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BBC News - Disney lays off 28,000 at US theme parks
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-54350423

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BBC News - Coronavirus: Hotel made staff homeless in 'admin error'
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-51972372

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BBC News - Coronavirus: Hotel made staff homeless in 'admin error'
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-51972372

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UK Government strategy, including section on 'people' on improving recruitment and retention

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An example from outside the tourism and hospitality industries of an organisation that puts people at the heart of its organisational culture to improve performance and engagement

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As the Chief Culture Officer at Thorgate, I am responsible for a variety of areas from hiring and peoples' development, internal communication, as well as, taking care of our office. Thorgate builds tech-savvy digital products for manufacturing, health care and the finance industry, and we have more than 30 employees, of whom 30% are foreigners. The fact that a third of our people have worked in the company for more than three years assures us that we have built an open and supportive company culture. How did we accomplish that? I will share a few novel techniques and methodologies that we use on a weekly basis and that I encourage others to try.

1. Work Free Workdays
Once a month, our people come to the office and spend an entire day working on something useful but that does not include their daily work. It can be their personal hobby project, watching an online course or reading a book. Think of a time when you wanted to learn something new. Why did you end up not acquiring that skill? The most common excuse is that you didn't find the time. With a dedicated Work Free Work Day in everybody's calendar, they all know that they indeed have the time and should start investing in themselves. As during that day, everybody in the company is concentrating on this, it makes it easier for people to not get carried away.
Rewarding our people with 12 extra days a year for personal development has helped to decrease the overall stress level. The majority of our employees are software engineers whose work requires deep concentration and the ability to cope with constant failures. Time has shown that Work Free Workdays help avoid the risk of burnout as well, because it breaks the daily routine and allows experiencing something positive.

2. CEO Grilling
Two of the core values of Thorgate are being trustworthy and open-minded. Both are necessary for creating a supportive work environment where communication runs smoothly. For full transparency, once a month during a company-wide meeting, we host a CEO Grilling session. Our CEO Raido Pikkar reads out and answers questions sent by the employees anonymously via an online form throughout the month. Our company culture is open and welcoming, so every employee can, of course, talk to Raido directly whenever something concerns them or perhaps they want to propose some new initiative within the company. However, as the questions sent during the CEO Grilling are anonymous, it provides a perfect forum for more uncomfortable topics.

3. Retrospectives or Retros
Each Friday late afternoon we also host Retrospectives or Retros to improve the internal exchange of information. Every team gathers for about twenty to thirty minutes to discuss the positives and negatives from the week. In the beginning, everybody has 5 minutes to write them down as keywords and then we all take turns reading them out loud and commenting on the topics. Recurrent negatives are then discussed in-depth to find solutions or perhaps next steps towards solutions.

4. Progress, Plans, and Problems methodology
For reporting on the status of different work tasks, we use a methodology called PPP - Progress, Plans, and Problems. In a simple spreadsheet, everyone simply lists their 3-5 key accomplishments (progress), planned activities (plans) and problems that they are facing this week. It is recommended to also have a column for notes where people can include links to different projects or files mentioned in the PPP.

I recommend to fill out the PPP once a week and use a new sheet for each week. This allows having a good brief overview of the achievements as well as plans when you're in a one-on-one meeting with your supervisor. I personally love the structure of PPP precisely because it's so efficient and allows reviewing your personal progress during an entire quarter, as well as keep track of the challenges you faced. The same goes for the supervisor having a very clean easy to understand summary of the employees' progress in their team. To our knowledge, some other Estonian companies, for example Weekdone, are using PPP methodology as well.

5. 30-minute Knowledge Sharing Sessions
What if instead of bigger team trainings, you learned something new with your colleagues every week? At Thorgate, we have hosted weekly knowledge sharing sessions since 2014 and it has definitely had an impact on our company culture. Curiosity and willingness to learn from each other have become something very natural and it is being noticed and valued. In addition to a few bigger company-wide trainings a year, we host these 30-minute sessions casually in our office, where the topics vary from new trends in technology to mental health. Most of the presentations are put together by our own employees on a voluntary basis, but every now and then we invite an external expert to host the session. As an example, Dr. Jüri Laasik from SYNLAB came to speak about men's health on men's day and Taavi Kotka gave a talk about future trends in innovation.

6. Internal Hackathons
Each spring and fall, we host an internal hackathon at Thorgate that starts on Friday afternoon and runs for 48 hours. During those hackathons, teams themselves choose what they want to accomplish, be it prototyping a business idea or find clever ways to make office life more comfortable. Once we set up a camera to see the length of the queue of our lunch cafe downstairs. These hackathons encourage collaboration between colleagues that don't usually work together on a daily basis. It also increases overall bonding and motivation as people support each other in achieving a common goal. We hosted our fall hackathon just a few weeks ago and even though the event participation is voluntary, the turnout was an impressive 50%.

As the above-mentioned techniques also reflect, our focus at Thorgate is on being transparent and efficient and on supporting everyone's personal development. We also care about giving back to the community which is why twice a month, we host code clubs for everyone interested in Python programming language and once a year in the fall we host a technical conference called PyCon Estonia.

As the culture officer at Thorgate, I have seen these techniques help our people thrive. Our culture is engineered in a way that helps us inculcate our values of trustworthiness, open-mindedness and teamwork. Our eNPS and other feedback from employees shows how they think Thorgate is a great place to work at!

If you would like to work in this great culture, see our open positions HERE.

Related Articles
No company is too small to make a difference! What did I learn from PyCon Estonia 2019? What makes a good customer?

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How Thorgate Built a Culture that Makes People Thrive | Thorgate

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As the Chief Culture Officer at Thorgate, I am responsible for a variety of areas from hiring and peoples' development, internal communication, as well as, taking care of our office. Thorgate builds tech-savvy digital products for manufacturing, health care and the finance industry, and we have more than 30 employees, of whom 30% are foreigners.

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Turtle Bay tipping policy and National Minimum Wage

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Turtle Bay tipping policy and National Minimum Wage

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Some major UK restaurant chains are taking three per cent of all sales costs from their waiters' tips after shifts, effectively making them "pay to work".

Las Iguanas Latin American restaurants and Turtle Bay Caribbean restaurants, which have the same founder, both operate under the policy which takes between three and 4.4 per cent of total sales from their waiters' tips.

Las Iguanas was voted number 86 in the 100 Best Companies to Work For by The Sunday Times in April this year.

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Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

The expanding chain will soon have 44 restaurants across the UK including five already open in London. Turtle Bay currently has 19 restaurants.

According to the companies' tipping policy the waiters have to give 3 per cent of their sales money to their managers but they say that if they do not earn enough tips to cover this cost then they pay nothing. However, reports from staff have contradicted this.

An anonymous Turtle Bay waiter told The Guardian about a time recently when: "The tips didn't cover 3 per cent of the sales I'd made, and by the end of the night I had to get £20 out of my pocket and give it to my manager."

The employment contract for Turtle Bay states that staff "will be required to make up the benefit of any shortfall in the next or subsequent shift, or in the event of leaving the company by a deduction from wages due, such that the deduction does not reduce your effective rate of pay below the minimum wage."

An amount equalling three per cent of the price of sales (4.4 per cent in London) is taken from the tips of the waiters by the company who use it to give the staff incentives, to invest in training, and to pay bar and kitchen workers above minimum wage. What is remaining of the tip is left with the server.

This means that if a waiter serves £1,000 worth of food and drink in an evening then they would have to give £30 in cash out of their tips to their boss at the end of their shift - £44 if they work in London.

As well as using staff tips, Las Iguanas also contributes their own investment into their training systems, according to their policy.

"This process has helped us gain a place on the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For 2015 list and the Investors in People Gold Award, recognising our excellence in developing our team. At the 2014 Investors in People Awards we won the award for Excellence in Reward & Recognition," the website says.

In a statement Turtle Bay said: "The 3 per cent is a calculation on a server's total sales, and in the vast majority of cases customers will leave in excess of 10-15 per cent of their bill as tips... We are not aware of any occasion where a floor server has not earned any tips."

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Major UK restaurant chains 'forcing waiters to pay to work'

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Some major UK restaurant chains are taking three per cent of all sales costs from their waiters' tips after shifts, effectively making them "pay to work". Las Iguanas Latin American restaurants and Turtle Bay Caribbean restaurants, which have the same founder, both operate under the policy which takes between three and 4.4 per cent of total sales from their waiters' tips.

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You hear EVA before you see it. A whirring and whizzing noise greets you as you enter the offices of Automata, a start-up robotics company based in London.

To one side a robotic arm is going through an intricate set of moves: six joints twisting and turning in a sequence which, in the real world, would place a label on a parcel.

That's EVA, and it has being doing those moves non-stop for months to test its reliability.

Around the office and workshop there are more than a dozen other EVA units, some being dismantled by the engineers, others awaiting testing.

It must be very eerie at night as EVA continues its work, simulating attaching labels, while surrounded by its silent clones.

This robotic arm emerged from the work of former architect Suryansh Chandra and his business partner Mostafa Elsayed.

"We started out with the intention to democratise robotics, to make automation accessible and affordable to as many people as needed it," says Mr Chandra.

They are betting that there are thousands, if not millions, of smaller businesses which need repetitive tasks completed, but can't afford a big industrial robot.

So EVA was developed from cheap reliable parts. It uses the same motors that power the electric windows in cars, while the computer chips are similar to those used in the consumer electronics business. This is allowing them to sell EVA at £8,000.

"If I was to give you an analogy, this was a world where there were a lot of luxury cars. Everything was fast, powerful and precise, but there was no Toyota. There was no people's car," Mr Chandra says.

Automata is just one firm trying to find a wider market for robots and disrupt the way that things are made.

More than 2.4 million industrial robots are operating in factories around the world, according to data from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), which is forecasting double-digit sales growth from 2020 to 2022.

The majority of robots currently do repetitive work in large factories, producing cars, electronics and metal.

These giant industrial arms have long been powerful and accurate, but have lacked adaptability.

Yet now, developments in artificial intelligence, alongside improved vision technology and better devices for gripping, are opening new markets.

Online shopping has given the industry a juicy opportunity. In giant warehouses millions of objects of all different shapes and sizes have to be sorted and moved around.

Pick and mix

To replace the humans in this growing market, robots need to be able to recognise and grip all sorts of different items.

"Something that a child can do easily, which is to reach into a bin and grab an item, is really hard for a robot. It's taken a ton of technology to make it possible," says Vince Martinelli, from US-based RightHand Robotics.

His company was one of the first to develop a gripper that could be fitted to the end of robot arm, allowing it to grab items of different sizes.

Their attachment for a robot arm employs a suction device and three fingers to grab items. First the sucker extends to select the item and then the three fingers secure it.

It uses a camera linked to artificial intelligence to identify and locate the object it wants.

The explosion in online shopping has created a demand for this kind of technology; Amazon alone has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in tech for its warehouses.

"When I go to a store I provide the picking labour for free. I go around the store grabbing the things I want. If I order online I have kind of exported that labour back to the retailer and they've got to figure out now how to do the item handling," says Mr Martinelli.

Soft Robotics, also based in the US, is tackling the same problem albeit in a different way.

Its robotic hand has rubbery fingers that fill with air, allowing them to handle delicate food items like biscuits and pastries.

"The food industry is almost entirely manual today, because every piece of food, every chicken cutlet, you name it, varies in size shape and weight. You also have an added dimension of food safety and cleanliness," says Carl Vause, the chief executive of Soft Robotics.

Mr Vause thinks his firm's technology will also lend itself to the clothing industry.

While such systems give robotic arms more skill, their dexterity still falls a long way short of the human hand.

Researchers at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory (a partnership between the University of the West of England and Bristol University) think the big breakthrough would be to give robot hands a sense of touch.

Prof Nathan Lepora, head of the tactile robotics group, has developed rubber sensors that can detect and map surfaces.

The system uses a camera inside each "finger" that detects how the rubber tip bulges and moves when touching an object.

Using a type of artificial intelligence called machine learning, the robot is then trained to recognise objects just by touching them and seeing how the rubber tip responds.

Prof Lepora thinks that by the end of this decade robots will be able to manipulate items, assemble objects and tinker in the same way that humans do with their hands.

"It is just an engineering challenge at the end of the day. There's nothing magical about how we use our hands," he says.

'Emotional reaction'

Future developments in robotic hardware and artificial intelligence mean that robots will be able to do more and more of the jobs that are currently performed by humans.

According to a report by the OECD, 14% of of jobs are "at high risk of automation" and 32% of jobs could be "radically transformed", with the manufacturing sector at the highest risk.

It's a sensitive topic for those that work in the robotics industry and companies that use robots.

Mr Chandra argues that his technology will eliminate boring, repetitive jobs that humans don't like and aren't very good at, and also create new ones that are likely to replace them.

"There's definitely tens of thousands of new jobs that exist to suit the current society that did not exist before. So I think this constancy of jobs is a fiction, it's never really been the case," he says.

Every time a job dies, there is an emotional reaction... but every time there's a creation of a new economy."

Follow Technology of Business editor Ben Morris on Twitter

This article is the second part of mini-series on disruptive technologies, you can find the first, on blockchain, here.

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Why your new work colleague could be a robot

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You hear EVA before you see it. A whirring and whizzing noise greets you as you enter the offices of Automata, a start-up robotics company based in London. To one side a robotic arm is going through an intricate set of moves: six joints twisting and turning in a sequence which, in the real world, would place a label on a parcel.

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An employment tribunal has ruled that ethical veganism should be protected under discrimination law, a ruling that may have major implications for organisations.
This morning (3 January), Norwich employment court agreed with Jordi Casamitjana, who was formerly employed by the League Against Cruel Sports, that ethical veganism is a philosophical belief and should be protected under the Equality Act 2010.

Judge Robin Postle, in a short summary judgment, ruled that London resident Casamitjana, 55, adhered to the belief. For a belief to be protected under the Act, it must meet several tests including being worthy of respect in a democratic society, being compatible with human dignity and not conflicting with the rights of others.

Casamitjana's employment claim against his former employer will be heard next month.

Peter Daly, the employment lawyer from Slater and Gordon representing Casamitjana, said: "I'm pleased with how the hearing today has gone and we look forward to receiving the full judgment in due course. This was the first of a two-part employment tribunal. Now the question of ethical veganism has been determined by the judge, the litigation will move on to determine the lawfulness of Jordi's treatment by the League Against Cruel Sports.

"The recognition of ethical veganism as a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 will have potentially significant effects on employment and the workplace, education, transport and the provision of goods and services.

"The legal team including my colleagues at Slater and Gordon and Jordi's counsel, Chris Milsom at Cloisters, are very pleased with the result."

Casamitjana said: "I'm extremely happy with the outcome of this hearing and for the words of the judge who clearly understood what ethical veganism is. I didn't expect to have a judgment today but the overwhelming weight of the evidence we have provided seems to have been sufficient for the judge to conclude that I'm the ethical vegan I say I am, and that ethical veganism is a protected 'non-religious philosophical belief'.

