‘safe space’ powers to speak out about mistakes.
Former male ‘period dignity officer’ settles discrimination case | Consensus HR | Herts, Beds
A male “period dignity officer” who lost his job after a global backlash has settled his sex discrimination case out of court. Jason Grant, a former personal trainer, sued the partnership that hired him last year. The £35,000-a-year role was abolished weeks later after claims of threats and abuse.
More workers quit over climate | Consensus HR – Herts
A growing number of workers are making the decision to walk out of companies whose environmental values don’t align with their own. According to research by carbon removal marketplace Supercritical, 35% of UK office workers surveyed said they were willing to quit their jobs over weak climate action from their employers.
Sexism in the City inquiry begins | Consensus HR – Herts, Beds
An inquiry into Sexism in the City begins today and will examine whether the position of women in financial services has changed in the past five years. The Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority are also looking at the issue and are considering proposals for organisations to be more transparent about their diversity and inclusion practices
World Mental Health Day was marked on 10 October and has been celebrated for over 30 years. However, while awareness and acceptance of stress and mental health may be increasing, action – particularly prevention – is not.
Lidl worker awarded £50,000 in sexual harassment case | Consensus HR – Herts, Beds.
A tribunal has ruled in favour of Maddie Hunter, a former teenage assistant at a Lidl supermarket in Oxfordshire who was sexually harassed by the store’s deputy manager. Hunter was subjected to inappropriate comments and advances, and when she complained, she was told to treat it as a compliment.
Acas says companies should provide menopause awareness training for managers. | Consensus HR – Herts, Beds
The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) says companies should provide awareness training for managers about the menopause. Advice for companies includes making practical changes at work to help staff manage their symptoms, such as the availability of cold drinking water and temperature control, and how to handle the issue “with sensitivity.” Susan Clews, chief executive of Acas, said: “British businesses overwhelmingly feel that it is important to support women experiencing menopause at work
UK migration advisers call for tighter foreign worker rules | Consensus HR – Herts, Beds
The UK’s Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) on Tuesday recommended abolishing one of the main routes for businesses to hire migrant workers in sectors where there are severe staff shortages, arguing that the current system was liable to drive down wages and leave workers open to exploitation.
NHS staff granted ‘safe space’ powers to speak out about mistakes | Consensus HR – Herts, Beds
NHS staff will be able to speak out about mistakes without fear of reprisal for the first time, thanks to the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB). The HSSIB has been granted “safe space” powers, meaning that any testimony or evidence given to it will not be handed over to another agency unless the High Court rules that it must.
Research from Capital One has found that 87% of remote workers regularly look after their children while trying to do their day job, with 85% of remote-working parents having to work in the same room as their children. The study shows that parents working from home are also cleaning (56%), cooking (55%), helping with homework (44%) and doing the weekly food shop (44 %). The Capital One research shows that 91% of parents find it stressful juggling work duties and parental responsibilities and 37% are able to concentrate more on their work when in the office full-time. It was also shown that 64% of working parents have seen covering childcare costs become more difficult amid the cost-of-living crisis. Adam Myers of HR consultancy Stellamar says the findings point to an area of concern over remote and hybrid working, saying: “It is important to remember that if people are working at home, then they should be working, and if they are being carers to young children in particular, how much work is actually happening?”
Our HR comment / advice – 87% of staff mix WFH with childcare | Consensus HR | Herts, Beds
Matthew P Chilcott, FCIPD, ACEL, Owner of Consensus HR comments: “This is an interesting article in the Daily Mail in relation to parents working from home and having to juggle their work responsibilities with their parenting duties at the same time which must be extremely hard with a detriment to one or the other as shown in the statistics. At Consensus HR we have had to support businesses and their employees on a number of occasions when it has come to parenting and work and finding suitable childcare. Unfortunately, this can be a very complicated scenario for a business when it starts to affect their work and the business and has to be managed correctly to best practice and the law or could result in drastic financial, reputable and legal problems.”
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If you run a business and have a team and wish to be able to speak to a HR consultant when dealing with any HR / Employment areas, give us a non-obligatory call now – 01438 576750
‘Consensus HR – Helping companies take the pain our of managing people whilst preventing people problems.”
Ministers have formally warned councils in England against adopting four-day working weeks for staff. Government guidance says local authorities that have adopted the work pattern should end the practice immediately. While supporters of the four-day week argue that it improves staff wellbeing and productivity, the government believes that it does not represent value for money and is concerned service quality will decline. Lee Rowley, the Minister for Local Government, warned that councils which opt to disregard the guidance “are now on notice” that ministers “will take necessary steps” to ensure that the practice is ended within local government. Noting that more than nine in 10 councils are experiencing staff recruitment and retention difficulties, Pete Marland, chair of the Local Government Association’s resources board, said: “It is councils who know what works best for their community, workforce and in their wider labour market conditions.”
Our HR comment: – Councils told not to adopt four-day working weeks | Consensus HR | Herts, Beds
Matthew P Chilcott, FCIPD, ACEL, Owner of Consensus HR comments: “We have written a number of blogs of hybrid / flexible working and their pro’s / cons and this one in the ‘Guardian’ highlights the action that Government / Ministers are taking against local councils and them adopting a four-day week. It is a subject that has been spoken about many times in a lot of media since the Pandemic and is totally specific to each company and the service is offers. Unfortunately, / fortunately, there is no one policy that will suit all businesses and each business needs to thoroughly investigate the overall pros / cons of adapting this working practice and the working week and take the necessary action. All parties should be included in the decision so as to not create an environment where quality members of the team feel not listened to and only have the option of seeking alternative employment.
