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WorkNest promotes Daniel Gorry to Legal Director, Scotland
WorkNest promotes Daniel Gorry to Legal Director, Scotland
WorkNest the Employment Law, HR, and Health & Safety specialist, today announced Daniel Gorry’s promotion to Legal Director, Scotland, to help lead the advisory service across WorkNest’s Scottish offices. Daniel will manage the legal advisory teams based in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh, reporting to James Tamm, Director of Legal Services at WorkNest.
Overseeing the region, Daniel will continue supporting clients based in Scotland and across the UK. In addition, he will drive collaboration across the Scottish office teams following last year’s rebrand of Law At Work and Ellis Whittam, along with further specialist Employment Law, HR, and Health & Safety firms, to form WorkNest.
Having risen through the ranks, Daniel is a prime example of WorkNest’s home-grown talent, and his appointment emphasises the company’s investment in its staff. He brings a wealth of experience to the role, holding long-standing relationships with several key clients, many of whom he has worked with for up to 15 years. Alongside this, he has developed and built a solid and talented team and has a tremendous track record in defending tribunal claims raised against clients across Scotland and England.
Following his legal traineeship with Law At Work, Daniel joined the business as a newly qualified Solicitor in 2006 and has spent over 15 years progressing his legal career within the same company. He became a Senior Solicitor in 2014, Deputy Head of Employment Law in 2017, and then Head of Employment Law in 2021 for Law At Work. In October 2021, Law At Work merged with Ellis Whittam, another specialist employment law, HR and health and safety business, to form the new WorkNest brand.
“I am excited to be given the opportunity to lead WorkNest’s advisory services in Scotland as we continue on this exciting journey,” said Daniel Gorry. “Employment Law and HR advice have never been more important. Employers are navigating a variety of issues such as hybrid working; employees returning to the workplace; the cost-of-living crisis; and the challenges with recruiting and retaining staff in a very competitive job market. Being there to help our clients to provide the advice they need is essential.
“Following the launch of the WorkNest brand, our longstanding clients from Law At Work continue getting access to the same high-quality service with the same advisory team on the other end of the line, but with access to a far broader range of quality services. As part of a bigger organisation now, our clients can benefit from access to wider services, including our eLearning courses and technology platforms to give our clients the tools to manage their workforce effectively.”
James Tamm, Legal Director at WorkNest, commented, “We are delighted to promote Daniel Gorry to Legal Director in Scotland. The promotion is testament to his hard work in building the Scottish teams. We look forward to seeing how Daniel can strengthen our Scottish region and teams to serve current and future clients.”
Employers urged to consider a global hiring approach as talent shortages worsen, but warns of complexities
Employers urged to consider a global hiring approach as talent shortages worsen, but warns of complexities
With a record 1.3 million job vacancies across the UK as talent shortages remain rife, businesses are urged to consider expanding their talent pools by hiring globally. That’s according to specialist background screening and identity services firm, Sterling.
Recent data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that for the first time ever, there are now more vacancies than unemployed people in the UK – with the number of jobs continuing to grow across all sectors. In this economy, organisations are being left with no choice but to think outside of the box, which for some businesses may include hiring globally to attract and secure top talent. However, in a recent webinar, Sterling highlighted that while this may be a necessary step for businesses in today’s competitive hiring landscape, global hiring can come with a plethora of complexities – especially for those with no previous experience in global hiring/post Brexit hiring.
Tim Stokes, from Sterling explained: “With skills shortages rife across the UK, it may feel like there is simply no talent out there, and while it’s certainly become a lot more challenging for many organisations to find the right candidates in the UK, there are plenty of qualified individuals around the world. Consequently, those businesses looking to get ahead in what is a very challenging hiring climate may benefit from hiring on a global scale.
“While those businesses that look beyond borders to broaden their pools will certainly have better chances of solving their skills shortages, companies must be aware of global compliance rules when opening up across borders, such as local labour laws, recruitment immigration risks, and cultural confidentiality differences.
“Time is of the essence for many organisations looking to recruit at the moment, however, employers mustn’t simply dive into global hiring as there are a number of compliance-related risks that come with recruiting internationally. It’s important to remember that hiring rules and regulations are country-specific, and while this may seem daunting, those businesses that work with experts and consultants will be the ones to overcome global hiring hurdles, ultimately broadening their talent pools and minimising long-term time-to-hire.”
