Since the Flexible Working Regulations were introduced in 2014 under the Employment Rights Act 1992, people managers have been legally obliged to consider requests to work flexibly, once an employee has acquired 6 months of service. So most HR professionals and people managers should already have some experience implementing flexible working practices in their organisation… especially considering the growth in demand for this post-pandemic. But that 6-month grace period has now been abolished. So we thought we’d write a bit of advice for you, to incorporate the “day one flexible working right ..read more

If you’re an avid clock-watcher, and you shudder every time one of your team members gets up to go to the break room, then you may wish to cover your eyes – because a recent study revealed that coffee breaks could actually increase productivity by 23%. Remove coffee breaks at your own peril A study reported by HR News revealed that  after a week without coffee breaks, almost 80% of subjects noticed a decrease in productivity. And that on average, they noticed a productivity decrease of around 23%. But before you go putting this down to a simple lack of caffeine, the coffee actually had ve ..read more

We’re excited to introduce our latest addition to Sense Automate (aka Workflows): Service Connections. This new addition opens a world of possibilities, especially when it comes to integrating with external services. And in fact, we’ve kicked things off by building an integration with the robust suite of Google Services. But first, let me explain what Service Connections actually are! What are Service Connections? Service Connections allow Sense to connect automatic workflows with external services, expanding the functionality and versatility of your processes. Let me give you some examples. E ..read more

If you’re an HR professional who has been asked to provide a reference for a bad former employee, then it might be tempting to give their potential future employer a warning. But although writing a “bad reference” isn’t technically illegal, it is risky business – and could land you in legal hot water. First, let’s bust that myth – giving a bad reference is not illegal There’s a myth that says UK employers are not allowed to give a “bad” reference for former employees. This is simply untrue – it is perfectly legal for you to write a negative reference, in the same way that it is perfectly legal ..read more

The role of HR goes beyond designing policies, dishing out benefits, and chairing disciplinary hearings. In fact, HR is often responsible for informing other senior members of the organisation about trends happening throughout the workforce – especially those which may have an impact on the performance of the business. There are hundreds of useful reports HR can produce to inform business decisions. We aren’t going to try and cover these all in one article! But we did think it might be helpful to give you five useful HR reports that you probably should be producing periodically. 1.  The w ..read more

Many of you may have experienced that sinking feeling when a valued employee hands in their resignation letter. When you learn that your star employee has a juicy offer in hand from the competition, this makes it all the worse. This represents a very delicate PR situation as the soon-to-be-departed’s colleagues will be watching their employer’s actions carefully: Does the business let the employee walk without a re engagement attempt? Doing so could make the company appear aloof and out of touch, which is not a good look. On the other hand does the business roll out the red carpet, ele ..read more

We understand the challenges you face when it comes to keeping track of time and attendance. And we understand that these challenges have been made more complex for many by the introduction of hybrid working practices. And that’s why we’re thrilled to introduce our latest innovation, the Sense Clock – the modern way to manage time and attendance for your team. Clock in or out however you prefer Not every organisation does time and attendance the same. Some clock in using a swipe card or key fob, others use an online system that gets manually validated, and some don’t even track time or attend ..read more

CW Fields has been a successful family-run business for over 100 years. A leading manufacturer of high-quality doors and bespoke joinery since 1918, CW Fields deliver exceptional projects for high profile exhibitions, museums, research facilities and educational institutions throughout the UK – including the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, as well as the London School of Economics. In 2017, CW Fields took on a new HR system to service their growing workforce, in a move that they hoped would bring them into the world of modern workforce management. But while this move was certainly a cut a ..read more

Established in 1993, TC Group is a long-standing and leading provider of innovative services and technology to the office and education furniture sector. One quick glance at their catalogue shows how keen they are to stay modern, relevant and stylish. Catherine Edge is something of a veteran within their organisation. Having worked there for over 10 years, she has seen how the company has worked hard to keep ahead of the times, and deliver modern-day furniture excellence for their clients all across the UK and Europe. But when Catherine made a career shift into HR, she realised that an outda ..read more

In a recent press release, titled, ‘Millions get more power over working hours thanks to new law’ the UK government unveiled its new legislation: The Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Act., which will grant employees the right to request a predictable work pattern. But what does this mean for HR, and how will it change working practices going forward? This law is targeting the controversial zero-hours contract The Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Act is meant to target those situations where flexible working arrangements have become so unpredictable, that they are detrimenta ..read more