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If your company is experiencing continual discussions / problems about changing the working week to less days but maybe with more hours per day and wish to fully consider how this would be managed and the action that needs to be taken, give us a call now,
A male “period dignity officer” who lost his job after a global backlash has settled his sex discrimination case out of court. Jason Grant, a former personal trainer, sued the partnership that hired him last year. The £35,000-a-year role was abolished weeks later after claims of threats and abuse. Grant alleged that he was removed from the post because he was a man, which would constitute a form of sex discrimination under the Equality Act. The Tribunal Service confirmed that Grant’s case had been settled out of court. No details of the agreement have been made public. Grant was selected last year for a role that would have involved discussing sanitary products with students in schools and colleges in the Tayside region. He was appointed by a working group comprising representatives from Dundee and Angus College, Perth College, Angus council and Dundee city council.
Our HR comment: Former male ‘period dignity officer’ settles discrimination case | Consensus HR | Herts, Beds
Matthew P Chilcott, FCIPD, ACEL, Owner of Consensus HR comments: “This was a news article I saw when watching the six o’clock news yesterday and demonstrates how the requirements of a role resulted in discrimination taking place in relation to discussing sanitary products by a male. This case was settled out of court, but I can only imagine how much was agreed in settlement under the Equality Act 2010. Yes, Grant was a man, but could he have not fulfilled the duties of the role and discussed sanitary products with students in colleges and schools? If the correct Recruitment and Selection strategy has been followed to best practice and the law, then regardless of whether he was a man or not, was he the right person for the role? In this ever-changing world where when I was young you would never see adverts for sanitary products or condoms but today, they are rightfully advertised throughout the day on TV, and it is part of live, why should it not be the norm that a man can be involved in discussing it? The Equality Act 2010 is key when it comes to Equality and Diversity in the workplace which is applicable from day one of employment and if proven unlimited awards can be awarded. We recently wrote a blog on this Act, which can be found by clicking here: One in five Britons have faced workplace discrimination.
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If your business is unsure of Employment Law and best practice when it comes to managing your team, give us a call now for a non-obligatory chat on how we can help you.
The cap on bankers’ bonuses is being removed as of October 31. The cap, which limited the bonuses employees of banks, building societies and investment firms could receive to a maximum of twice their basic salary, was introduced in 2014 in a bid to curb excessive risk-taking in the financial services industry in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The decision to remove the cap came following a four-month consultation by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Financial Conduct Authority. The regulators said the move will address “unintended consequences” of the cap: salaries had been increased as a workaround. The PRA added that scrapping the bonus cap would boost the “safety and soundness” of banks, which would be able to “restructure pay faster, and the change would give firms further flexibility over their cost base to deal with downturns.” Paul Nowak, general secretary of the TUC, criticised the decision to lift the bonus cap when “City financiers are already enjoying bumper bonuses.” He said the “obscene” decision is “an insult to working people.”
Our HR comment: – Banker bonus cap to be scrapped | Consensus HR – Herts, Beds
Matthew P Chilcott, FCIPD, ACEL, Owner of Consensus HR comments: “This is an interesting news article in the majority of the press recently which seems to be supported by two major bodies within that industry but not the TUC. At Consensus HR we believe everybody should be rewarded appropriately for the work that they do with the company having a set reward Strategy and Policy. Rewards should be managed appropriately using a system that all the team can take part in and be rewarded for being successful whilst supporting the success of the business. This is why we always encourage our clients to have a set company performance review process with twice yearly performance reviews with all the team where SMART objectives are written and the team / companies success measures against these. All members of the team are rewarded for their personal input and the overall success of the company which can be financial or a reward of the employees’ choice to a set value. This process is also used for new recruits when joining the company, which after their probationary period automatically flows in the companies set process”.
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If you would like to discuss ways of rewarding your team for theirs and the company’s success, give us a call now for a non- obligatory chat on how this can be achieved. | Banker bonus cap to be scrapped | Consensus HR – Herts, Beds
A growing number of workers are making the decision to walk out of companies whose environmental values don’t align with their own. According to research by carbon removal marketplace Supercritical, 35% of UK office workers surveyed said they were willing to quit their jobs over weak climate action from their employers. Climate campaigner Paul Polman says workers today are far more climate-aware than in the past and want to give their time and talent to companies that share their values. Climate quitters can be a powerful form of lobbying, as their public quitting can create a PR problem for companies and push them to take action. However, some workers believe staying in a job can also drive change and put pressure on companies to move in sustainable directions. Separate research by KPMG shows 20% of workers said they’d turned down a job offer when a company’s ESG commitments didn’t align with their personal values. This number rose to 33% for 18-to-24-year-olds.
Our HR comment: More workers quit over climate | Consensus HR – Herts, Beds
Matthew P Chilcott, FCIPD, ACEL, Owner of Consensus HR comments: “I was amazed to see these statistics in a recent BBC article which demonstrates that applicants are now actively acting when the company they work for or are considering applying to, does not demonstrate climate action. Many of our clients now take positive action in the workplace with recycling and have an environmental policy to adhere to in this ever-changing world covering areas such as recycling, energy consumption, making use of natural light, insulation, using environmentally friendly products and many more.”
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If your business would like to introduce an Environmentally Friendly Policy to its workforce and to demonstrate your commitment to the environment, give us a call now.
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