People we’re talking to are unclear and confused about the recently introduced discriplinary and grievance procedures.

A key change is that as of April 6, 2009,  Employment Tribunals can uplift any award by 25 per cent if the employer or employee has unreasonably failed to follow the Acas Code of Practice.

Our advice is to print off Acas’s new Code of Practice and take the time to read it thoroughly. Then check your procedures to check they are in line. But don’t just put it on a shelf after that, keep a copy to hand for reference.

Maximum working temperature?

Something else came up in conversation this week and it may be relevant as we approach what is predicted to be a hot summer (if you can believe it!). Perhaps you heard the news regarding a proposed maximum temperature for the workplace.

There is currently a minimum temperature of at least 16c or 13c if severe physical effort is involved. But there is no maximum (other than HSE guidelines).

We have heard 24c mooted as a potential level, but we think this is low. It could be problematic for some industries such as catering where hot kitchen temperatures are the norm.

If this proposal is to progress it seems to us there is still a lot of work to be done regarding exemptions or at least clarifications as to how it would apply in different sectors/industries.

Tags: employment law, grievance and disciplinary procedures
Posted by steve walker
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.