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Dear Visitor,
Welcome to People Matter from HR Solutions 4U.
 What's in this issue?
- Lies told by job applicants
- New National Minimum Wage
- Royal Wedding holiday?
- Retirement age changes
- Equality Bill issues
What are the most common lies told by job applicants?
 In the business world, every employee can impact your company's performance, culture and bottom line, making it crucial to hire the right candidate. Poor recruitment decisions can result in costly and even critical mistakes. These decisions can be based on falsified information from candidates’ resumes.
Job seekers often exaggerate, falsify and even lie outright on their job applications. For this reason, you should consider comprehensive background checks specifically designed to uncover dishonest or exaggerated information on resumes and in job applications.
Although common practice in large organisations, background checking is also important for small businesses. Job candidates are more likely to lie to small businesses because they assume the companies are less likely to perform background checks on their candidates.
Call us on 01256 328428 to arrange a reference check with our new on-line reference checking system.
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National Minimum Wage rate for 2011/12
 The Government has announced it will increase the adult rate of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) by 15p to £6.08 an hour.
The full list of new rates is as follows, effective from 1 October 2011:
Adult rate - £6.08 an hour (15p increase);
- 18-20 year olds - £4.98 an hour (6p increase);
- 16-17 year olds - £3.68 an hour (4p increase); and
- Apprentices - £2.60 an hour (10p increase).
Nine out of Ten employers gear up to allow staff holiday for the Royal Wedding
 The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP) has found most employers will be granting the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on Friday 29 April, a Bank Holiday.
A survey carried out by the CIPP has found 88% of employers are treating 29 April as a Bank Holiday. This will be welcome news for many as there is no statutory right for an employee to have an extra day’s holiday as a result of the Royal Wedding.
If you are unsure about employees' entitlement to this additional bank holiday follow the link below or phone us on 01256-328428.
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Default Retirement Age
 Don’t forget from 6 April 2011 the default retirement age (DRA) was abolished. You can no longer issue notifications for compulsory retirement using the DRA procedure. However, you may be able to objectively justify why certain workers should retire, such as those in the police force or construction industry.
The way in which the transitional provisions have been drafted means while it is still possible to force through the retirement of someone who reaches the age of 65 between 6 April 2011 and 30 September 2011, you must not do this unless the notification had been issued prior to 6 April 2011. From 6 April 2011 there is no longer any exception for retirement in the Equality Act; the statutory procedure for requesting a deferral of retirement is abolished; and the unfair dismissal provisions allowing for a fair dismissal by reason of retirement will also go.
Unless the transitional provisions apply, any dismissal taking effect from 6 April onwards and which is based on the employee being 65 or older, will be a pretty clear case of age discrimination and unfair dismissal unless the employer can show the policy of retirement is objectively justified, which is going to be difficult.
Worried about falling foul of the new legislation? Give us a call on 01256 328428 to talk through your concerns.
Equality Bill restricts use of health-related questionnaires
 Changes to your selection process may be necessary following a provision in the Equality Act 2010, which came into force on 1 October 2010. This provision relates specifically to pre-employment questionnaires, and effectively prohibits employers from asking health related questions before a job is offered other than in limited circumstances.
The amendment was added following lobbying by disability groups, which argued employers were using such enquiries to discriminate against people who declared a disability by then not selecting them for interview or other selection stages.
An employer asking such a question at this stage could now be found to have directly discriminated against a disabled candidate and, if an applicant is rejected as a result, the burden of proof in an employment tribunal would shift to the employer.
However, the Bill has also outlined specific instances where employers can make health and disability-related enquiries before shortlisting, including when it is for the purposes of:
- Making reasonable adjustments to enable the disabled person to participate in the recruitment process;
- Monitoring diversity in applications for jobs; and
- Supporting positive action in employment for disabled people.
Should you wish for any further help on this matter then please don’t hesitate to call HR Solutions 4U on 01256 328428.6
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