Legal comment
By Kate Palmer, associate directory of advisory, Peninsula
Although a first instance decision that could still be appealed, this long-awaited ruling provides useful commentary on the level of legal protection that ethical veganism should receive in the workplace.

In light of this ruling, employers may want to consider reviewing how they support ethical vegans in their company, and if any changes are required. It should be remembered that no employee should feel mistreated at work.

As vegans abstain from the consumption of animal products employers should pay close attention to the food on offer in any staff canteen or pre-arranged business lunches, ensuring there are always vegan options available.

"Better protection means more vegans will be able to be open about their beliefs. This can only be a good thing for the billions of animals still exploited by humans, an environment under duress and stressed public health."

The zoologist said prior to the hearing that he had been sacked as head of policy and research because he had raised concerns that its pension fund invested in companies that tested on animals. As a result of his disclosures, he claimed he was unfairly disciplined and that the decision to dismiss him was reached because of his belief in ethical veganism.

The animal rights campaign group, which claims to be one of the most vegan-friendly employers, said Casamitjana was dismissed for gross misconduct.

Rhys Wyborn, employment partner at law firm, Shakespeare Martineau, who acted for the League Against Cruel Sports, said: "Although an interesting point of law, this hearing was preparation for the real crux of the matter: why Jordi Casamitjana was dismissed. In view of its animal welfare value, the League did not contest the issue of whether ethical veganism itself should be a protected belief, with the League maintaining that it's irrelevant to the core reason for the dismissal.

"The League is now looking ahead to the substantive hearing in this case and to addressing the reason for Mr. Casamitjana's dismissal, which it maintains was due to his misconduct and not the belief he holds.

"It may be the first decision of its kind, but being a first instance decision, it is not enough to have a binding effect on other tribunals and each case will depend on its own facts moving forwards. Nevertheless, it could act as an initial gateway for more action of this type and one wonders what will be next in seeking protection as an asserted belief."

Casamitjana added, after today's ruling: "I am not alone. Many people have supported me because they, or their friends, have experienced discrimination for being ethical vegans. Hopefully, from my dismissal, something positive will come by ensuring other ethical vegans are better protected in the future. I really want to thank those who have supported me so far through crowdjustice.com and I hope others may join them as I haven't achieved my final target yet."

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Landmark ruling: ethical veganism is a protected characteristic - Personnel Today

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An employment tribunal has ruled that ethical veganism should be protected under discrimination law, a ruling that may have major implications for organisations. This morning (3 January), Norwich employment court agreed with Jordi Casamitjana, who was formerly employed by the League Against Cruel Sports, that ethical veganism is a philosophical belief and should be protected under the Equality Act 2010.

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Workers are entitled to a week's pay for each week of statutory leave that they take.

Most workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks' paid holiday a year. You can use the holiday calculator to work out how much leave someone should get.

A week's pay is worked out according to the kind of hours someone works and how they're paid for the hours. This includes full-time, part-time, term-time and casual workers.

Working pattern

How a week's pay is calculated

Fixed hours and fixed pay (full- or part-time)

How much a worker gets for a week's work

Shift work with fixed hours (full- or part-time)

The average number of weekly fixed hours a worker has worked in the previous 12 weeks, at their average hourly rate

No fixed hours (casual work, including zero-hours contracts)

A worker's average pay from the previous 12 weeks (only counting weeks in which they were paid)

Calculating average hourly or weekly rate

To calculate average hourly rate, only the hours worked and how much was paid for them should be counted. Take the average rate over the last 12 weeks.

A 'week' usually runs from Sunday to Saturday. Only use another 7-day period (like Thursday to Wednesday) if that's how a worker's pay is calculated.

If no pay was paid in any week, count back another week so the rate is based on 12 weeks in which pay was paid.

If a worker has been employed for less than 12 weeks, use the average pay rate for the full weeks they have worked.

Workers who are paid monthly

To work out a week's pay for someone who's paid monthly:

1. Calculate the worker's average hourly pay for the last month. Do this by dividing the month's pay by the number of hours worked in the month.

2. Calculate the weekly pay. Do this by multiplying the average hourly pay by the number of hours worked in a week.

Use the weekly pay calculation for each of the last 12 weeks to work out an average week's pay.

Rolled-up holiday pay

Holiday pay should be paid for the time when annual leave is taken. An employer cannot include an amount for holiday pay in the hourly rate (known as 'rolled-up holiday pay').

If a current contract still includes rolled-up pay, it needs to be re-negotiated.

More information

There's guidance for calculating holiday pay for workers without fixed hours or pay, which includes several examples.

You can also contact the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) with questions about general holiday pay issues.

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Workers are entitled to a week's pay for each week of statutory leave that they take. Most workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks' paid holiday a year. You can use the holiday calculator to work out how much leave someone should get.

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Equality & Diversity - disability pay gap

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Equality & Diversity - disability pay gap

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Disabled employees are paid 12.2% less than their non-disabled peers, according to official data.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that in 2018 the median pay for non-disabled workers was £12.11 an hour, against £10.63 for disabled.

London had the widest disability pay gap at 15.3%, with the narrowest in Scotland, at 8.3%.

The gap was the widest for those in their 30s and 40s, the ONS said in its report.

The report is the first analysis of disability pay gaps in the UK using newly reweighted earnings data from the Annual Population Survey.

To define disability, the ONS uses the Government Statistical Service (GSS) definition. This identifies "disabled" as a person who has a physical or mental health condition, or illness that has lasted or is expected to last 12 months or more, that reduces their ability to carry out day-to-day activities.

The ONS said disabled females were in general paid 10.1% less than non-disabled females in 2018 - narrower than the pay gap between disabled and non-disabled male employees who had a gap of 11.6%.

However, employment rates for disabled men and women were similar at 51.7% and 50.4%.

The ONS also found that those disabled employees with mental impairments had the biggest pay gap at 18.6%, while the gap was 9.7% for the physically impaired.

Much of the difference in pay can be put down to factors such as what employees do and how qualified they are, the agency said.

Using the GSS definition of disability, the ONS said 18.9% of workers aged 16 to 64 years were disabled in 2018. Women were more likely to be disabled than men, at 21.1% and 16.6%, respectively.

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Disabled employees are paid 12.2% less than their non-disabled peers, according to official data. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that in 2018 the median pay for non-disabled workers was £12.11 an hour, against £10.63 for disabled. London had the widest disability pay gap at 15.3%, with the narrowest in Scotland, at 8.3%.

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In December 2018, the government set out the reforms it planned to introduce as part of the Good Work Plan, its response to the Taylor review. Katee Dias examines the main proposals.
Numerous employment law reforms were set out in the Good Work Plan, published in December 2018. While Brexit appears to have delayed the formal introduction of any legislation, the overall aim of the plan is to strengthen employment rights and improve our work lives. Here we look at the three main strands of the proposed reforms.

Fair and decent work

The first section makes very tangible changes to the current law and introduces some entirely new entitlements. Highlights include:
Right to request a more predictable and stable contract
This new right will mean an employee can request a more predictable and stable contract after 26 weeks of employment.

Examples of what might be requested include a guaranteed minimum number of hours and certainty as to the days on which they will be asked to work.

This new development will predominantly benefit individuals who are employed as casuals or on zero-hour contracts. An employer will have three months to make their decision on any such request.
Break in continuous service
Presently, a gap of just one week can break an individual's continuity of service. Therefore, despite regularly working on and off for the same employer over a long period of time, an individual may not build up any significant length of service.

This break period will be extended from one week to four weeks, helping those employees who work on a sporadic or casual basis to qualify for more employment rights (such as the right not to be unfairly dismissed or the right to statutory maternity pay), which require a particular length of service.
Protecting agency workers
After 12 weeks of service, an agency worker is entitled to receive the same level of pay as a permanent worker, unless the agency worker opts out of this right and instead elects to receive a guaranteed level of pay between their temporary assignments (often referred to as "the Swedish derogation").

This opt-out will be removed (proposed to take effect in April 2020) because often agency workers are financially worse off taking the Swedish derogation route.
Tips and gratuities
Rules will be implemented to ensure that tips are passed directly to the individual, rather than taken by the employer.
Information and consultation arrangements
Information and consultation arrangements give employees the right to be involved in workplace discussions about an agreed list of topics, such as redundancy proposals.

Currently, support from at least 10% of the workforce is needed for a successful request but we expect that from April 2020 this will be reduced to 2% (although the 15 employee minimum threshold will remain).

Clarity for employers and workers

In the second section there is a clear focus on improving communication and certainty in the working relationship. The main reforms include:
Employment status tests
There is a commitment to improve the clarity of the employment status tests for employee, worker and self-employed, although it remains to be seen exactly how and when this will be done. Given the large amount of recent case law (for example, about Uber drivers, Pimlico Plumbers and Deliveroo couriers), most would say that this is a much-needed area of review.
Statement of basic terms
From April 2020, it will not just be employees who are entitled to receive a written document setting out their basic terms, because the right will be extended to workers too. This is a new entitlement that should bring clarity for many workers regarding their contractual terms.

Employers currently have two months in which to provide the written particulars to their employees but this will change to become a "day-one" right instead. This will ensure that both parties are clear about the main contractual terms from the outset of the relationship.

Further, additional details will need to be included in the documentation, such as details of any paid leave (like maternity or paternity leave), the duration and conditions of any probationary period and information about entitlements to any benefits.
Key terms for agency workers
Employment businesses will be required to provide every agency worker with a document known as a "key facts page".

This will need to include certain details, such as the type of contract they are employed under, the minimum rate of pay they will receive and details of any fees that might be taken. This will help agency workers better understand their basic terms, which can be especially difficult where intermediary umbrella companies are involved.
Holiday pay
The reference period used to calculate holiday pay will be extended from 12 weeks to 52 weeks, which is an important development for those who work variable hours. Currently a worker may get different rates of pay during holidays taken, depending on how many hours they worked in the three months previous.

In response to recent case law, there will also be a campaign to ensure that individuals better understand their rights and a new holiday entitlement calculator will be launched.

Fairer enforcement

Promoting justice and protecting the vulnerable are the central aims of these reforms, which include:
Naming and shaming
Employers who do not pay the compensation awarded by an employment tribunal following a successful claim will now not only face potential enforcement proceedings (where a penalty notice can be issued of up to 50% of the unpaid award) but also the prospect of being publicly named and shamed.
Umbrella companies
The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate exists to enforce agency worker rights. Its future remit will be expanded to allow it to cover umbrella companies too.
State enforcement of holiday pay
Currently, when an employer does not pay holiday pay correctly, the individual has to bring employment tribunal proceedings. In the future, there will also be a state-led enforcement regime to assist vulnerable workers (although we wait to see who will be categorised as "vulnerable").

So, with the multitude of changes on the horizon as a result of the Good Work Plan, employers will want to start thinking practically about how it will impact them.

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The Good Work Plan: how should employers prepare? - Personnel Today

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In December 2018, the government set out the reforms it planned to introduce as part of the Good Work Plan, its response to the Taylor review. Katee Dias examines the main proposals. Numerous employment law reforms were set out in the Good Work Plan, published in December 2018.

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Living hours project and zero hours contracts

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Living hours project and zero hours contracts

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"Working on a zero-hours contract made me feel exhausted and negatively affected my mental health."

This statement comes from a former theme park worker, but is a typical view of the estimated five million UK people with no job security.

Now some zero-hours contract workers are set to be offered greater security under a new Living Hours programme.

It will require organisations to pay the Living Wage and give workers with at least four weeks' notice of shifts.

Under the programme - created by charity The Living Wage Foundation - workers will also get a contract that accurately reflects hours worked, and a guaranteed minimum of 16 hours a week.

Commitments to the programme have already been made by major Living Wage employers including Richer Sounds, SSE and Standard Life Aberdeen, who will receive Living Hours accreditation.

Julian Richer, Founder and Managing Director of Richer Sounds, said: "If you treat the people who work for you well, you're going to have happier, more motivated staff, and ones that stay with you for years.

"Offering Living Hours is a great way to provide workers with security, but it's also going to help businesses in the long-run."

A zero-hours contract worker's tale

A former theme park worker, who asked to remain anonymous, explained why being on a zero-hours contract affected their mental health.

"Our rota for the week was sent out on Sunday evenings and, with shifts regularly changing, I couldn't plan my week and always felt that I had to be available to work.

"I also worked as a 'breaker', which meant spending the whole day at work but only being paid for the couple of hours a day spent covering other colleagues' shifts when they took a break.

"If the weather was bad or suddenly turned, the theme park would be closed and everyone sent home.

"Sometimes this meant giving up a whole day but only being paid for an hours' work, or not at all, which didn't even cover my bus fare to work. I've since moved to a new job which has a full-time contract, which means I'm able to save money and plan my week to spend time with family."

"The Living Wage has put almost £1bn extra into the pockets of more than 200,000 workers, but it's increasingly clear that pay is not the only driver of in-work poverty," said Katherine Chapman, director of the Living Wage Foundation.

"A lack of secure, stable hours is leaving millions of families struggling to keep their heads above water. This isn't good for workers or businesses."

She warned that constant uncertainty over the number of hours, timings of shifts or the amount of pay people get each week places them under enormous pressure.

"A shift cancelled at the last minute might sound small, but it can be the difference between being able to pay for your family's dinner that night or going hungry. And being expected to work at short notice means you can't plan around other costs and commitments."

More than five million workers earn less than the real Living Wage and are in a form of insecure work, two million of which are parents, the charity said.

More than a fifth of workers aged 16-24 are in low-paid, insecure work, and in most types of insecure work measured, young people are worst affected.

Wales, the North East and the West Midlands have the highest rates of low paid, insecure work, with Scotland, the South East and London the lowest.

"Everyone should have the right to guaranteed hours. But many workers are kept on a string - not knowing how much work they'll have from one week to the next," pointed out TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady.

She pointed out that it can make planning and making ends meet a nightmare.

"It's time to end this limbo and give people fair notice of their hours and compensation if their shifts are cancelled."

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"Working on a zero-hours contract made me feel exhausted and negatively affected my mental health." This statement comes from a former theme park worker, but is a typical view of the estimated five million UK people with no job security. Now some zero-hours contract workers are set to be offered greater security under a new Living Hours programme.

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Research released today by UKinbound and Canterbury Christ Church University shows that the Government's proposed post-Brexit immigration reforms have the potential to severely destabilise the tourism industry in the UK, putting at risk an industry that contributes £145 billion (7.2% of UK GDP)[1] to the UK economy.

The research includes a survey of UK tourism and hospitality businesses, undertaken by Canterbury Christ Church University with Qa Research, which highlights the critical impact that the Government's proposed immigration reforms could have on the sector post-Brexit. The survey shows that:

65% said that the proposals would impact negatively on their ability to continue to operate

71% believe that the proposals would impact negatively on their ability to expand

75% believe that the proposals would impact negatively on their ability to remain competitive

68% of tourism businesses cited the limited domestic labour market as the key reason for the continued need for EU workers

80% of tour operators and destination management businesses cited the lack of home-grown talent with foreign language skills as the driving force behind the need for EU workers.

