First published on Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Last updated on Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Welcome to HR Heartbeat, where we give you a rundown of the week’s top employment law stories. Stay on the pulse of current trends impacting your business, plus get up-to-the-minute commentaries on all things HR and legal.
Ex-ASDA boss criticised for labelling home working as “not proper work”
Lord Rose recently told BBC Panorama that home working was to blame for the UK economy’s “general decline”, including the driving reason behind reduced productivity and wellbeing.
Lord Rose faced significant challenges related to profitability and declining performance in previous roles at Ocado, Marks & Spencer, and ASDA. And has since come under criticism from many industry experts over his comments. Some, including Professor Nicholas Bloom, a leading economist, have argued in favour of improved staff wellbeing, reduced childcare costs, productivity, and work-life balance—all often associated with home-working.
No matter your stance on the ongoing debate, it’s important to have the right tools to support your chosen working strategy. Use an online document library to save time finding a compliant flexible working policy, or use a tool like Blip for remote clocking in and out from anywhere.
Only a quarter of workers feel equipped for career growth, finds new report
The recently released People at Work 2025 report by ADP, which surveyed almost 38,000 workers, found that only 3.8% of respondents had developed new skills on the job within the past two years.
Workers who agreed that their employer provided the training they needed were three times more likely to describe themselves as highly productive. They were also six times more likely than others to recommend their organisation as a great place to work.
With the 2025 Budget increasing contributions in National Insurance and the National Minimum Wage, employers must prioritise upskilling to retain talent and keep hiring costs down.
Invest in e-learning solutions to help attract and engage staff, motivating your team with certified learning opportunities.
Payroll exec wins £40k in compensation after dismissal over racism claims
An accountant has won £40k after raising concerns about racial discrimination at work. They claimed they were excluded from meetings, blamed for errors that were not their fault, and given extra work after informally complaining about their treatment.
Their employer dismissed their formal grievance and then let them go, citing “lack of due care.” A tribunal ruled the dismissal was retaliatory and “victimising” in nature, although it found no evidence of actual racial discrimination.
Employers—allegations of discrimination are serious and need to be handled carefully. Ignoring or punishing employees for raising concerns can harm your workplace culture and lead to costly outcomes, as seen in this case.
Maintain proper records with secure, online document storage and consult expert advice if you’re ever unsure of what to do next. Or try asking our superfast AI tool, Bright BrAInbox: “How much would I have to pay for a successful unfair dismissal claim?”
And that’s a wrap. Tune in next week for more headlines to make sure you stay ahead of major employment law changes!
