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Dear Visitor,
Welcome to People Matter from HR Solutions 4U.
 What's in this issue?
- Bribery Act 2010
- IT, Social Media & data Protection Policies
- Sickness absence on the rise
- Unemployment drops
Government issues Guidance Notes on Bribery Act
 On 30 March the Government issued its long awaited Guidance on the procedures organisations should put into place to conform with the new Bribery Act, which will come into force on 1 July 2011.
The Guidance clarifies that the Act is not intended to prevent genuine hospitality such as taking customers to Wimbledon or the Olympics. However, overly lavish hospitality, such as long flights and top level accommodation, may put organisations at risk.
Organisations have a limited period to put into place procedures to prevent bribery and therefore be able to rely on the statutory defence. The Guidance stresses it is not advocating a one-size-fits all approach. However, you should put in place anti-bribery policies and procedures proportionate to the risks faced by your organisation.
In particular, employees need to be clear about what level of permissible gifts and hospitality is acceptable, so as not to breach the new laws.
You should have Hospitality, Gift and Anti-Bribery policies in place and communicate these to staff. Call us on 01256-328428 for model policies.
Are your IT & Data Protection Policies up to date?
 With the plethora of new communication devices available for business use, it is important that businesses keep up to date with threats that can arise out of data breaches and mismanagement of information.
Traditionally, HR policies include gross misconduct, disciplinary procedures for theft, tardiness or poor performance, but what if a laptop or tablet device goes missing with sensitive information on it?
These archaic policies tend to focus on employees actions rather than technology issues, which are often left to the IT department. The way employees work is being shaped around these new devices and HR needs to move with the times to encompass these new threats.
Review your data protection policy
Every business should have a data protection policy, but often this policy can be signed off and forgotten about. The legislation concerning data protection may not have changed much in the last few years, but good practice has. This should prompt a constant review of this policy to ensure it still corresponds with the law, and that information is fairly and lawfully processe.
 Do you have a policy covering the use of Social Media?
In Preece v JD Wetherspoons plc, an Employment Tribunal decided Ms Preece, a pub manager, was fairly dismissed for gross misconduct having made inappropriate comments on Facebook about her customers. These comments were in breach of Wetherspoon's e-mail and internet policy.
Is it time to review your policies? Contact us for help on 01256-328428.
Sickness absence rises despite fit note
 Did you know the average employee is ill for 6.5 days annually?
Average employee sickness absence rose from 6.4 days in 2009 to 6.5 days in 2010, despite the introduction of the government’s new fit note in April 2010, a survey has found.
The CBI/Pfizer Absence and Workplace Health survey of employers suggested that the fit note has yet to have a positive impact on sickness absence. This level of absence equates to 190 million lost work days, including £2.7 billion lost due to 30.4 million days of non-genuine sick leave, or ‘sickies’.
Many firms said it had not yet helped their rehabilitation policy, and 71% were not confident GPs were using the fit note differently from the old sick note.
Managing sickness properly reduces costs and improves profitability. Call us on 01256-328428 and we can help.
Unemployment drops again
 For the second quarter in a row, UK unemployment fell: by 36,000 in the three months to the end of March 2011, to 2.46 million. This means the rate of unemployment is now 7.7%, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Tom Lovell, group managing director of recruitment consultancy Reed, added: "Now the cluster of bank holidays is out of the way, we expect to see an increase in job opportunities as organisations look to fill any gaps before the summer holiday season gets into full swing.”
We are currently working with clients to source and recruit new employees. If you would like help in finding the right people then give us a call on 01256 328428Hea
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