This new evidence-based research will help the tourism and hospitality sector to respond to consultations about future immigration policy when the UK leaves the European Union and free movement ends. It draws from a wide review of evidence, analysis of national workforce datasets and primary research with UK businesses through an online survey and in-depth interviews. [2] As the tourism and hospitality sector is widely known to have a higher than average reliance on EU workers, the research provides a critical lens through which to view the potential impact of a national skills-based immigration system on the sector.

The survey of UK tourism and hospitality businesses in the report also highlights how the reporting of the reliance of the sector on EU workers (approx. 10%) is extremely conservative and such national averages mask the realities of many tourism organisations. Nearly one-third of businesses reported that EU workers made up more than half their workforce. Set against the results of the survey, the study shows that:

Shortages of 'low-skilled' labour are as damaging to the industry as 'high-skilled.'

The picture of skills needs is complex and the distinction between 'high-level' and 'low-level' skills at the centre of the Immigration White Paper appears to have little relevance to the reality of skills gaps and skills shortages across tourism and hospitality.

The proposed salary threshold of £30k is significantly above the sector's average salary of £23k for full time workers (and £17k with part time workers) [3]

Some locations in the UK will be more vulnerable than others, depending on local labour supply, regional salary levels, significance of the sector to the regional economy and level of reliance on EU nationals.

Joss Croft, Chief Executive of UKinbound commented: "This timely research shows that the Government must listen to the tourism industry before committing to an immigration system that runs the risk of forcing businesses to close throughout the UK. Our tourism industry is vital to the UK economy and EU workers are crucial to ensuring that this success story continues. We have a skills shortage in the UK, caused not least by low levels of language skills and a lack of interest amongst UK nationals in the sector.

"The Government must, as a first step, ensure that language skills are recognised as a key skills shortage and ensure that any future immigration system is rooted in what actually works and not in populist soundbites."

Following on from the publication of the research, UKinbound and other industry associations are calling for:

Language skills to be added to the occupation shortage list and be exempt from immigration restrictions

If any salary threshold is proposed that it be regionally set to take into account lower salaries in key tourism hotspots such as the Lake District

Quarterly independent reviews to ensure tourism sectors are not adversely affected

Dr Karen Thomas, Director of the Tourism and Events Hub, Canterbury Christ Church University commented: "The uncertainties surrounding the Brexit negotiations and the consultation over the Immigration White Paper with the emphasis prioritising 'highly skilled' and 'skilled' labour migration, have intensified the concerns over the likely shape of the UK's immigration system after the end of Free Movement.

"EU workers constitute a vital labour pool for tourism and hospitality businesses. Our research demonstrates that national reporting of the reliance of the sector on EU nationals masks the realities of many tourism and hospitality businesses in terms of the scale of reliance, and the significant variations in sub-sectoral, occupational and regional experiences. We have identified a wide range of factors which together with a higher than average reliance on EU workers places the industry in an extremely vulnerable position when faced with the end of Free Movement post-Brexit."

Tim Farron MP, (Liberal Democrat, Westmorland and Lonsdale) added: "This timely report serves as a stark reminder of the damage that the Government's immigration reforms could have on the UK tourism industry including across the Lake District. The Government must come up with a solution that allows our great tourism industry to continue to thrive and play a valuable role in our communities."

Joe Cobb, Chair of the Lake District Hotels Association commented: "In the Lake District, the tourism industry is worth £3 billion to the local economy and supports around 15,000 jobs. The industry is massively dependent on non UK employees to make up their workforce as there is a local unemployment rate of approximately 0.9%, and net migration out of Cumbria is around 2,000 people every year.

"We know that approximately 59% of workers in the Lake District are from within the EU, whilst 4% are foreign nationals from outside the EU. If restrictions are placed on employing EU nationals, the industry will be left with a gaping hole with nobody to fill the gap. Since the Referendum, the number of international applicants for jobs has dropped by about 70%."
Footnotes
[1] Office of National Statistics, 2018

[2] 190 organisations responded to the survey (including trade associations representing multiple tourism & hospitality businesses) who employ at least 20,000 employees across the sector.

[3] £23k represents the median average salary for the tourism sector, for full time workers and £17k for full and part-time workers. See the 2019 Cebr report for ABTA Understanding the travel and tourism labour market.

Categories

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Two out of three tourism businesses fear immigration reforms may cause closures | UKinbound

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Research released today by UKinbound and Canterbury Christ Church University shows that the Government's proposed post-Brexit immigration reforms have the potential to severely destabilise the tourism industry in the UK, putting at risk an industry that contributes £145 billion (7.2% of UK GDP)[1] to the UK economy.

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What is Green HRM?

The term Green HRM has become the buzz word within the business field at present and its significance is increasing manifold with the passage of time. This term has also its secured position as a hot topic in recent research works since the awareness on environmental management and sustainable development has been increasingly rising day by day all round the globe. Today the topic Green HRM not only includes awareness toward environmental affairs, but also stands for the social as well as economical well-being of both the organization and the employees within a broader prospect.

Before proceeding further, first of all we take up the question, "what is Green HRM?" Different authors have given different definitions for this term such as-"Green HRM is the use of HRM policies to promote the sustainable use of resources within organizations and, more generally promotes the causes of environment sustainability". GHRM is directly responsible in creating green workforce that understands, appreciates, and practices green initiative and maintains its green objectives all throughout the HRM process of recruiting, hiring, training, compensating, developing, and advancing the firms human capital. It refers to the policies, practices, and systems that make employees of the organization green for the benefit of the individual, society, natural environment, and the business.

Need for GHRM

Last two decades of this century have witnessed a unanimous consensus for the need of a realistic environmental management drive all over the world. This effort was undertaken since the damaging effects of different pollutants among which the industrial wastes being the major culprit that has been deteriorating and depleting our natural resources very fast has been evident. The "Magna Carta" on Human Environment was declared in the first United Nation's (International) Conference on Human Environment held in June 1972 in Stockholm declared that to defend and improve the human environment for present and future generation have become an imperative goal for mankind. The Green HRM literature is largely a western one and, given the importance of Asian economic development for environmental management, this is an important gap for future studies to reduce. Scholars of management around the world are now analyzing various managerial practices that can facilitate the achievements of the goals of GHRM and also have a significant impact on the environmental competitiveness of the organizations.

GHRM is a manifesto which helps to create green workforce that can understand and appreciate green culture in an organization. Such green initiative can maintain its green objectives all throughout the HRM process of recruiting, hiring and training, compensating, developing, and advancing the firm's human capital. The Human Resource Department of a company is capable of playing a significant role in the creation of sustainability culture within the company. HR processes play an important role in translating Green HR policy into practice; therefore, human capital and its management are instrumental to the fulfillment of EM objectives.

It needs to be acknowledged that the intersection of sustainability, the natural environment, and HR management are new areas in fast development and therefore, not characterized by a fully developed body of writings point out that many HR systems need to be aligned with each other in order to increase the likelihood that the organization will achieve its strategy.

Green recruitment

Attracting high-quality staff is a key HR challenge in the "war for talent. Firms are now beginning to recognize the fact that gaining reputation as a green employer is an effective way to attract new talent. German firms such as Siemens, BASF, Bayer and Mannesmann use environmental activities and a green image to attract high-quality staff. The Rover Group carmaker, in Britain, makes environmental responsibilities and qualifications part of every job profile. Increasingly, green job descriptions with environmental aspects are now being included for employees within the recruitment agenda. Green recruitment can be defined as the process of hiring individuals with knowledge, skills, approaches, and behaviors that identify with environmental management systems within an organization. Recruitment practices can support effective environmental management by making sure that new entrants are familiar with an organization's environmental culture and are capable of maintaining its environmental values.

Green recruiting is a system where the focus is given on importance of the environment and making it a major element within the organization. Complementing this, the recruits are also enthusiastic, and to some extent, passionate about working for an environment friendly "green" company. Recruiting candidates with green bend of mind make it easy for firms to induct professionals who are aware with sustainable processes and are already familiar with basics like recycling, conservation, and creating a more logical world. Grolleau et al. () in their study on impact of environmental standards of a company on recruitment of an employee found that environmental commitment of the company adds to profile of a company. In their primary survey, they found that professionals were more concerned with respect to the environmental strategy of a company.

Contemplating these statements, we conclude that green recruitment provides the employer with an opportunity to stand ahead of the crowd and further increase their chance of attracting the candidates and retain them after induction. Corroborating the recent green trend, we propose that the recruitment process be aligned with environment-friendly issues. Further research should address questions related to the green employer's enthusiasm in achieving the environmental goals and how the potential job seekers perceive or rate them on the parameters of sustainability as claimed. For example, do the employers include green job descriptions, eco-friendly locations, paper less interviews, and such other practices in their recruitment portfolio? Are the new recruits made aware with the environmental policies and allegiance of the company at the commencement of the job itself? Research addressing these questions will help the new recruits to carry on with the green policies as well as cooperate with the management in establishing green policies to achieve the goals of the company.

Green performance management

Performance management (PM) is the process by which employees are prompted to enhance their professional skills that help to achieve the organizational goals and objectives in a better way. The recognition of the corporate strategy culminates into the PM. With the EM affecting global business strategy, PM is also being influenced by the green wave in a possible positive manner. Green performance management consists of issues related to environmental concerns and policies of the company. It also concentrates on use of environmental responsibilities. Today some firms deal with the issue of PM by installing corporate-wide environmental performance standards, and Green information systems/audits to gain useful data on environmental performance.

The most important aspect of PM is performance appraisal. In addition to meeting the criteria of reliability, validity, and fairness, effective performance appraisals provide useful feedback to employees and support continuous improvements in the firm's environmental outcomes. Issues involved in environmental PA concern the need for managers to be held accountable for EM performance in addition to wider performance objectives. We suggest that future research on green performance appraisal should focus upon issues such as environmental incidents, environmental responsibilities, communication of environmental policy, and green information system and audits. The job description should be aligned with green tasks and goals to be achieved. The HR staff should modify the performance appraisal rating system to include dimensions for rating people on the following behavioral and technical competencies: teamwork, collaboration, diversity, innovation, and environmental stewardship. Such competencies would reinforce the company's core values. Managers should discuss the performance of the employees and give the needed feedback not only during the scheduled time of appraisal, but also all round the year. This practice will help the employees to enhance their knowledge, skills and ability.

Green training and development

Training and development is a practice that focuses on development of employees' skills, knowledge, and attitudes, prevent deterioration of EM-related knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Green training and development educate employees about the value of EM, train them in working methods that conserve energy, reduce waste, diffuse environmental awareness within the organization, and provide opportunity to engage employees in environmental problem-solving. Green T&D activities make employees aware of different aspects and value of environment management. It helps them to embrace different methods of conservation including waste management within an organization. Further, it sharpens the skill of an employee to deal with different environmental issues. In a survey of managers, on best management practices concluded that environmental training and education, along with establishing a favorable environmental culture for the employees where they feel that they are the part of environmental outcomes, were the most important HRM processes that facilitate the achievement of environmental goals. In his study on the role of HR in achieving a sustainability culture, suggests that the HR Department can offer leadership development workshops to help managers develop their "front wheel" soft, people skills, or behavioral competencies, in teamwork, diversity, managing change, and collaboration. Future research that facilitate green training on one hand and helps organizations on the other to develop eco-friendly managers who without any hesitation can indulge as well as promote sustainability throughout the process would be particularly useful.

Concluding the above discussion, we envisage that the need of the hour is: organizations should train their employees on best business practices enthused with green initiatives. Besides, sustainable training and education employees should also be adept to educate the customers regarding the advantages of becoming more earth-friendly and buying green products.

Green compensation

Rewards and compensation are the major HRM processes through which employees are rewarded for their performance. These HR practices are the most powerful method which links together an individual's interest to that of the organization's. We also assert that incentives and rewards can influence employees' attention to the maximum at work and motivate them to exert maximum effort on their part to achieve organizational goals.

Though compensation and rewards increase green initiatives in organizations, it can never be completely free from some malpractices. Developing effective monetary incentives can be challenging due to the difficulty of accurately and fairly evaluating environmental behaviors and performance. By incorporating elements of green management in the compensation program, managers can promote the green behaviors among the employees. Further, managers can ask employees to bring specific green ideas pertaining to their individual jobs which can be through mutual decisions included into the objectives to attain in for the upcoming year. Attaining these objectives would be the basis of receiving incentives.

Employee compensation programs can be modified to give bonuses based in part on the employee's appraisal ratings on the behavioral and technical competencies. In addition, employees could be awarded bonuses for their outstanding work on special projects. Green rewards can include the use of workplace and lifestyle benefits, ranging from carbon credit offsets to free bicycles, to engage people in the green agenda while continuing to recognize their contribution. Last, but not the least, more emphasis should be given on researches which determine effective approaches that will help to design and implement green compensation practices and may lead to the achievement of corporate environmental goals.

Green employee relations

Employee relations are that aspect of HRM which is concerned with establishing amicable employer-employee relationship. The relationship facilitates motivation and morale of the employees as well as, increases the productivity. Basically, employee relations involve employee participation and empowerment activities. It also helps prevent and resolve problems arisen at workplace that may affect the work. In fact, positive employee relations are an intangible and enduring asset and a source of competitive advantage for any organization.

Employee participation in Green initiatives increases the chances of better green management as it aligns employees' goals, capabilities, motivations, and perceptions with green management practices and systems. Involving employees in EM has been reported as improving EM systems such as efficient resource usage; reducing waste and reducing pollution from workplaces. Several workers in their study concluded that individual empowerment positively influences productivity and performance, and facilitates self-control, individual thinking, and problem-solving skills.

The scope of employee relations should be broadened by initiating a suggestion scheme within the organization, wherein each and every employee from top most to the lowest level gets an opportunity to contribute to the scheme. This practice will help in creating greater awareness on green issues besides, new ideas for eco-friendly practices my crop up from different sources.

Other benefits of employee involvement are improvement in employee and organizational health and safety, as well as development of eco-friendly staff. We propose that keeping the policies in place, long-term trust among the management and employees will be built which will provide an opportunity to the employees to express their personal ideas at workplace and help to create climate conducive to green management practices and systems.

Organizations generally organize HR practices into systems that are consistent with their culture and business strategy. We can say that green initiatives included in HRM manifesto is a part of corporate social responsibility in the long run. Today, organizations are implementing and integrating green initiatives in their agenda with the help of their human resource. Managers make sure that their HR is utilizing green human resource practices in appropriate manner. As an addendum to the statement, several authors have suggested that it is important to promote a great deal of technical and management skills among all employees of the organization in order to implement an effective corporate green management system in companies.

