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Please find below the latest blog posts from our Employment & HR team.
While most people do their best to treat people equally and try to avoid making judgements or assumptions about others based upon the way they look, dress, their age, their sex and their educational achievements, human beings are programmed to do just this. ...
The sight of people wilting under fans and going about their daily lives in shorts and sandals is a rarity in Britain – we are more used to being buffeted by the wind and rain during our daily commute. But as temperatures soar into the 30Cs, we are...
Clare Bowen is a Director & Head of HR Services at JCP Solicitors. Clare and her team provide outsourced HR support and ongoing advice and guidance to the firm's business clients. When it comes to body modifications, such as tattoos or piercings, in...
Leading South and West Wales law firm, JCP Solicitors, has appointed two new Directors from within its ranks. Head of Commercial Lending Recoveries, Sophie Thomas, and Head of HR Services, Clare Bowen, have been appointed Directors at JCP Solicitors...
Clare Bowen, Head of HR Services at JCP Solicitors manages a team who provide outsourced HR services to businesses in a range of sectors. Clare's expertise and experience is welcomed by her diverse client base; from manufacturing companies, to healthcare...
Employers’ circumstances change and, by its nature, farming work is subject to all kinds of fluctuations that farm owners need to accommodate. So it is common that farming employers need to alter their employees’ terms and hours from time to...
The apprenticeship levy is a levy (charge) on UK employers to help fund the costs of apprenticeships training and assessment. The levy will be set at 0.5% of an employers pay bill, (a pay bill is the employer’s total employee earnings subject to Class...
A scheme will be introduced in early 2017 where the Government will pay 20% of families’ yearly childcare costs for children under 12 years old, (capped at £2,000 per child), or under 17 years old if the child is disabled (capped at...
April saw the introduction of the new living wage of £7.20 per hour. Following on from this on 1st October 2016, the national minimum wage for some age bands has increased: A rise to £6.95 per hour for workers aged under 25 but aged at least 21...
A South Wales HR specialist is cautioning employers to be aware of potential issues around office Christmas parties which might land them in hot water. Clare Davies, who is the Head of HR Services at JCP Solicitors, is reminding employers to be aware of the...
Tattoos...piercings....body modifications....In certain industries questions are often raised regarding body modifications such as ‘can I ask an employee to remove a nose stud?’ Although tattoos, piercings and other body modifications are not...
Head of HR Services Clare Davies answers three common questions often asked by business owners and those working in HR roles. 1. Can an employer recover training costs from an employee after they have left? Companies will often want to invest in their...
This month Head of HR Services at JCP Solicitors, Clare Davies, advises a farm owner on changing employees’ working hours. I run a small farm and I need to alter some of my employees’ hours. Am I on a shaky legal footing if there is no...
Here is a quick rundown on the biggest changes of 2016 in the world of Employment Law......... April saw the introduction of the new national living wage. Workers over the age of 25 are now entitled to the national living wage rate of £7.20 per hour....
A very common question amongst employers and employees right now. There will be no immediate changes to UK employment law; withdrawal negotiations need to take place starting when the UK triggers art.50 of the Treaty on European Union; it is not yet known...
We are pleased to announce an HR workshop being run in December 2016 that will focus on substance misuse in the workplace. Clare Davies, Head of HR Services aims to help businesses understand some of the policies and procedures that are needed to look...
JCP Solicitors has once again been recognised by the Law Society’s practice management standard body, retaining their Lexcel Version 6 Award. After a rigorous assessment of JCP’s practices and procedures, carried out across JCP’s...
A leading South and West Wales law firm has warned domiciliary care providers that they could face bills amounting to many thousands over non-payment of the national minimum wage. Paul Shuttleworth, Director and Head of Employment at JCP Solicitors, has...
This month Paul Shuttleworth, Head of Employment & HR advises a farmer on his work contracts. I run a farm and I use a number of casual workers during busy periods – often for six months at a time. What are my obligations regarding giving them...
A question that is often asked by our Employer clients is whether in the course of a disciplinary proceeding, an employee is entitled to bring along their Solicitor as the accompanying person. The answer to the question is invariably no, since there is no...
Sounds simple right? But take into account part time workers, shift workers and bank holidays and it all gets very complicated. Getting it wrong is more common than you may think and could even potentially give rise to a financial lost within your...
Paul Shuttleworth, Director at JCP Solicitors in South Wales who lectures in Sports Law at Swansea University, sheds light on the new 2015 WADA Code changes. Just as every bumper crop of A level results brings with it nationwide grumbles about falling...
JCP Solicitors’ Director and Head of Employment, Paul Shuttleworth addresses employers’ concerns about a particularly thorny holiday pay issue. Employers are increasingly operating in a changing world and recent decisions from the...
A free, informative event designed to help employers tune-up their Human Resources procedures will go ahead at Calsonic Kansei in Llanelli, the first one at the venue. JCP Solicitors have organised the regular HR Lunch & Learn sessions, with the...
We are delighted to announce that we have exciting new opportunities for trainee solicitors commencing in September 2015 and 2016. We are looking to recruit two trainee solicitors who will be primarily based in our West Wales offices. One vacancy will...
“When I left school I had no idea what I wanted to do for a living. I remember being 17, and knowing I had big life choices to make but not knowing which way to go. I was terrified to be honest. And I think a lot of young people feel that way at that...
Over 900,000 people think not, having signed an online petition to reinstate Jeremy Clarkson to Top Gear, and this number is growing. Jeremy Clarkson has been suspended for allegedly punching producer Oisin Tymon. Here comes yet another controversial issue...
Did you know that you do not necessarily need to be a Solicitor to work in a law firm? If a legal career has ever appealed to you, why not come along and talk to us about our operational, administrative, paralegal and apprenticeship opportunities. JCP...
We are pleased to announce that we have released new topics and dates for our HR workshops for 2015. Renamed as HR Lunch & Learn, these informal and bite sized sessions will be taking place in Swansea and Carmarthen. They cover various HR...
Last week the Shared Parental Leave Regulations 2014 came into force. This will enable employees who have babies due on or after 5 April 2015 to share up to one year’s leave with their partner. The Regulations will allow Mothers, or the primary carers...
If you have five minutes to spare, grab a coffee and have a look at the below quick top tips I have put together for local businesses. H – HR Policies R – Recognition T – Time off I – Issues with Staff P –...
With Mothering Sunday fast approaching on 30th March 2014, we thought it timely to blog about working mums and expecting mums-to-be! There are many rules and regulations surrounding new and expectant mums within the workforce, for example, the right...
With the recent extreme weather conditions and the continuing storms many businesses and their employees have been affected by substantial flooding and wind damage. In these situations it is important that you provide information to your employees...
The importance of your HR department when expanding a business overseas is paramount; it would be the role of HR to ensure that all employees in the overseas office are following the Organisational Strategy of your founding UK company. When expanding your...
The recent revelation that Abercrombie & Fitch’s ‘look policy’ includes strict guidelines on acceptable hairstyles throws into consideration the legal consequences of such policies. In short, policies like this can be legal, provided...
Towards the end of summer companies tend to start putting those finishing touches to the Staff Christmas Party Plans! But beware the Employment Law pitfalls. It is important that all employees regardless of their age, sex, religion and disability are...
