For media information please contact Jenny Green @ Smart Arts on 07545 696713 / 01484 685544 or email [email protected] Major HR Changes in the Last 10 Years By Julie Sykes, JCS HR As I head towards the end of my tenth year trading as JCS HR, I thought it would be interesting to look back at some of the major changes that have taken place in the world of human resources during that time. There have been quite a few, resulting in significant changes that employers have had to take on board; and that HR consultants like myself have had to understand in order to advise our clients. So what are some of these changes and how have they impacted business? - Unfair Dismissal: An increase in the qualifying period for unfair dismissal from 1 to 2 years. - Retirement: Unless it can be objectively justified, it is no longer legal to force employees to retire at a specific age. Read more… - Improvements to Family Friendly Legislation: A number of significant legislative changes have occurred over the past ten years, which are aimed at making it easier for employees to balance their work and home commitments. In addition, there have been significant changes in employers’ attitudes to options such as home working and flexible working patterns. - Social Media Policies: This was an area that was virtually unheard of ten years ago, but with the advent of platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, a range of new challenges have arisen in terms of employee management. The importance of companies having a social media policy was highlighted when a PPC ruling said that material published on Twitter should be considered to be public not private. Read more… - Fit Notes: In April 2010 sick notes were replaced by fit notes, which provide GPs with an opportunity to advise how employees can be supported back to work. Read more… - Automatic Enrolment Pension Scheme: This places a duty on all employers to automatically enrol ‘eligible jobholders’ into an automatic enrolment pension scheme and pay minimum employer contributions or provide a minimum level of benefits. The timing of implementation is dependent on the number of employees in a particular company. Read more… article