Organizations across the world are incorporating and working toward implementing GHRM practices to gain competitive advantages among the corporate world. Complete adoption and integration of GHRM in business is not impossible but requires a changed approach toward the existing HR practices on part of both the management as well as employees simultaneously. A key role for HR environmental executives could be to guide line managers in terms of gaining full staff co-operation toward implementing environmental policies which means HR needs to nurture supporters and create networks of problem-solvers willing to act to change the current status quo. There are numerous issues related to GHRM that is to be taken into account by HR department before implementing green initiatives and, all of them can be not contained within a single document. Owing to the space limit the following section of the paper briefly focus upon some of the major green initiatives for HR departments.

Green building

The organizations round the globe are considerably opting for green building as their workplace and offices as an alternative to traditional offices. The phenomenon is quite trend setting as Green buildings fulfill certain criterion for reducing the exploitation of natural resources that are utilized in their construction. Furthermore, green buildings include some enhanced features related to green practices such as energy efficiency, renewable energy, and storm water management. Recent years have witnessed a great upsurge in adoption of green buildings by organizations at a fast pace. The business world has become increasingly aware of the significant role played by green buildings while dealing with environmental issues. Green buildings also serve as a platform for financial savings for organizations as their construction and engineering involve low cost. Business giants like Ford, Pepsico, etc. are committed to sustainability and have included green building design principles into their buildings. Fortune 1000 companies are adopting company-wide sustainability policies that have increased the demand for work space in Green or sustainable buildings.

Paperless office

Most of the work in the office is managed on paper but, with introduction of IT, the consumption of paper has been reduced. Today E-business and learning have changed the methods and procedures at offices converting them into paperless offices. Paperless office is a work place where the use of paper is either restricted or eliminated by converting important official documents and other papers into automated workflows. The practice greatly reduce the consumption of paper, the costs of paper-related actions including copying, printing, and storing, and also save the time used for searching paper documents. Jamie Garratt started Idea Rebel, a Vancouver-based digital agency in 2008, which is a complete paperless office (Borzykowski, ). At Idea Rebel, pay stubs are emailed to employees and notes are taken on tablet devices and whiteboards. Designers are allowed to bring in a pad of paper but they have to take the pad to their home at the end of each day. Finally, we assert that by reducing the use of paper, we can directly conserve natural resources, prevent pollution, and reduce wastage of water and energy.

Conservation of energy

Conservation of energy in the office has the potential for a great environmental impact. In an effort to provide more efficient and eco-friendly services, offices around the world have implemented several energy conservation initiatives to reduce the environmental impact. The HR department at the UK arm of Sky has started a campaign where the employees are asked to turn off PCs, TVs, and lights when leaving, to use 100% renewable energy, and introduced solar lighting (Davies & Smith, ), Whereas the HR department of other British organizations is emphasizing upon their travel policy which promotes car sharing and the increased use of public transport (Simms, ). In addition, HR systems such as e-HR are seen to be able to help management and employees track their own carbon emissions (Beechinor, ). Organizations are also promoting the extensive use of energy star-rated light bulbs and fixtures which undoubtedly consumes at least two-thirds less energy than regular ones.

Recycling and waste disposal

Recycling is the methodology of processing used up materials (waste) into new and useful products. Recycling reduces the use of raw materials that would have been otherwise used to produce new products. Consequently, this practice saves energy and reduces the amount of waste that is thrown into the dustbins, thereby making the environment cleaner and the air fresher. As a part of their green initiatives, several organizations are implementing recycling program to increase the amount of recycled products and decrease the amount of waste.

Ever since the organizations embraced the concept of saving money, focusing simultaneously on the environment and sustainability, several human resource professionals were assigned the task of creating company recycling programs and monitoring office thermostats. In the process, many HR professionals ascertained that green initiatives were a necessary aspect of overall corporate social responsibility. At present, the whole corporate world is reciting the old mantra of three Rs-Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle to save the environment.

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The term Green HRM has become the buzz word within the business field at present and its significance is increasing manifold with the passage of time. This term has also its secured position as a hot topic in recent research works since the awareness on environmental management and sustainable development has been increasingly rising day by day all round the globe.

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Performance appraisals have traditionally been considered the best way to evaluate an employee's performance, but increasingly organisations are finding them of little value; employees find them stressful and unhelpful. Importantly, they also take up a lot of time - when Deloitte analysed their own process, they found managers and employees spent around 2m hours a year on performance reviews.

A growing number of companies have decided to abolish performance reviews altogether, instead introducing more regular catchups. Software company Adobe Systems used to hold annual reviews for staff, collecting 360-degree evaluations for each team member. In 2012, a decision was made to switch to a "check-in" process where managers meet with staff at least once a quarter and discuss expectations, feedback, and growth and development.
Unlimited holidays and golden hellos: how modern workplaces attract talent
Adobe has since seen a 30% decrease in the number of employees quitting - and recovered the thousands of hours managers and employees had been spending on their reviews.

Sir Cary Cooper, visiting professor of organisational psychology and health at Lancaster University, says performance appraisals are useless. "If you have socially and interpersonally skilled managers from shop floor to top floor they should give people positive and negative feedback every day, not once a year."

Chris Bruney, talent acquisition team lead for EMEA at Hootsuite, says regular contact between employees and managers is important. "We advocate regular employee/manager one-to-one time and we check in with staff regularly throughout the year to hear their views on everything from company leadership to how they feel about the culture of the business," he says.

Regular feedback ensures staff can work on it, explains Cooper: "I might be a person who is quite abrasive in management meetings - rather than waiting until July the following year to tell me that, a really good manager would be straight on it, saying: 'Be a bit more open, don't put people down. I noticed you do that.' That is the way to give examples - regularly. And the same applies to praise, when people do a good job."
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The appraisal is dead. Long live the catchup

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Performance appraisals have traditionally been considered the best way to evaluate an employee's performance, but increasingly organisations are finding them of little value; employees find them stressful and unhelpful. Importantly, they also take up a lot of time - when Deloitte analysed their own process, they found managers and employees spent around 2m hours a year on performance reviews.

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Ex-Thomas Cook staff across England are working for free to help holidaymakers to salvage their trips.

Employees who lost their jobs when the travel firm collapsed have set up pop-up shops to help customers fill in claim forms or rebook holidays.

At least 100 people queued in a shopping centre in Longton in Stoke-on-Trent to speak to Thomas Cook staff.

Former branch manager Donna Jones said staff were working for free "out of our love for our customers."

In Telford, Shropshire, staff locked out of their former workplace set up shop in a nearby cafe to give customers advice.

In Walsall, branch manager Georgia Browning and assistant manager Shannon Faulkner based themselves at a local pub.

"It feels strange sat here in our uniforms for the last time but we wanted to help customers fill in their claims forms and to say goodbye," said Ms Browning.

"Our customers' first thought was for us, they know their holidays are protected they're just concerned about us," she said.

Cabin manager Martin Browne and his wife had 40 years of service at Thomas Cook between them when they both lost their jobs.

"Some of my cabin crew colleagues have been helping stranded people get back," he said.

"Their jobs are over as soon as everyone is repatriated and they've been buying toilet roll and plastic cups out of their own pocket because all they've been given is an empty aircraft.

"But that's what we do, we are problem solvers and there's no one else the customers can ask at 40,000 feet.

Mr Browne is a union rep has been helping colleagues fill out redundancy and benefits forms.

"I'm a volunteer, I'm not being paid I'm just trying to help as many people as I can, but at the same time, I've still got to fill in my own redundancy forms," he told the Manchester Evening News.

"I think I'm keeping busy because if I stop and think, I don't know what I'll do," he said.

Some Thomas Cook customers have been told they may have to wait as long as two months to receive a refund for holidays.

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Holidaymakers praise Thomas Cook staff 'pop-ups'

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Ex-Thomas Cook staff across England are working for free to help holidaymakers to salvage their trips. Employees who lost their jobs when the travel firm collapsed have set up pop-up shops to help customers fill in claim forms or rebook holidays.

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The UK's lowest-paid workers are about to get a pay rise - the result of an increase in the minimum wage on Monday.

Since it was introduced in 1999, the minimum wage has risen much faster than average pay. The government is considering what to do after 2020 and further rises are possible.

What happens affects everyone from bar staff to waiters to nursery nurses and sales assistants.

So, is there a limit to how much they could be paid? And what are the benefits and risks of paying more?

How high is the minimum wage?

The UK has one of the world's highest minimum wages.

For workers aged 25 and over, it is now known as the National Living Wage and rises to £8.21 an hour when they return to work on 1 April.

This is 59% of the hourly rate of £14 per hour earned by those on the median (middle) wage.

The minimum wage has increased by 50% over the past 20 years, after adjusting for inflation, compared with 15% for those on an average wage.

It is now paid to 1.6 million people aged 25 and over, up from only 700,000 in 1999. This is because the minimum wage is now a greater proportion of average pay.

Lower minimum wage rates for about 230,000 under-25s range from £4.35 to £7.70 and have not risen as fast.

Only four industrialised countries - France, Portugal, New Zealand and Australia - had a higher minimum hourly wage (as a proportion of average salaries) than the UK in 2017, the last year for which figures are available.

Some wealthy countries have much lower minimum wages, including the US, Spain and Japan.

However, many countries - including Italy and Sweden - are not included because they do not have a minimum wage.

Who benefits from a higher minimum wage?

The obvious reason for having a higher minimum wage is to boost the pay of those with low hourly pay.

In the UK, this often includes cleaners, hairdressers, carers and kitchen assistants.

More than six out of 10 people on the minimum wage work part-time. A similar number are women, and almost nine out of 10 work in the private sector.

Boosting their wages may also help those on slightly more pay: employers often have to maintain different wages between different jobs.

However, while raising the minimum wage is often seen as a way to reduce poverty, it is not that simple.

Only one in five of those on the lowest wages lives in the UK's poorest households.

This may be because many people on low incomes have a partner who earns more - raising their household income to a higher level.

Many of the very poorest people are not affected by the minimum wage. This may be because they are out of work, or because they are self-employed.

And on its own, a higher minimum wage will not necessarily lift many people out of poverty. This is particularly true if they have a high cost of living, for example because of having children or high housing costs.
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What are the risks of a higher minimum wage?

Given that minimum wages benefit low-paid workers, why not keep on raising them?

First, unless higher wages make workers more productive, they come at a cost.

That could mean increasing prices paid by consumers, cutting profits for companies, or cutting wages for other workers.

Second, there is a risk that higher minimum wages might lead employers to give fewer people jobs, or to cut hours.

But, so far, there is little evidence that higher minimum wages have reduced employment levels.

This might be because for many firms it is still profitable to hire these workers, despite paying higher salaries.

Minimum wage rates from 1 April

National Living Wage - for 25-year-olds and over: £8.21 an hour

Minimum wage - 21 to 24-year-olds: £7.70 an hour

Minimum wage - 18 to 20-year-olds: £6.15 an hour

Minimum wage - 16 to 17-year-olds: £4.35 an hour

Apprentice rate: £3.90 an hour

The charity the Living Wage Foundation says the wage level needed to "meet the costs of living" is £9 across the UK and £10.55 in London

However, at some point, if raised high enough, firms would lose money by employing someone on a high minimum wage.

The trouble is that we do not know exactly how high these salaries can go before they lead to a reduction in the number of jobs available.

And, with few countries offering higher minimum wages than the UK, it is difficult to look for the answer overseas.

For governments wanting to increase wages for those on the lowest pay, the best approach may be to do things bit by bit.

Monitoring what happens will be essential to avoid unwanted consequences.
About this piece
This analysis piece was commissioned by the BBC from an expert working for an outside organisation.

Jonathan Cribb is a senior research economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, which describes itself as an independent research institute that aims to inform public debate on economics.

More details about its work can be found here and on Twitter.

Edited by Duncan Walker

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Why are 1.8 million people getting a pay rise?

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The UK's lowest-paid workers are about to get a pay rise - the result of an increase in the minimum wage on Monday. Since it was introduced in 1999, the minimum wage has risen much faster than average pay. The government is considering what to do after 2020 and further rises are possible.

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Workers on zero-hour contracts, agency employees or "gig economy" workers are to be better protected by a package of workplace reforms, the government says.

Under new legislation to be introduced on Monday, staff would have to be told details of their rights from their first day in a job, including eligibility for paid and sick leave.

Workers would also be given the right to request more predictable hours.

But Labour and the unions say the planned reforms do not go far enough.

The reforms are based on the findings of a review into modern working practices led by Matthew Taylor, a former aide to ex-PM Tony Blair and chief executive of the Royal Society of Arts.

Ministers say the new legislation will:

close a loophole that had allowed agency staff to be paid less than permanent employees

ensure firms will have to provide a "statement of rights" on the first day of a person's employment, setting out what paid leave they are entitled to, including for illness, maternity and paternity leave

increase the maximum fine employers face at a tribunal from £5,000 to £20,000, if they are found to have demonstrated "malice, spite or gross oversight"

ensure that companies will have to calculate holiday pay based on 52 weeks, as opposed to 12 weeks, so people in "seasonal or atypical roles get the paid time off they are entitled to"

Business Secretary Greg Clark said: "Today's largest upgrade in workers' rights in over a generation is a key part of building a labour market that continues to reward people for hard work, that celebrates good employers and is boosting productivity and earning potential across the UK."

However, Frances O'Grady, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, said: "The right to request guaranteed working hours is no right all.

"Zero-hours contract workers will have no more leverage than Oliver Twist. "

"Unless unions get the right to organise and bargain for workers in places like Uber and Amazon, too many working people will continue to be treated like disposable labour," she added.

Matthew Fell, chief UK policy director at the CBI, said: "[Businesses] welcome a new law giving all workers the right to request more predictable working hours, which will help to facilitate the conversations that are essential to ensuring flexibility benefits both parties.

But he said: "Legislation to amend employment status rules risks making the law less able to adapt to new forms of work in the future."

The government agrees with the Taylor review that completely banning zero-hour contracts "would negatively impact more people than it helped".

It also said that platform-based working - including the likes of ride-sharing app Uber or food delivery business Deliveroo - offers "genuine two-way flexibility" for firms and workers.

Zero-hour contracts, where an employer does not have to offer work and an employee has no obligation to work when asked, are highly controversial.

The Archbishop of Canterbury called the contracts "the reincarnation of an ancient evil".

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New rights for flexible workers proposed

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Workers on zero-hour contracts, agency employees or "gig economy" workers are to be better protected by a package of workplace reforms, the government says. Under new legislation to be introduced on Monday, staff would have to be told details of their rights from their first day in a job, including eligibility for paid and sick leave.

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Costa Coffee employees at multiple stores claim they have had costs of £200 deducted from their final payslip for training, the BBC has learned.

The BBC spoke to 13 current and former Costa employees at stores in Essex who say they have also been subjected to other deductions for till discrepancies and running costs.

Costa said contracts for franchise stores are managed by partners.

It added some staff contracts did have "clauses relating to deductions".

"Deductions are circumstantial and reviewed on a case by case basis by the partner," a Costa Coffee spokeswoman said.