New Chair of SAAB wants an apprenticeship available for ‘every young person in Scotland’
New Chair of SAAB wants an apprenticeship available for ‘every young person in Scotland’
The employer-led body in charge of apprenticeships in Scotland has appointed a new business leader to Chair its group of industry experts. Peter Farrer, Scottish Water’s Chief Operating Officer takes on the role of Chair of the Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board’s (SAAB) Group Board, to lead the strategic direction of its five groups, which operate as ‘the voice of industry on apprenticeships in Scotland.’
It comes at an important stage in the evolution of the skills landscape, with employers now placed firmly at the centre of the apprenticeship system. SAAB now lead on the standards and frameworks and overall governance of apprenticeships in Scotland, ensuring that they are industry–owned.
The appointment comes following the departure of Alison McGregor, former CEO of HSCB in Scotland, who stood as Chair for period of four years. Peter brings with him over three decades of industry experience and expertise in the field of apprenticeships, having been central to the development of Scottish Water’s people strategy which utilises apprenticeships as a model of developing talent.
Peter Farrer said: “I want there to be an apprenticeship available to every young person who wants to do one in Scotland, and for any employer to be able to offer apprenticeships in their field. This will be at the heart of the Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board’s strategy going forward.
“I am now proud to be in the position where I can help to lead such an exceptional group of people and businesses to ensure apprenticeships get the recognition they deserve.Plans are underway to refresh the SAAB’s strategy for the next two years and identify key areas of work which will help continue to strengthen the employer voice in apprenticeships and ensure effective collaboration of all bodies involved in Scotland’s skills system.”
Mike Cantlay, Chair of Scottish Funding Council, the agency which funds colleges, universities and works with Skills Development Scotland to jointly fund and deliver Foundation and Graduate Apprenticeships in Scotland, said: “Peter is a welcome addition to the already exceptional membership which is the SAAB. This heralds a new phase of collaboration between the Apprenticeship Board and its partners such as Scottish Funding Council, Skills Development Scotland and Scottish Government.”
Frank Mitchell, CEO of Scottish Power and Chair of Skills Development Scotland said: “SAAB has been hugely successful and has created a strong ‘employer-led’ platform for the future growth and development of apprenticeships in Scotland. We shouldn’t underestimate or undersell the distance travelled by the Board so far – with thanks to Alison McGregor as outgoing Chair, for her expert leadership so far. SAAB are one of the few, truly independent, employer-led bodies, offering a genuinely authentic employer voice. I look forward to seeing Peter continue this remarkable work.”
EXTENDED DEADLINE CLOSING TOMORROW!
EXTENDED DEADLINE CLOSING TUESDAY 21ST JUNE at 11.59PM!
The extended deadline for nominations for this year’s Hr NETWORK National Awards 2022 in partnership with Roffey Park Institute is Tuesday 21st June 2022 at 11.59pm. With 18 categories to nominate in, this is your chance to RECOGNISE, ACKNOWLEDGE and REWARD the HR superstars in your organisation.
The list of 18 categories include:
- Health and Wellbeing Award of the Year
- HR Assistant/Officer of the Year
- Employee Engagement Award of the Year
- HR Graduate of the Year
- Organisational Development Award of the Year
- Diversity & Inclusion Award of the Year
- HR Manager/Advisor of the Year
- Best Employer/Workplace of the Year
- HR Business Partner of the Year
- Corporate Responsibility Award of the Year
- HR Project of the Year
- HR Team of the Year
- Learning & Development Award of the Year
- HR Specialist of the Year
- Attraction & Resourcing Award of the Year
- Chief Executive of the Year
- HR Director of the Year
- Outstanding Contribution to Scottish HR (Judges Award)
To view the full criteria for Awards categories, please click the link: https://www.hrnetworkjobs.com/events/awards/
This years Awards Gala Dinner will take place at the Glasgow Hilton on Thursday 10th November 2022. A range of sponsorship and table host options are available.
For further details on nominations, table hosting, sponsoring or any other related matter, please contact the Awards Planning Team on Tel: 0131 625 3267 or email: awards@hrnetworkscotland.co.uk
Cynical employees in the face of change must be managed by effective communication
Cynical employees in the face of change must be managed by effective communication
Providing clear, timely explanations help minimise the damage to employee morale in the wake of adverse changes, new research from Aalto University School of Business and others reveals.
