|
Being_Family_Friendly
| Being Family Friendly
The trigger date - 6 April 2003. Family Friendly rights, brought
to employees and employers alike with the implementation of the
Employment Act 2002. These include increased maternity leave
together with the introduction of paternity leave, adoption
leave and the new right to request flexible working. Amidst the
plethora of information on the legal detail of these “family
friendly” rights – Derian Keyms takes a moment to consider the
HR perspective – what “family friendly” measures should
employers now take?
Information on the UK’s new family friendly rights is widely,
and freely, available. It’s said that “the devil’s in the
detail” – well, there’s more than enough legal detail, and in
abundance! But what’s lacking is information and guidance for
employers on what to do now. How to stay ahead, and how to
minimise the risk of a claim. Much of my article may seem
blindingly obvious – but so are most issues, with the advantage
of retrospect. So I invite you to join me in a quick rundown of
top tips for employers…
In a nutshell, these consist of my “Five C’s” - Compliance,
Contractual, Clarity, Communication and Consistency:
Compliance. Ensure awareness and understanding of what the
statutory minimum provisions are, together with any collective
or workforce agreements that may also govern internal provisions.
Contractual. Review existing arrangements and cross check those
with individual contractual rights. Revisit “Custom and
Practice” – what actually happens as opposed to what you think
should happen!
Clarity. Try and minimise misunderstanding with the use of
simple, clear and user friendly language. Ensure defined
procedures and processes for employees, managers, HR and payroll
– a step-by-step guide.
Communication. Communication of new policies and procedures
should be both proactive and effective, using a combination of
methods such as noticeboards, internal memos, in-house magazines
and the company intranet. Consider appointing an expert to
channel queries and maintain a consistent approach.
Consistency. Avoid inconsistency by the use of standard
application forms, pro-formas and model letters, discouraging
such practices as informal notes or memos. Work out trigger
dates in advance and use them as the basis of a project plan to
ensure that everything happens according to plan. Lastly, ensure
consistency and equality of treatment between male and female
employees.
Family Friendly = Employer Friendly? A matter of opinion. Many
countries in the European Community are now racing to catch up
on discrimination laws that the UK have been accustomed to since
the mid 70’s. In turn, we are now racing to catch up on family
leave issues that have been a matter of course for many years
with our European neighbours. Choice is not an option – but a
forward thinking, proactive approach is. There’s no doubt that
the next few months or years, will be challenging. The gauntlet
has been thrown down. I believe that we will rise to the
opportunity.
This article is presented by BrainyBusiness.com. For more
information visit www.brainybusiness.com, or e-mail
mail@brainybusiness.com.
About the author:
Founder and Managing Director of Derian Keyms Consulting Ltd
Human Resources Consultancy.
|
|
| |
| |