'Really unfair'

Courtney Morton was formerly a part-time employee at the Costa Coffee store in Upminster - she earned less than £200 in a week.

Ms Morton was told the deduction for training would be equivalent to one week of pay, and therefore expected to be charged less than £200.

"When I was there I was told that it would be your last week's wages to cover training costs but it turned out to be a flat £200," Ms Morton told the BBC.

And that was not the first deduction she had received.

"The deductions were really unfair," Ms Morton added. "They deducted everyone if they were late, with the money increasing as the time went on up until an hour."

Another former employee, who wished to remain anonymous, said she had one month's pay deducted from her final salary, as well as paying out of her pocket to balance the tills.

Other complaints about the Costa Coffee stores - run by Goldex Investments Essex Ltd - include allegations over contracts.

Six people claim they were never given their written contracts, despite asking for them.

And two people said they were given "promotions" without contracts, claiming that they were carrying out managerial roles while being underpaid for the work they were doing.

Another person, who was promoted to a managerial role, said she was not paid properly for the role she carried out for six months.

Costa Coffee said: "We take complaints such as these very seriously and have shared those we've been made aware of with our partner who operates the franchise business to investigate as a matter of urgency."

The company added: "Anyone you've heard from should get in touch with the partner directly."

Goldex Investments Essex Ltd said it took all the allegations "extremely seriously" and urged employees to outline the issues with their line manager.

Jon Cruddas, the MP for Dagenham and Rainham, said he was writing to the managing director of Costa Coffee UK and Ireland to ensure complaints of "poor treatment of staff - particularly young workers" is dealt with adequately.

He added: "A company that employs thousands of workers across the UK and the branch needs to be held to account."

What is a franchise business?

A franchise is a type of licence that allows a third-party partner to have access and rights to a larger business's logo, name and model, so that the partner can sell a product or provide a service under the business's name.

Claims of unfair deductions were triggered by a Twitter post suggesting that staff at a Costa store were forced to reimburse money lost to scammers who came in to the store.

The Costa Coffee franchise partner, Kafeel Khan, denied he had asked staff to reimburse the scam losses and has since apologised for the "miscommunication" in a letter to the people affected.

The letter was sent after Mr Khan and a Costa Coffee representative arranged a meeting on Friday morning with the father of some of the people employed by Mr Khan.
Follow Hanna@HannaAYusuf

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'Costa Coffee took £200 from my pay for training'

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Costa Coffee employees at multiple stores claim they have had costs of £200 deducted from their final payslip for training, the BBC has learned. The BBC spoke to 13 current and former Costa employees at stores in Essex who say they have also been subjected to other deductions for till discrepancies and running costs.

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The European Parliament has approved new EU rules to protect workers in the so-called "gig economy".

The law sets minimum rights and demands increased transparency for those in "on-demand" jobs, such as at Uber or Deliveroo.

It proposes more predictable hours and compensation for cancelled work, and an end to "abusive practices" around casual contracts.

Member states will now have at most three years to enforce the new rules.

The European Parliament says the new legislation will apply to "the most vulnerable employees on atypical contracts and in non-standard jobs" - including those on zero-hour contracts.

Employees in EU member states already enjoy a wide range of protections to working hours, minimum breaks and holiday entitlement.

But casual employees in the "gig economy" - who may work multiple jobs on a flexible basis, or on erratic hours - have fallen into a grey area.

The UK will only be obliged to implement the law if it is still a member state of the EU three years after the new regulation enters into force. But it has already introduced similar legislation at a national level.

The EU law will require employers to inform all workers about "essential aspects" of their employment on their first day, including:

Description of their duties

Starting date and pay information

Indication of what a standard working day is, or reference hours

Right to compensation for late cancelling of work

Only one probationary period, lasting a maximum of six months

Allow employees to have other jobs, banning "exclusivity clauses"

The new rules should apply to all those who work at least three hours a week, averaged over four weeks - at least three million people, though it is a growing category of workers.

The rules will also apply to trainees and apprentices in similar circumstances.

Enrique Calvet Chambon, the MEP responsible for seeing the law through, said it was the first EU legislation setting minimum workers' rights in 20 years.

"All workers who have been in limbo will now be granted minimum rights thanks to this directive... from now on no employer will be able to abuse the flexibility in the labour market," he said.

EU officials say the new rules will not apply to "genuinely self-employed" people who work for themselves.

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EU cements rights of 'gig economy' workers

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The European Parliament has approved new EU rules to protect workers in the so-called "gig economy". The law sets minimum rights and demands increased transparency for those in "on-demand" jobs, such as at Uber or Deliveroo. It proposes more predictable hours and compensation for cancelled work, and an end to "abusive practices" around casual contracts.

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The difference between employees, workers, and self-employed (gig economy)

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The difference between employees, workers, and self-employed (gig economy)

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Employment status types | Advice & Guidance | Acas

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An interns employment rights will depend on their employment status. If they are classed as a worker then they're normally entitled to the national minimum wage. However, if the internship is part of a UK-based further or higher education course (a sandwich course) lasting less than a year then interns are not normally entitled to the National Minimum Wage.

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Just how many hours do you need to work to be officially classified as "employed"?

Steve Garner, a sociologist, recently tweeted about how his son had repeatedly turned up to work at a warehouse only to be regularly told he wasn't needed.

Mr Garner's message was retweeted more than 8,000 times. In the replies, several people commented about the employment status of people who worked on zero-hour contracts.

BBC Reality Check asked the Office for National Statistics (ONS) whether working just one hour a week was all that was needed to be officially classified as employed?

The ONS confirmed that was the case.

Every three months, a large survey (known as the Labour Force Survey) is sent to approximately 90,000 people, selected at random. The ONS extrapolates the findings to produce employment bulletins.

Those selected to take part in the LFS are interviewed every three months for fifteen months before they drop out of the sample. Interviews are initially done face-to-face and follow-up ones are done by phone. The one exception is the north of Scotland where all interviews are done over the phone because of the distance involved.

A person will need to have worked at least one hour in the week before the interview with the ONS takes place to be classified as employed.

Its most recent survey put the UK employment rate (of people aged 16-64) at 75.5% - very close to a record high.

The figures were welcomed by government, with Employment Minister Alok Sharma saying: " The benefits of a strong jobs market are paying off."

But could people working very few hours be artificially boosting the headline employment numbers to make them look better than they really are?

The ONS told Reality Check that was unlikely because the overall number of people working so few hours "is very low indeed".

That is supported by its own figures.

The ONS data shows that the number of people usually working six hours or fewer a week is just 1.4% of the UK working population - or just over 400,000 people, which compares with a total of 32.4 million people in work.

In fact, that's a drop from 1.8% at the start of the century.

So, the share of people working very short hours has actually fallen, which suggests zero-hour contracts are not distorting the headline employment numbers.

But why does the ONS use one hour as the definition?

Choosing whether to define someone as being in employment or not can be a bit of a conundrum, says Tony Wilson, director at the Institute for Employment Studies.

"Why pick one hour? Well, because if you put the bar higher, you might end up classifying people as unemployed even though they're working."

"You have to draw the line somewhere," he says.

The ONS definition is also an international one - drawn up by the International Labour Organization (ILO). By choosing to use the ILO's definition, the UK's employment data is consistent with other countries, making it easier to draw international comparisons.
UPDATE 21 November: The ONS initially told Reality Check that the criteria to be counted as "employed" was one hour over two weeks. It subsequently told us that it had made an error and that the definition was in fact one hour over one week. Read more from Reality Check Send us your questions Follow us on Twitter

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Can you be 'employed' for one hour's work?

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Just how many hours do you need to work to be officially classified as "employed"? Steve Garner, a sociologist, recently tweeted about how his son had repeatedly turned up to work at a warehouse only to be regularly told he wasn't needed. Mr Garner's message was retweeted more than 8,000 times.

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A bar worker on a zero-hours contract has won a legal dispute with his former employers over last-minute shift cancellations.

Alasdair Thomson, from Inverness, said his shifts were cancelled on a number of occasions leaving him unable to find other work to replace his lost wages.

Better than Zero, a campaign fighting zero-hours contracts, backed his claim against a local bar.

His lawyers said the case was settled before a judgement was handed down.

Better than Zero said it hoped the case would lead to "significant changes" in employers' practices in the hospitality industry.

Mr Thomson said: "It's not everywhere that treats you badly, but certainly it's not the first bad experience I've had.

"When bosses cancel these shifts at the last minute, is has such a huge effect on your life.

"Not only is it impossible to find replacement work at such short notice, it mean it's impossible to make basic plans about what you do with your life."

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A bar worker on a zero-hours contract has won a legal dispute with his former employers over last-minute shift cancellations. Alasdair Thomson, from Inverness, said his shifts were cancelled on a number of occasions leaving him unable to find other work to replace his lost wages.

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Britain is locked in a low-wage, low-skill economy. This is a job for the unions | Larry Elliott

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John McDonnell is right to attack the rise of zero-hours contracts. The answer is more collective bargaining in our workplaces, says the Guardian's economics editor, Larry Elliott

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New plans were announced by the government today to ban restaurants from keeping any tips from staff.

Most people assume serving staff get the full share of tips - but that's not always the case.

A number of big chains have been criticised in recent years for taking a percentage of tips to cover administrative fees.

Here, we break down what employees are entitled to and where your money goes when you tip.

Do I need to tip?

Tipping is not automatically expected in the UK in the way it is in America, for example.

Employers are expected to pay the National Minimum Wage, but some waiting staff say that's not always enough to live on.

So, it's considered the polite thing to do at the end of a meal in many places.

So where does this money go?

Well, this depends on a few things.

A service charge is not the same as a tip

A lot of people think it is.

But actually, that 10-15% extra added to your bill isn't the same as a tip and is generally optional.

In fact, there's no guarantee your waiter will see a penny of that service charge. It's often added to cover things like breakages and people doing a runner.

A few big restaurant chains have been criticised for taking the bulk of the service charge to pay for administrative costs.

Customers can say they won't pay a service charge and leave a cash tip instead. They can also request for the charge to be taken off if they are unhappy with the service.

Tipping on card isn't the same as tipping in cash

With the rise of contactless, adding a little extra while paying on card can seem like the easiest way to tip.

Some places pool these tips and share them out in a system called a "tronc".

The person who shares them out - known as the "troncmaster" - is not usually a member of management.

But some restaurants have been accused of taking tips paid on card, or charging employees a fee for tips paid on card.

In 2015, Pizza Express stopped deducting an 8% administration fee from staff tips paid on card after a public outcry.

You still have to pay tax on tips

Legally, employees have to tell the taxman exactly how much they make in tips so they pay tax on it.

They should keep a record of how much they make and declare it at the end of the tax year.

What would the new rules change?

Currently, restaurants follow a voluntary code when it comes to tipping.

But they don't have any legal obligation to pass on all tips to workers.

The plans announced by the Prime Minister Theresa May, and which Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn claims he proposed back in June, would force high street chains to pass all tips to workers.

So that means no more deductions from tips paid on card.

But as this is a Conservative party conference announcement there's no guarantee this law will come in to force.

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 every weekday on BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra - if you miss us you can listen back here.

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New plans were announced by the government today to ban restaurants from keeping any tips from staff. Most people assume serving staff get the full share of tips - but that's not always the case. A number of big chains have been criticised in recent years for taking a percentage of tips to cover administrative fees.

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by LISA SEAY

Imagine: It's late one night. Let's actually call it really early in the morning. Ms. Loyalty arrives to check in for the night. Things have obviously not gone as planned for her, as evidenced by an extremely late arrival and the rushed tone, as she gives her name to check-in. John, your new employee, two days removed from training, is at the ready. He's bright eyed, despite the lateness of the hour and eagerly begins the check-in procedure he has practiced many times.

That's where things start to go downhill ... fast. John can't find Ms. Loyalty's reservation. And, he tells her so, creating even more visible stress and huffing and puffing. "Doesn't he know I have a meeting in four hours and need to get a little sleep?" she thinks. She's wondering, "Why, of all times, didn't I do the automatic check-in?" John, meanwhile, is struggling to figure out what to do. The other employee who was supposed to be there with him has called in sick (again!). Obviously, things are not going well for this new employee or for this long-time loyal guest.

Being in the service industry, you are well aware of the connection between the guest experience and the employee experience. You work diligently to ensure both are as positive as possible. Yet, you're up against some challenges. In the hospitality industry, average turnover rates run as high as 31 percent, according to a Deloitte Hospitality report. Couple that with labor costs of around 33 percent of revenues - the investment in talent is significant. With travelers having more options for their business and personal travel, the pressure to provide an exceptional guest experience is high.

Many things, including the reservation process, cleanliness of the room, availability of amenities such an exercise facility and quality of the restaurant all potentially impact a guest's experience. But, have you drawn the connection between the guest experience and the employee experience?

In their book The Employee Experience, Tracy Maylett and Matthew Wright explain that focusing on the customer experience to the exclusion of the employee experience is like watering the leaves and ignoring the roots. You probably find it hard to disagree that focusing on employees is important, yet you may be wondering where to begin. There are three key things you can do, particularly when it comes to new employees, that will help set your team members up for success and likely for longer lengths of employment while also supporting a premier guest experience.
EXAMINE YOUR CURRENT ONBOARDING PROGRAM
Onboarding is defined as the action or process of integrating a new employee into an organization. Take a step back and look at the activities associated with a new employee's integration. Is there a plan for training that incorporates multiple methods of learning? Does your onboarding mostly consist of "on the job" training where new hires sometimes are in the unfortunate position of making mistakes in front of the customer?

Some suggested ways you can assess your current onboarding program include:

Most simply, you can ask recent new hires what's working and not. It's top of mind for them, and they'll be glad you asked for their feedback. They begin to have a vested interest in providing their feedback and are building commitment to your organization when they know they've been heard.

Talk to your existing employees. Ask them to tell you areas new hires tend to struggle. Perhaps something that is obvious to those doing the actual job is not being incorporated into the new hire training.

Examine guest feedback. What have they said about where the team seems to be missing the mark? Do any of those areas have themes that involve new employees? Guests may shed light on an issue or concern that may possibly tie back to employees not being trained properly from the beginning.

DESIGN A NEW ONBOARDING PROGRAM
With information in hand from your examination, you can now look at your onboarding program and make any design changes. Some things to consider in your design include:

Make sure your culture is reflected through all of your onboarding process (and you might also want to make sure it's incorporated in your hiring process too!). Are you teaching your mission and values and instituting multiple check points through the onboarding process to make sure your new hire understands and is embracing that mission and values?

Have you set expectations for the new team member? When an employee is dissatisfied, it typically stems from expectations not being set from the beginning. Does the employee know the uniform requirements and what they'll have to pay for when it comes to those uniforms? Do they understand that the shift they're training on may not be the shift they're assigned when they are done with training? Setting expectations and clarifying them is a crucial part of the design of your onboarding.
SUPPORT YOUR ONBOARDING PROCESS
Once your onboarding process is in place, it's important to support it with your existing staff and with regular check-ins (and tune-ups) to make sure it's working in support of your overall strategy. Look at these areas:

Are buddies and mentors in place for your new hires? Do they have someone that can teach them the job and someone they can become friends with and maybe take a break with at work?