Professor Marjo-Riitta Diehl and colleagues from Vlerick Business School, Católica-Lisbon School of Business and Economics, and University of Waterloo, discovered that workers vary in their level of attachment to the organisation that employs them and this affects how they react to adverse changes. Adverse changes such as layoffs or wage cuts can cause especially those employees who feel strongly aligned with their company’s goals to become disillusioned and cynical.
Unlike workers who are doubtful but remain optimistic, cynical personnel have lost faith in the organisation, making resignations more likely and minimising the commitment to work in those that stay on in their jobs. Attempts at reconciliation between company managers and cynical employees are often difficult, as the workforce will instinctively distrust the intentions of higher-ups.
However, the research shows that explaining the necessity of unpleasant changes to a workforce in general, but especially to the loyal and committed employees before or shortly after action is taken helps reduce the likelihood of widespread cynicism.
“When employees receive a clear explanation for the change, they are more likely to feel valued and perceive lower levels of uncertainty. Managers need to adhere to principals of truth and fair dealing in interactions with their employees. By doing so, they create an atmosphere in which cynicism is unlikely to prosper,” says Diehl.
The implications of this research, published in The Journal of Occupational and Orgnisational Psychology, are particularly relevant in the current climate of “The Great Resignation”.
Compliance to cultural normality: The case for getting diversity and inclusion right
Compliance to cultural normality: The case for getting diversity and inclusion right
If employers were hoping that the issues of diversity and inclusion were just a passing storm to be weathered, they would be very wrong. Societal and legal pressures are coming together as employees demand change. Research into Google’s online search habits shows consistency in growth across diversity and inclusion issues in the workplace over the last three years.
Searches online for ‘gender pronouns in the workplace’ has risen by 500% over the past three years (April 2020 – April 2022). It remains unclear if this is employers finding out what they need to do to be supportive in the workplace or employees trying to find out their rights.
Further data showed a significant increase in searches for ‘unconscious bias at work’ of 58% in the same period. Interestingly, it also revealed a noticeable spike in March 2022, coinciding with International Women’s Day, where this year’s theme surrounded ‘breaking the bias’. March continues to be a prominent month for diversity and inclusion related searches as organisations endeavoured to compile their mandatory Gender Pay Gap reports in line with Government reporting deadlines.
Most alarmingly, the findings revealed that several types of discrimination continued to fuel search results in the same period. It found that ‘bullying, harassment and discrimination at work’ searches grew dramatically by three-fifths (62.5%), ‘disability discrimination at work’ searches increased by half (51.25%), ‘racial discrimination at work’ searches rose by 40.3%, and ‘age discrimination at work’ searches grew by almost a third (30.6%). Definitely not a passing storm.
Interestingly, this same pattern is also reflected when looking at Employee Tribunal Data. Employment law and HR advisory firm WorkNest, revealed that nearly half of the Employment Tribunal Claims they received during Jan 2019 – Dec 2021 included some form of discrimination. Disability was the protected characteristic most relied upon by Claimants during this period.
This same period saw an almost one-fifth growth (17.9%) in disability-related discrimination claims, a 52% surge in sex-related discrimination claims, and over a quarter (27.3%) rise in discrimination claims related to race. Racial discrimination claims also saw a considerable spike during 2020, 42.9% more than in 2019.
Whilst the prevalence of Covid during this reporting period could account for a proportion of claims due to shielding requirements for many employees and their dependants requiring adjustments to their roles – it certainly does not account for it all.
Against this backdrop of growing interest and updates to equality legislation, DeltaNet International, a global compliance and performance eLearning provider, decided to launch a new diversity and inclusion collection of online training solutions. The 15 new courses released aim to help organisations improve their diversity and inclusion awareness among their employees and managers to reduce discrimination in the workplace, both in the UK and globally.
“The data reveals that discriminatory issues continue to rise in the workplace; business leaders and HR teams are responsible for tackling these issues to provide a safe and welcoming working environment for all employees to thrive in,” said: Darren Hockley, Managing Director at DeltaNet International. “We believe that diversity and inclusion must be at the core of an organisation; we want to help employees and employers evolve from a compliance-based model to embracing true cultural change.”
“Creating a diverse and inclusive culture starts with education to change behaviours and reduce discrimination.”