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Skills shortage leading
to bad hires
Over half of small businesses believe the
skills shortage is resulting in bad hires,
each of which is estimated to cost £13,799
in wages, recruitment costs and wasted
time.
In a survey of 1,000 small businesses
commissioned by Sandler Training, over half
(51%) said the poor quality of applicants was
having a negative impact on recruitment. Other
causes were poor judgement (27%) and a rushed
recruitment process (11%).
Even so, only one in four (28%) small business
owners conducts three or more interviews before
offering a job, with 25% hiring after just one
interview. Most (47%) interview applicants twice
before offering a role.
Shaun Thomson, CEO of Sandler Training
(UK), said: “The cost of investing in a robust
interview process is much lower than the cost
of a bad hire. By building a recruitment strategy
that incorporates assessments, which will give
information into candidates’ attitudes and
how they should be questioned in interviews,
businesses can ensure they get insight into
whether they would be a good fit before an offer
is made – avoiding the repercussions of bad hire.”
Apprenticeships then and now
As part of commemorations to mark 100 years of Apprenticeships from 1914-2014, the
National Apprenticeship Service has compared apprenticeships today to 100 years ago.
Census data from 1911 and a review of historical research conducted by Professor Krista Cowman
at the University of Lincoln show that in 1914, there was a very different mix of vocations and most
apprentices started work aged 15-17, compared to 19-24 today. One hundred years ago, women made
up 22% of apprentices, compared to 55% today.
In 1914, like today, employers offered a mixture of on-the-job training and formal education.
However, 100 years ago apprentices were ‘indentured’ (legally required) to work for an employer for a
number of years and had to pay a fee to cover the cost of their training. They were also required to pay
for their tools and could be summoned to appear in court if they were felt to be performing below par.
Today, apprenticeships are offered by more than 100,000 businesses in 170 industries including
aerospace, fashion, broadcast media and finance. Since 2010, over 1.9 million young people have started
an apprenticeship in England.
1. Verbal assurances and employment contracts –
which take precedence?
This came to our attention via an Employment Appeal
Tribunal (EAT) case, which had first been brought to the
European Human Rights Court, where an employee tried
to argue that verbal assurances given in the recruitment
process were not fulfilled, even though they weren't
included in the (signed and agreed) employment contract.
In the end, whatever is in the contract will always
take precedence. However, to avoid the time and hassle
of employment tribunals, it is prudent to include a clause
within your contract clearly stating that your written contract
overrules any claims made during the recruitment process.
If you have agreed some pre-conditions with the recruit,
you should include these within the contract and ensure
that they read through and understand it thoroughly before
signing.
2. The government’s new Fit For Work scheme
If any of your employees have been off sick for longer than
four (continuous) weeks, then this will apply to you.
The government has planned to introduce a new
scheme, which should come into effect in late 2014, to help
employees on long-term sick leave get back into work. This
will work on the basis of an assessment of the employee
by an occupational health professional, and then advice via
phone or on the web as to what they should do next. Going
through this process saves employers time and money, and
a Return To Work plan will be shared with the employer to
help give them information on the process.
If you can’t accommodate a Return To Work plan, you
have to give good business justification as to why not or
risk a discrimination claim.
If you don’t think you can accommodate it and are
considering implementing a capability procedure, it may
be worth waiting for the Return To Work plan to be issued
before starting any formal processes.
3. Holiday pay and overtime
This has been widely covered, but the final word on the
subject is yet to be set in stone. Until that time, there are
some things to consider if you have been giving regular
overtime to your employees. I would suggest looking at
ways to restructure overtime, commission, bonuses etc. to
reduce and (hopefully) remove the impact of paying more
by holiday pay.
On November 24, Alok Sharma MP for Reading
West joined management and staff of Reflex Digital
Solutions in celebrating the Ricoh dealer’s 25th
anniversary. Reflex MD Derrick Murphy took the
opportunity to explain to Mr Sharma the challenges
facing local businesses. “With the region’s falling
unemployment figures, we were very keen to talk to
Mr Sharma about the local business economy and
specifically problems we’re currently experiencing
filling vacancies for three young people to join the
team on our training program,” he said.
Reflex Digital Solutions
welcomes local MP
Caption (l-r): Tony Lawrence, Simon Manning,
Courtney Codrington, Debbie Garnett, Mel Watts,
Derrick Murphy and Alok Sharma MP
The Month In Employment Law
Kirsty Senior, Co-Founder
and Director of HR
software and support
service citrusHR, highlights
recent developments in
employment law and how
they might affect your
business…