Is coaching incorporated? Supporting your onboarding with ongoing coaching so that the new hire continues to have a safe place to learn, get feedback and make mistakes is important to fostering an environment of ongoing learning.

Do you have regular check-ins scheduled with your new hires to find out how things are going? These shouldn't be "drive-bys" where you say "how are things going?" as you walk quickly past, but should be designed with specific questions to really understand if the things you built into the onboarding program are working.

By examining your onboarding program and being willing to adapt and improve, you are better positioned to compete in the world of staff turnover and competition for guest loyalty - so that both John, the new employee, and Ms. Loyalty, your valued guest, are with you for a long time to come. ■
Lisa Seay is the founder of element c, a consulting firm focused on the employee experience, ranging from the new hire to the exiting veteran. With over 25 years in Human Resources for companies such as Yum Brands and Baylor Scott and White Health Care, she has onboarded thousands of employees and assisted them in creating ongoing career progression and success. She has also designed and implemented onboarding programs to assist organizations in leveraging their most important asset - their people - from day one and beyond. Photo credit: Peter Mooij/Shutterstock.com

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Improving the connection between the guest experience and the employee experience. by LISA SEAY Imagine: It's late one night. Let's actually call it really early in the morning. Ms. Loyalty arrives to check in for the night.

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Name and shame employers failing to pay NMW

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Name and shame employers failing to pay NMW

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£1.1 million identified for 9,200 workers underpaid minimum wage rates

179 employers named and fined £1.3 million after underpayment

naming round comes before minimum wage rates rising on 1 April

As well as recovering backpay for 9,200 workers, the government also fined the employers a total of £1.3 million in penalties for breaking national minimum wage laws. The most prolific offending sectors in this round were retailers, hospitality businesses and hairdressers.

It comes ahead of the next rate rise on 1 April, when the National Living Wage will go up from £7.50 to £7.83 per hour. Apprentices under the age of 19 and those in the first year of their apprenticeship will benefit from a record 5.7% rise.

Later this month the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy ( BEIS) will launch a campaign to raise awareness of the new rates and encourage workers to speak to their employer if they think they are being underpaid.

Business Minister Andrew Griffiths said:

The world of work is changing and we have set out our plans to give millions of workers enhanced rights to ensure everyone is paid and treated fairly in the workplace.

There are no excuses for short-changing workers. This is an absolute red line for this government and employers who cross it will get caught - not only are they forced to pay back every penny but they are also fined up to 200% of wages owed.

Today's naming round serves as a sharp reminder to employers to get their house in order ahead of minimum wage rate rises on 1 April.

Bryan Sanderson, Chairman of the Low Pay Commission ( LPC), said:

As the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates rise on 1 April, it is vital that workers understand their rights, and employers their obligations.

The Low Pay Commission is pleased to see the government maintaining the momentum of its minimum wage enforcement.

The recent announcement that all workers will have a right to payslips stating the hours they have worked - an idea originally proposed by the LPC - is a positive step.

This 14th naming round comes after the government published its Good Work plan last month, which announced the right to a payslip for all workers. The new law is likely to benefit around 300,000 UK workers who do not currently get a payslip.

For those paid by the hour, payslips will also have to include how many hours the worker is paid for, making pay easier to understand and challenge if it is wrong. The move is part of the government's Industrial Strategy, the long-term plan to build a Britain fit for the future by helping businesses create better, higher-paying jobs in every part of the UK.

Since 2013 the scheme has identified more than £9 million in back pay for around 67,000 workers, with more than 1,700 employers fined a total of £6.3 million. The government has also committed £25.3 million for minimum wage enforcement in 2017 to 2018.

Employers who pay workers less than the minimum wage not only have to pay back arrears of wages to the worker at current minimum wage rates but also face financial penalties of up to 200% of arrears, capped at £20,000 per worker.

For more information about your pay, or if you think you might be being underpaid, get advice and guidance at www.gov.uk/checkyourpay. Workers can also seek advice from workplace experts Acas.

The employers named today are listed below and in this spreadsheet:

1. Wagamama Limited, Westminster W1F, failed to pay £133,212.42 to 2,630 workers

2. Marriott Hotels Limited, Luton LU1, failed to pay £71,722.93 to 279 workers

3. Thursday (UK) Limited, trading as TGI Friday's, Luton LU1, failed to pay £59,347.64 to 2,302 workers

4. National Society For Epilepsy (THE), Chiltern SL9, failed to pay £55,251.37 to 26 workers

5. Wright Leisure Limited, trading as Xercise4less, Leeds LS4, failed to pay £54,290.37 to 240 workers

6. Ms Sarah Jane Bowman and Ms Annabel Garland Farnell-Watson, trading as Hazelwood House, South Hams TQ7, failed to pay £48,288.66 to 3 workers

7. Seashells Limited, Conwy LL29, failed to pay £43,235.91 to 68 workers

8. Bridge End House Nursery Limited, Calderdale HD6, failed to pay £41,938.73 to 2 workers

9. Globebrow Limited, trading as Manor Adventure, Shropshire SY7, failed to pay £33,889.80 to 111 workers

10. Moy Park Limited, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon BT63, failed to pay £33,547.57 to 338 workers

11. Daniele Petteno Ltd, trading as Daniele Petteno Architecture Workshop, Wandsworth SW15, failed to pay £28,410.25 to 12 workers

12. Beautiful Spots Limited, trading as Benito Brow Bar, Islington B2, failed to pay £27,184.28 to 97 workers

13. Threshold Housing Project Limited, trading as Threshold, Tameside OL6, failed to pay £26,033.75 to 41 workers

14. Heather Park Community Services Limited, North Lanarkshire ML2, failed to pay £26,018.63 to 73 workers

15. 1st Pizza Direct Limited, Highland IV3, failed to pay £25,668.15 to 87 workers

16. 4Fashions Ltd, trading as Dress Decode, Manchester M8, failed to pay £25,616.56 to 24 workers

17. Wilson's Country Limited, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon BT63, failed to pay £24,560.53 to 63 workers

18. Lickfold Inn Limited, trading as The Lickfold Inn, Chichester GU28, failed to pay £23,754.87 to 37 workers

19. North London Asian Care, Enfield N13, failed to pay £15,687.49 to 70 workers

20. Witham Hand Car Wash Ltd, Braintree CM8, failed to pay £10,051.99 to 6 workers

21. Karen Millen Fashions Limited, West Oxfordshire OX29, failed to pay £9,847.20 to 28 workers

22. Mr Muhammad Adnan Safdar and Mrs Khadija Javaid, trading as Citi Dental Surgery, Glasgow City G51, failed to pay £8,733.33 to 2 workers

23. Mr Akbor Miah, trading as Dil Indian Cuisine, Monmouthshire NP15, failed to pay £7,936.78 to 2 workers

24. Albury Estate Fisheries (2008) Limited, trading as Albury Estate Fisheries, Hounslow TW8, failed to pay £7,511.32 to 1 workers

25. Atkins Hotels Limited, trading as The Yorke Arms (previous ownership), Harrogate HG3, failed to pay £7,241.82 to 3 workers

26. Adactus Housing Group Limited, Wigan WN7, failed to pay £7,098.96 to 9 workers

27. Meejana Limited, trading as Meejana, Elmbridge KT13, failed to pay £6,488.88 to 6 workers

28. Summer Lodge Management Limited, trading as Summer Lodge Country House Hotel Restaurant & Spa, West Dorset DT2, failed to pay £6,168.48 to 24 workers

29. Davies Security Limited, Swansea SA1, failed to pay £5,914.48 to 1 worker

30. Oakfield Caravan Park Limited, Denbighshire LL18, failed to pay £5,903.37 to 2 workers

31. Pentlow Community Care Limited, Eastbourne BN21, failed to pay £5,725.38 to 36 workers

32. Birmingham City Football Club plc, Birmingham B9, failed to pay £5,653.03 to 534 workers

33. St Helens Rugby Football Club Limited, trading as St Helens R.F.C., St. Helens WA9, failed to pay £5,536.92 to 117 workers

34. Mr David Wilson, Mrs Doreen Wilson and Mr Darren Wilson, trading as Wilson's Deliveries, Erewash DE7, failed to pay £4,935.46 to 1 worker

35. Smart Hand Car Wash Plymouth Ltd, Plymouth PL3, failed to pay £4,817.09 to 2 workers

36. A1 Care Services Limited, Torfaen NP4, failed to pay £4,652.73 to 66 workers

37. Jeta Car Wash Ltd, trading as Queensway Car Wash, Arun PO21, failed to pay £4,584.93 to 3 workers

38. Cost Effective Catering Limited, City of Edinburgh EH4, failed to pay £4,559.11 to 23 workers

39. SB Patel Ltd, trading as Porth Stores, Merthyr Tydfil CF46, failed to pay £4,454.29 to 2 workers

40. Plymouth Car Wash Ltd, Plymouth PL4, failed to pay £4,122.92 to 3 workers

41. Handy Andy Car Wash Ponteland Limited, trading as Handy Andy Car Wash, Northumberland NE20, failed to pay £3,932.55 to 3 workers

42. Mr Lee Harris and Mr David Wilson, trading as The Barber Shop, West Oxfordshire OX28, failed to pay £3,894.77 to 2 workers

43. Home Life Carers Limited, Mid Devon EX16, failed to pay £3,675.32 to 31 workers

44. Simonstone Ltd, trading as Simonstone Hall Hotel, Richmondshire DL8, failed to pay £3,633.42 to 3 workers

45. SSL Foodservice Ltd, trading as SSL Dairies, Luton LU3, failed to pay £3,576.88 to 8 workers

46. A2 Car Wash Limited, Southwark SE1, failed to pay £3,553.65 to 3 workers

47. Pink Innovations Ltd, Kingston upon Hull, City of HU4, failed to pay £3,482.83 to 5 workers

48. The Blue Bicycle (York) Limited, trading as The Blue Bicycle, York YO1, failed to pay £3,479.46 to 2 workers

49. The Care Bureau Limited, Warwick CV32, failed to pay £3,423.94 to 343 workers

50. Box & Charnock Limited, Bedford MK44, failed to pay £3,387.55 to 1 worker

51. Red Arrow Fulfilment Limited, Test Valley SO51, failed to pay £3,245.85 to 33 workers

52. Foxlowe Trading Company Limited, Staffordshire Moorlands ST13, failed to pay £3,200.97 to 1 worker

53. Hideaway Day Nursery Limited, Walsall WS2, failed to pay £3,184.11 to 18 workers

54. Headromance Ltd, Havant PO9, failed to pay £2,959.64 to 9 workers

55. QCS Contract Cleaning Ltd, Belfast BT15, failed to pay £2,952.19 to 237 workers

56. Mr Nigel Birch and Mrs Sarah Shotton, trading as Oasis Hair & Bodycare, Mansfield NG18, failed to pay £2,818.99 to 16 workers

57. Trinity Pre-School, trading as Trinity Children's Centre Nursery & Out of School Club, Kirklees WF14, failed to pay £2,612.06 to 3 workers

58. Mr Wayne Gray and Mrs Margaret Gray, trading as Jackson Gray, Dundee City DD3, failed to pay £2,514 to 4 workers

59. Busy Bee Montessori Nursery School Limited, trading as Busy Bees Nursery School, Forest Heath IP28, failed to pay £2,488.29 to 19 workers

60. SBDP1 Limited, Great Yarmouth NR29, failed to pay £2,275.03 to 67 workers

61. Tayto Group Limited, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon BT62, failed to pay £2,236.14 to 50 workers

62. Impact Call Centre Limited, Test Valley SO51, failed to pay £2,095.14 to 15 workers

63. 4th Generation (NW) Limited, Stockport SK6, failed to pay £2,086.41 to 1 worker

64. A Johnson Construction Limited, Cheshire East CW1, failed to pay £2,033.45 to 2 workers

65. Thurlestone Estates Limited, trading as Thurlestone Hotel, South Hams TQ7, failed to pay £2,028.14 to 4 workers

66. Lakemere Green Limited, trading as Neville Hair & Beauty, Kensington and Chelsea SW1X, failed to pay £2,023.29 to 1 worker

67. Universal United Commerce Limited, City of Edinburgh EH6, failed to pay £2,009.88 to 2 workers

68. Patisserie Patchi Limited, trading as Patchi, Brent NW10, failed to pay £2,007.92 to 7 workers

69. Mr Mahendra Davda, trading as M M Davda, Birmingham B10, failed to pay £1,902.35 to 1 worker

70. Stef and Stan Ltd, St Albans AL2, failed to pay £1,900.59 to 2 workers

71. I Can Day Nurseries Limited , trading as Scamps Day Nursery, Cheshire East SK11, failed to pay £1,891.75 to 2 workers

72. Holbrook Academy, Babergh IP9, failed to pay £1,862.05 to 2 workers

73. Nath Stores Limited, Stockton-on-Tees TS17, failed to pay £1,823.69 to 1 worker

74. Vickers Construction Limited, Stockton-on-Tees TS18, failed to pay £1,809.35 to 1 worker

75. Manor House Hotel (Oakehampton) Limited, trading as The Manor House Hotel, West Devon EX20, failed to pay £1,776.33 to 31 workers

76. Extra Care for Elderly People Limited, Antrim and Newtownabbey BT41, failed to pay £1,775.79 to 6 workers

77. Rootcroft Limited, trading as West House Residential Home, Southend-on-Sea SS0, failed to pay £1,774.39 to 13 workers

78. Little Footprints Nursery Limited, Leicester LE5, failed to pay £1,760.15 to 1 worker

79. Marcandi Limited, trading as madbid.com, Westminster SW1P, failed to pay £1,743.48 to 1 worker

80. Clean as a Whistle Super Hand Car Wash Ltd, Plymouth PL5, failed to pay £1,706.26 to 2 workers

81. Lyndhurst School, Surrey Heath GU15, failed to pay £1,696.21 to 3 workers

82. Ms Lorna O'Donnell, trading as Snowdons Hairdressing Salon, Solihull B36, failed to pay £1,675.71 to 1 worker

83. Twinkles (Leeds) Limited, Leeds LS2, failed to pay £1,617.87 to 8 workers

84. Ritcin Limited, trading as Starbucks, Belfast BT1, failed to pay £1,592.79 to 79 workers

85. Cedar Tree Care Home Ltd, Derby DE23, failed to pay £1,531.99 to 11 workers

86. Dan Skelton Racing Limited, Stratford-on-Avon B49, failed to pay £1,520.19 to 3 workers

87. Fast Car wash Ltd, trading as Waves Hand Car Wash, Basildon SS15, failed to pay £1,444.16 to 3 workers

88. G.Purchase Construction Limited, Walsall WS2, failed to pay £1,392.55 to 8 workers

89. Dr Baber Ghafoor and Dr S A Abbasi, Rochdale OL11, failed to pay £1,355.98 to 6 workers

90. Feather and Black , Chichester PO19, failed to pay £1,333.25 to 31 workers

91. ADI Hand Car Wash Ltd, Epping Forest CM5, failed to pay £1,304.77 to 6 workers

92. Independent Community Care Management Limited, Kettering NN15, failed to pay £1,301.82 to 14 workers

93. Crystal Knitwear Limited, Mansfield NG18, failed to pay £1,144.48 to 6 workers

94. Georgie Porgy's Pre-School Ltd, Havering RM12, failed to pay £1,142.13 to 6 workers

95. Stoke City Football Club Limited, trading as Stoke City F.C., Stoke-on-Trent ST4, failed to pay £1,102.62 to 7 workers

