An employee who is consistently late for work affects the level of patient care/service and the practice generally.  Here are our tips to help you deal with persistent employee tardiness. (1) Clarity   Make sure that your employees are clear about when they have to arrive and be ready to work. Even if an employee…

One of the things that most practice managers will agree is relatively unpleasant is conducting staff appraisals. To be effective they need to be open and honest, yet handled incorrectly they can be damaging to staff morale and the employee’s sense of worth. That’s why even the toughest receptionists quake at the thought of their…

Irrespective of whether or not they are under any medical supervision, any person who wishes to take any steps to change their gender (gender reassignment) is protected by the Equality Act 2010 which  means that they can not be subjected to any form of discrimination including: Direct discrimination – when a person is treated differently…

As temperatures rise practices may find that employees relax their dress code and, whilst you may not have an issue with some changes in dress, you may find others unacceptable. What should you do if an employee is not dressing in an acceptable way? (1) Does the employee know and understand the dress code? Many…

As we reported some time ago (see here) the case of Metroline West Ltd v Ajaj UKEAT/0185/15/RN involved bus driver Mr Ajaj and his employers who were concerned about the “genuineness of the nature and extent” of injuries that led to Mr Ajaj being off work. In reality, there have probably been times when we…

GP practices, along with other types of business, need to ensure they meet the minimum legal requirements and comply with sector specific standards with regard to employees’ terms and conditions of employment and, more widely, HR policies and procedures. However, this doesn’t mean having a policy for everything, as this only creates unnecessary bureaucracy and…

Health and Safety legislation imposes a number of duties on employers when providing equipment for employees. This is true whether it’s the “usual” type of equipment you would see in any office or practice or something more specialist, like an orthopaedic chair. Let’s start by examining those duties: Legal duties (1) Basic Duty Section 2…