96. Parkers Mini Buses (Ellesmere Port) Limited, Cheshire West and Chester CH65, failed to pay £1,092.56 to 5 workers

97. Fosters Bakery (Staincross) Limited, Barnsley S75, failed to pay £1,074.93 to 1 worker

98. James Ritchie Clocks (established 1809) Ltd, City of Edinburgh EH3, failed to pay £1,064.66 to 2 workers

99. Poppies WL & S Limited, trading as Poppies, West Lancashire L39, failed to pay £1,061.70 to 69 workers

100. Rudan Knightsbridge Limited, trading as Daniel Hersheson, Kensington and Chelsea SW1X, failed to pay £1,060.55 to 4 workers

101. Achieving Excellence UK Ltd, Tameside SK16, failed to pay £1,031.19 to 1 worker

102. Focus Food Services Limited, Chesterfield S43, failed to pay £1,007.73 to 6 workers

103. Mr Peter Watts, trading as 3ccc, Birmingham B44, failed to pay £1,006.67 to 2 workers

104. Days Poole Limited, trading as Day's Restaurant, Poole BH12, failed to pay £1,001.34 to 19 workers

105. Europa Foods Distribution Limited, Causeway Coast and Glens BT51, failed to pay £976.55 to 2 workers

106. Grade House Limited, Brent HA0, failed to pay £951.75 to 1 worker

107. Alison Margaret Smith, trading as A.M.S Hair & Beauty, City of Edinburgh EH12, failed to pay £935.21 to 1 worker

108. Mrs Angela Fox, trading as Café Express, Stockton-on-Tees TS18, failed to pay £870.21 to 1 worker

109. Redhill Service Centre Limited, Gedling NG5, failed to pay £825.24 to 1 worker

110. Shoe Zone Retail Limited, Leicester LE1, failed to pay £804.88 to 15 workers

111. Arcadis Consulting (UK) Limited, Cardiff CF3, failed to pay £796.72 to 2 workers

112. RPP Wood Green Ltd, trading as Roosters Piri Piri, Haringey N22, failed to pay £779.39 to 3 workers

113. Mrs Lisa Chakir, trading as Chairs Hairdresser, West Lothian EH49, failed to pay £774.86 to 1 worker

114. Mrs Jacqueline Young, trading as The Forum (previous ownership), Northumberland NE63, failed to pay £770.01 to 1 worker

115. Mr George Hanson and Mr James Hanson, trading as Punycode Riding Stables, Shropshire SY10, failed to pay £747.9 to 4 workers

116. Express Vision (UK) Ltd, Birmingham B18, failed to pay £727.35 to 1 worker

117. Sanjay Foods (UK) Limited, Leicester LE4, failed to pay £719.18 to 6 workers

118. Indulge Me Limited, trading as Indulge, Harrow HA5, failed to pay £718.1 to 1 worker

119. Mr Christopher James Hill, trading as D&A Sheds, Aylesbury Vale MK18, failed to pay £701.37 to 1 worker

120. Bush House Pembroke Limited, Pembrokeshire SA71, failed to pay £686.92 to 6 workers

121. Miss Zoe MacDonald, trading as Unique Hair & Beauty, Na h-Eileanan Siar HS1, failed to pay £686 to 1 worker

122. VF Cash & Carry Limited, trading as Variety Foods, Newham E7, failed to pay £667.86 to 19 workers

123. MRN Recruitment Limited, South Holland PE11, failed to pay £628 to 265 workers

124. Gloss Hairdressing Limited, Harrogate HG5, failed to pay £618.57 to 4 workers

125. Rainbow Brite Cleaning Services Limited, Newport NP20, failed to pay £585.95 to 9 workers

126. The Urban Chocolatier Limited, Newham E7, failed to pay £578.01 to 1 worker

127. Edworthy Computing Limited, Mid Devon EX17, failed to pay £548.45 to 1 worker

128. Mumtaz Leeds Limited, trading as Mumtaz, Leeds LS10, failed to pay £540 to 1 worker

129. East Lancashire Services Limited, Rochdale OL10, failed to pay £539.49 to 28 workers

130. Plaistow Broadway Filling Stations Limited, Basildon CM12, failed to pay £535.53 to 1 worker

131. NTCDucting.com Limited, Swansea SA7, failed to pay £492.17 to 1 worker

132. Mr Ali Qerimi, trading as Olympic Hand Car Wash, Newham E15, failed to pay £475.5 to 2 workers

133. Moulsham Residential Home (Chelmsford) Limited, Chelmsford CM2, failed to pay £474.82 to 2 workers

134. Blaxills Fitted Furniture Limited, trading as Blaxills, St Albans AL2, failed to pay £472.46 to 1 worker

135. Miss Tracey Henry, trading as Valentinos Hair Salon, Southampton SO15, failed to pay £472.33 to 1 worker

136. Cragwood International Limited, trading as Cragwood Country House Hotel & Restaurant, South Lakeland LA23, failed to pay £467.78 to 3 workers

137. Step Up Security Services Ltd, Knowsley L33, failed to pay £462.42 to 28 workers

138. Mr Shahzad Iqbal Kiyani, trading as Aprana Café, Birmingham B8, failed to pay £452.5 to 1 worker

139. D K Leisure Ltd, trading as Bushtown Hotel, Causeway Coast and Glens BT51, failed to pay £448.13 to 2 workers

140. Clear-View Fife Limited, trading as Clear-View Cleaning Specialists, Fife KY6, failed to pay £431.63 to 1 worker

141. Saramago Ltd, trading as Saramago Café Bar, Glasgow City G2, failed to pay £425.63 to 4 workers

142. Capital (Hair and Beauty) Limited, Brighton BN1, failed to pay £421.53 to 78 workers

143. McClarance Services Limited, trading as Elliot McClarance, Trafford WA14, failed to pay £416.17 to 2 workers

144. Entier Limited, Aberdeenshire AB32, failed to pay £403.07 to 1 worker

145. DSM N.E. Ltd, County Durham DL5, failed to pay £395.57 to 1 worker

146. Darren Dickie, trading as Darren Dickie Roofing & Building Contractor, Barrow-in-Furness LA14, failed to pay £392.22 to 1 worker

147. Biddall Leisure Limited, trading as The Vine Hotel, East Lindsey PE24, failed to pay £389.77 to 1 worker

148. Legal Square Ltd, Manchester M12, failed to pay £370.13 to 1 worker

149. Neath Road Car Sales & Car Wash Ltd, Wiltshire SA1, failed to pay £348.69 to 5 workers

150. Mr Shakil Shah, trading as Town Fryer, St. Helens WA10, failed to pay £347.31 to 3 workers

151. Jackson Gray Limited, trading as Jackson Gray, Dundee City DD3, failed to pay £343.38 to 3 workers

152. Mrs Elaine Phillips and Mr Mitchell Phillips, trading as Studio 57 Clinic, Brighton and Hove BN3, failed to pay £339.03 to 2 workers

153. Maxine Adams, Kensington and Chelsea SW3, failed to pay £312.45 to 1 worker

154. 4TheHouse Limited, Leeds LS14, failed to pay £288.1 to 1 worker

155. Ari Pizza Ltd, trading as Marmaris Pizza, Ashfield NG17, failed to pay £287.8 to 2 workers

156. Hales Group Limited, Peterborough PE1, failed to pay £285.08 to 6 workers

157. Mariner Travel Limited, Warrington WA13, failed to pay £281.72 to 1 worker

158. P&P Duff (Scotland) Limited, trading as Patrick, Renfrewshire PA1, failed to pay £280.15 to 1 worker

159. Grand Union Company Limited, Lambeth SE11, failed to pay £271.28 to 6 workers

160. Mr Ahmed Faalzada, trading as Pizza on Broadway, Kingston upon Thames KT6, failed to pay £266.25 to 1 worker

161. Ducati Manchester Limited, Trafford M33, failed to pay £246.88 to 1 worker

162. Ms Fiona Latham, trading as The Wellington Hotel, Halton L24, failed to pay £233.55 to 1 worker

163. Tsang's Kitchen Ltd, Wiltshire SN10, failed to pay £221.1 to 1 worker

164. Mr Nicholas Tsaroullas, Mr John Yiamokis Tsaroullas and Mrs Kyriacou Tsaroullas , trading as Mentone Hotel, North Somerset BS23, failed to pay £209.44 to 4 workers

165. GAF Foods Limited, trading as Subway, Haringey N4 1, failed to pay £200.81 to 5 workers

166. Tanna's Limited, Brent NW10, failed to pay £194.54 to 1 worker

167. P&A Food Management Services Limited, Hambleton DL8, failed to pay £186.39 to 11 workers

168. Mr Tino Cernera, trading as Da Vinci, Dacorum HP23, failed to pay £183.83 to 2 workers

169. Mrs Carole Bentley, trading as Tenford Kennels, Staffordshire Moorlands ST10, failed to pay £182.12 to 1 worker

170. Yeovil Football & Athletic Club (The), trading as Yeovil Town F.C, South Somerset BA22, failed to pay £174.18 to 2 workers

171. Casa Bianco Limited, trading as The White Rooms, Southampton SO14, failed to pay £171.2 to 1 worker

172. Ms Karly Skerman and Mr Ray Booth, trading as Billy Rays Store, East Riding of Yorkshire YO15, failed to pay £161.67 to 1 worker

173. Orchard Care (South West) limited, trading as Restgarth Care Home, Cornwall PL13, failed to pay £161.27 to 7 workers

174. Always Cleaning Limited, Oldham OL9, failed to pay £154.58 to 2 workers

175. Mr Hamid Noori, trading as Valley Road Hand Car Wash, Plymouth PL7, failed to pay £153.3 to 1 worker

176. London Irish Scottish Richmond Limited, trading as London Irish, Spelthorne TW16, failed to pay £131.73 to 1 worker

177. Mr Sean Hornby, trading as The Queens Hotel, Bury BL2, failed to pay £129.45 to 1 worker

178. SM News Limited, Wigan WN7, failed to pay £120 to 1 worker

179. Riverside Pizza Company Limited, trading as La Figa, Tower Hamlets E14, failed to pay £100.83 to 1 worker

Notes to editors

Notice of Underpayment (NoU)

Under this scheme the government will name all employers who have been issued with a NoU unless employers meet one of the exceptional criteria or have arrears of £100 or less. All 179 cases named today (9 March 2018) failed to pay the correct national minimum or living wage rates and owed arrears of more than £100.

Employers have 28 days to appeal against the NoU (this notice sets out the owed wages to be paid by the employer together with the penalty for not complying with minimum wage law). If the employer does not appeal or unsuccessfully appeals against this NoU, BEIS will consider them for naming. The employer then has 14 days to make representations to BEIS outlining whether they meet any of the exceptional criteria:

naming by BEIS carries a risk of personal harm to an individual or their family

there are national security risks associated with naming in this instance

other factors which suggest that it would not be in the public interest to name the employer

National Living and Minimum Wage rates

Low paying sectors

Hospitality: 43 employers named for underpaying 5,726 workers a total of £460,459

Hairdressing: 19 employers named for underpaying 152 workers a total of £43,938

Retail: 18 employers named for underpaying 85 workers a total of £27,332

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Nearly 180 employers named and shamed for underpaying thousands of minimum wage workers

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£1.1 million identified for 9,200 workers underpaid minimum wage rates 179 employers named and fined £1.3 million after underpayment naming round comes before minimum wage rates rising on 1 April As well as recovering backpay for 9,200 workers, the government also fined the employers a total of £1.3 million in penalties for breaking national minimum wage laws.

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11% of hospitality workforce to leave UK due to BREXIT

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11% of hospitality workforce to leave UK due to BREXIT

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The humanoid robot commonly known as "Pepper" is the latest employee to be hired by TUI Nordic. Pepper, named Pepper 2E, will work as a Robot Assistant and be a part of TUI's new Data Analytics and Machine Learning team. TUI is the first travel company in the world to incorporate robotics in this way.

"Automation, AI and Robotics are important elements of TUI's future. We already have some of the best specialists in this field and I am excited to see how Pepper 2E will contribute to our team. And most importantly, I hope he sparks curiosity and engagement with all of our TUI Nordic colleagues", says Alexander Huber, Managing Director of TUI Nordic.

The humanoid robot commonly known as "Pepper" is the latest employee to be hired by TUI Nordic. Pepper, named Pepper 2E, will work as a Robot Assistant and be a part of TUI's new Data Analytics and Machine Learning team. TUI is the first travel company in the world to incorporate robotics in this way.

"Automation, AI and Robotics are important elements of TUI's future. We already have some of the best specialists in this field and I am excited to see how Pepper 2E will contribute to our team. And most importantly, I hope he sparks curiosity and engagement with all of our TUI Nordic colleagues", says Alexander Huber, Managing Director of TUI Nordic.

Pepper 2E started August 14th and will primarily be based in TUI's Stockholm office. The humanoid robot has a detailed job description as well as set "personal" goals he will be evaluated on, just as any regular TUI employee. The main responsibility of the Robot Assistant is to inspire innovation, curiosity and technological pioneering. Furthermore, the Robot Assistant will help visitors as well as colleagues and external customers with everyday questions and problems.

Elke Eller, HR Director of TUI Group and Member of the Board says: "As TUI Group, we are shaping the future of travel in many areas. Employees like Pepper 2E can support our teams. At the same time they give us an impression of what the work of the future might look like. The "hiring" of Pepper 2E stands for curiosity about the future and openness for new technologies. These are important prerequisites for the success of the digital transformation of TUI. Välkommen, Pepper!"

As a true TUI employee, Pepper 2E will go through the usual steps of onboarding. He has a manager to report to and is member of a team that will incorporate him in their day-to-day tasks. He will spend the first few months hovering around the office getting to know the company and his new human colleagues.

ABOUT PEPPER

Pepper is a semi-humanoid robot manufactured by SoftBank Robotics

Pepper understands and speaks in numerous languages and can understand human emotions.

Pepper's touch screen increases his capacity to interact and enables him to enhance communication by providing visual information.

With entirely programmable platforms, Pepper offers manifold usage possibilities to enrich the experience.

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TUI welcomes its first ever robotic humanoid employee

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The humanoid robot commonly known as "Pepper" is the latest employee to be hired by TUI Nordic. Pepper, named Pepper 2E, will work as a Robot Assistant and be a part of TUI's new Data Analytics and Machine Learning team.

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Explore our latest viewpoints, thought leadership and news, offered by our CIPD experts and informed by our professional community.

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Sector Workforce Profiles and Characteristics

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Sector Workforce Profiles and Characteristics

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People 1st - Insights into Hospitality, Retail, Travel and Aviation Workforce Skills

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Our hospitality, travel and tourism industry profile reports provide a snapshot of the key workforce characteristics, skills needs and retention issues.

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BREXIT impact on tourism and hospitality employment

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BREXIT impact on tourism and hospitality employment

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People 1st - The Performance & Talent Management Revolution: Hospitality & Tourism

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Our research report explores how hospitality & tourism businesses are changing their talent management strategies to improve productivity & employee retention.

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Having recently undertaken a corporate rebranding exercise, I am very aware of the importance of tying in company culture and values to team members' everyday work experiences. Incentive-based recognition strategies are tangible ways to bring the company's culture to life and improve employee satisfaction and performance.

Below are four key areas where employees can be recognized and rewarded. Adding these to your recognition program not only helps employees feel that they are part of a larger community and deeper purpose, but also helps boost employee performance while focusing on the overall goals of hospitality and the success of our teams:

1. Recognition by Guests

When a guest recognizes an employee by name for superb service through TripAdvisor, guest satisfaction surveys, etc., that's the ultimate compliment. Recognize it, and even better, incentivize it with a cash award. And though cash is king, you can be creative in your recognition by giving paid time off, or using a points system where employees can turn in their points for an enticing gift.

2. Recognition by Managers

When an employee does something great, tell him or her so by recognizing exceptional behavior. Incentivize it! Constructive feedback is important to development as well, but in 2013 a Harvard study found that the optimal positive to negative comment ratio is 6:1. People really do respond to praise and positive comments over criticism, even when it's constructive.

3. Recognition by Peers

While it might not hold as much weight as guest or manager recognition, employees also like to be praised by their peers. Make time to publicly acknowledge peer-to-peer recognition and share it with others. Consider incentivizing it with cash or other tokens of appreciation.

4. Recognition for Loyalty and Tenure

The hospitality world is riddled with turnover, so when you find employees who stick with you, let them know they are appreciated. Recognize it! Incentive it! When employees feel as if they are truly a part of a team and not just another warm body, they aren't only willing to stay, they are also more apt to perform at a higher level.

We know that when employees are happy and successful, they create positive experiences for our guests. And when the guests are happy with their experience, they are more willing to return and promote the hotel to others. This makes the owners happy, which, in turn, flows back to the employees. Improving employee performance through recognition truly creates a 360-degree model of success in the hospitality industry.
Christin Bell is director of culture & team engagement for TBC Hotels in Washington, D.C. She is an active member of the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers, and can be reached at [email protected] .

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4 ways recognition lifts employee performance

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Having recently undertaken a corporate rebranding exercise, I am very aware of the importance of tying in company culture and values to team members' everyday work experiences. Incentive-based recognition strategies are tangible ways to bring the company's culture to life and improve employee satisfaction and performance.

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Expert guidance for authors, editors, reviewers, researchers and students

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Hospitality workers to strike over wages

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Hospitality workers to strike over wages

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Staff at JD Wetherspoon, McDonald's and TGI Fridays are to strike next month in an unprecedented action by employees in the hospitality sector, where a campaign to recruit new trade union members is gathering pace among workers who have traditionally not been organised.

The co-ordination and scale of the action - which takes place on 4 October and includes staff from a number of McDonald's branches in London and two branches of the pub chain on the south coast - is the first of its kind and engages often young, newly unionised workers who will be striking for £10 an hour and union recognition.

Workers from The Bright Helm and The Post & Telegraph pubs in Brighton told the Guardian securing a wage rise would alleviate their mounting personal debts and lift them out of subsistence living.

They have taken a move by Wetherspoon's to bring forward an annual pay rise for workers from April next year to this November as a sign that the company is sufficiently worried about the possibility of the action spreading. According to the chain, the minimum starting rate for bar staff over 18 is £8.05 an hour while kitchen staff receive £8.25 an hour - increasing by 10p in each case after a probation period.

Chris Heppell, a 29-year-old working in one of the pub chain's kitchens, said that every penny counted when he and his colleagues were struggling to get by. In his own case, more than half of what he earned each month went towards paying £450 in rent to share a cramped one-bedroom apartment.

"It's impossible to save and you find yourself taking on more and more hours just to keep on top of the debt," said the politics graduate who has worked in the hospitality sector since graduating, spending the last four years on what he described as "poverty wages" at Wetherspoon's.

"Up until recently I haven't thought very much about the future because it is genuinely scary, but that has started to change."

Heppell is among workers at the pub chain who have joined the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) after being inspired by the strike action taken last year by McDonald's workers in a dispute over zero-hours contracts and conditions.

Another Wetherspoon's kitchen worker, 19-year-old student Alex McIntyre, described working for the company as the most "emotionally and physically draining" job he had undertaken after working extensively in the hospitality sector.

McIntyre said over the course of a 30-hour week, he worked in a small kitchen that was often understaffed, and put more than half of his wages towards renting in shared accommodation with five others.

"I have an overdraft and rarely have a full fridge. I just thought that was what student life was, but there's a sense now that this could change. Being paid £10 an hour would mean that I literally don't have to choose between a food shop or getting a long needed haircut - basic things that people take for granted," he said.

"Now though, I'm being asked about union membership by friends and people from my generation on social media who wouldn't have considered it before. The cards we have been dealt mean that a lot of us have tended to keep our heads down until now."

Organisers have been reluctant to provide numbers or speculate on the turnout. However, in Brighton the ballots have gone out to more than 20 people - resulting in a 100% endorsement of strike action - while others taking part in the strike are expected to include McDonald's workers from four London restaurants and workers from TGI Fridays branches. Ahead of the action, which is expected to involve strikers coming together for a rally in London, workers from other chains in the sector have also been getting in touch with the union.

Wetherspoon's spokesman Eddie Gershon said that rates of pay have come under review at most pub and restaurant companies and the chain had announced on 14 September that it was increasing pay rates in the last financial year (to July 2018) by £20m and would be increasing rates this year by £27m.

"We also decided several months ago that management will work a 40-hour week instead of the current 42.5 hours from April 2019. We are also moving to the same rate for 18-21s as we already have for over 21s from 5 November 2018," he said.

"In addition we are putting up the rate of pay. In the last financial year we paid record monthly bonuses and free shares of £43m, equivalent to about 50% of our net profits. Seventy-five percent of this sum was paid to those who work in our pubs."

At the time last year of the first UK strike by McDonald's workers, the company said that it had involved a small number of staff representing less than 0.01% of its workforce. It also pointed to the delivery of three pay rises since April 2016, which had increased the average hourly pay rate by 15%.

TGI Fridays, which was named and shamed earlier this year by the government for failing to pay workers the legal minimum wage, said at the time of a walk-out in August by staff in a dispute over tips and pay that it believed all of its workers were treated and paid fairly.

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Wetherspoon's and McDonald's staff to strike together

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Staff at JD Wetherspoon, McDonald's and TGI Fridays are to strike next month in an unprecedented action by employees in the hospitality sector, where a campaign to recruit new trade union members is gathering pace among workers who have traditionally not been organised.

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Melissa Brooker had been in her job as a senior HR director for 10 years and "loved every minute of it".

Then she had her first child.

"Sadly, the year I returned took the shine off for me," she says. "Gradually, it became obvious that my employers still needed a lot of face-time. I could see that I was going to be left out of key meetings and opportunities by rigidly sticking to the hours I was paid for."

So she tried to find a way around it. "I accepted meetings and calls on my days off. I dialled into calls while my baby was asleep, praying she wouldn't wake up.

"I worked in any snatched moments I could find. No matter what your hours, there was an expectation that if you wanted to progress, you had to be 'always on'. It just wasn't sustainable."

"Sarah" also works in HR. She doesn't want to use her real name because she's worried about losing her job.

Although she loves what she does, she says, "The isolation I have felt at work since going part-time shocked me, and has been soul destroying. I feel punished for not being there five days a week."

'Tough cookie'

This is not the way the flexible workplace is supposed to be. Since 2014, the law has been that any worker has the right to apply to work flexibly.

It's no surprise Sarah and Melissa's stories are so similar.

A survey by flexible working experts, Timewise, found two-thirds of part-time workers feel isolated and struggle to make professional connections.

Sarah returned to work after a longer gap than usual having had two children close together. "I'm a tough cookie, believe you me, but there have been occasions when I have cried. Friendships I have built over five years have simply dissolved."

As flexible working is the way most of us now work in the UK, this is a major problem.

'Flexism'

Timewise's report, Part-time Work: The Exclusion Zone?, found:

Nearly seven in 10 (68%) feel so grateful to be allowed to work part-time that they accept career compromises

More than half (59%) miss out on networking opportunities because they conflict with their own working patterns

Two-thirds (65%) feel less connected to their own teams because social events are harder to make

More than half (59%) feel they have fallen behind full-time colleagues in terms of skills and knowledge.

Timewise founder Karen Mattison calls it another form of discrimination: "flexism".

"Much of working culture is still rooted in the five-day 1950s model, with a lack of flexibility around when meetings, training and networking take place - leaving part-time workers isolated.

"As few as 6% of people are thought to work a traditional '9 to 5', we have a strong mandate for change.

"Part-time and flexible aren't the future of work. They are the now. And they are the way most people want to work."

A recent survey for accounting body Cima found flexible working came top of the list for two-thirds of respondents, above even pay.

'Strategic tool'

Timewise is calling on businesses to do more to harness the potential of their part-time employees by taking a more proactive approach.

The organisation is launching the PowerFlex Network - the UK's first cross-business network to support middle and senior management part-time and flexible workers.

It plans to offer networking opportunities, speakers and training, in order to help those working part-time and flexibly who are currently missing out on the opportunities that their full-time colleagues take for granted.

Claire McCartney from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) says that, used sensibly, flexible working brings great benefits.

"Flexible working can be used as a strategic tool to support improved individual and organisation performance through developing greater diversity, brand competitiveness and increasing levels of job satisfaction and commitment from workers."

But she adds that in order for this to happen it is "extremely important that they receive the same opportunities as those that work more traditional patterns, when it comes to skills development and progression".

Flexible working and the law

In April 2003, the government introduced the "right to request flexible working"

This applied to parents and certain other carers

In 2014 this was extended to include all employees with at least 26 weeks' continuous employment, regardless of parental or caring responsibilities

Employers have a duty to consider a request in a reasonable manner and can only refuse a request for flexible working if they can show that one of a specific number of grounds apply

The advisory service Acas has issued guidance and a Code of Practice for employers on handling such requests in a reasonable manner

Source: CIPD
Leading companies, including EY, Lloyds Banking Group, Dixons Carphone and Diageo back Timewise and its work.

Lloyds has made some major changes. In the last two years it has increased the proportion of new roles with agile working arrangements from less than 10% to over 90%.

Assad Malic from Dixons Carphone says it is looking at getting rid of standard contracts entirely.

"We have an ambition to remove the standard 37-hour, 9am to 5pm contract altogether over the coming years and we go to every effort to make our flexible and part-timers' experience feel inclusive and progressive," he says.

'No choice'

The lack of acceptance of her way of working caused Melissa Brooker to leave her job and set up on her own. She now works how she wants, and no-one seems to mind.

"The fascinating thing is that since I've become independent, clients aren't at all fussed about the hours I work. If I need to say, 'I can't work past 3pm,' they are always fine about it. I miss being part of a team but this has been my solution and it has worked brilliantly for me."

Meanwhile, "Sarah" is stuck with her unhappy work life. "I have to stick it out. I have no choice. After 11 years at this level where else can I go?

"In any case, I have actually been for a few job interviews and I was told I had to work full-time, there was no other option."

Looks like Timewise will have plenty to keep it occupied in changing the working landscape for people like Sarah.

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'I dialled into work and prayed my baby wouldn't wake up'

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Melissa Brooker had been in her job as a senior HR director for 10 years and "loved every minute of it". Then she had her first child. "Sadly, the year I returned took the shine off for me," she says. "Gradually, it became obvious that my employers still needed a lot of face-time.

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Sustainable human resource management as a driver in tourism policy and planning a serious sin of omission.pdf

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Organisational wellbeing and employee engagement

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Organisational wellbeing and employee engagement

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Restaurant chains Wagamama and TGI Fridays have each been fined an undisclosed amount for failing to pay staff the National Minimum Wage.

They were among 43 employers in the hospitality sector on the government's latest list of firms breaking the law.

Wagamama has repaid an average of £50 to 2,630 employees. TGI Friday's had to repay £25 each to 2,300 staff.

Wagamama blamed "an inadvertent misunderstanding" of the rules on staff uniforms for the blunder.

A Wagamama statement said the company had asked front-of-house staff to wear black jeans or a black skirt with their Wagamama-branded top.

This was considered as asking them to buy a form of uniform, "and so we should have paid them for it," the company said.

"We have gladly made payments to current and previous employees who missed out dating back from 2016 to 2013. We have also updated our uniform policy and we now pay a uniform supplement to cover the black jeans.

"Our people are the heart and soul of Wagamama and we take great pride in supporting and helping them to build their careers with us."

A TGI Fridays statement said the firm had reimbursed team members for a shoe allowance.

The firm added: "This is a historic payment which was paid last year, and we have since reimbursed team members for the purchase of their black uniform shoes."

In total, 179 employers were fined £1.3m by the government for underpaying their staff.

And they were warned that minimum pay rates will increase again on 1 April.

Just before Christmas, Wagamama had to apologise after a note was seen in one of its London restaurants, apparently banning staff from taking sick days.

The hotel chain Marriott was also fined. It underpaid 279 of its staff over £250 each on average.

The company apologised and said it was committed to paying the National Minimum Wage.

"When an error was identified by a routine HMRC audit in 2015, we co-operated fully with HMRC and promptly reimbursed all those affected," it said.

"We apologise to all our associates impacted by this error, and have taken steps to ensure it cannot happen again."

In its response to the Matthew Taylor Review of the gig economy, called Good Work, the government has already announced plans to give all workers the right to a payslip.

It said that would make it easier for 300,000 workers to check that they were being paid the legal minimum.

Later this month, the government will launch an awareness campaign for the new minimum wage rates. Employers can be fined up to twice the total wage shortfall, subject to a maximum of £20,000 per worker.

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Restaurant chains Wagamama and TGI Fridays have each been fined an undisclosed amount for failing to pay staff the National Minimum Wage. They were among 43 employers in the hospitality sector on the government's latest list of firms breaking the law. Wagamama has repaid an average of £50 to 2,630 employees.