5 minute read
Chair’s Report
MIKE FORRESTER: CHAIR’S REPORT
Taking up the Chair role on February 1st was a very exciting event in my career to date.
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Having previously spent time on the Chamber Board, I relish the opportunity to be involved again in the organisation that provides so much support for businesses of all sizes across Herefordshire and Worcestershire. One of my personal goals in life is to help businesses and individuals get closer to their full potential and Chamber Membership provides a great channel towards that outcome. I’ve been able to renew old relationships in the Chamber team and meet new faces too. It’s always been a hard working team, who support Members while managing the same internal challenges all businesses face i.e. recruitment, retention, rising costs and growth, whilst being able to provide a sustainable wide range of services throughout the two counties. I’ve enjoyed attending a number of events as part of the Board, including the spring Business Leaders dinner at Crumplebury and the well-attended Chamber Expo at the Three Counties Showground. It was a delight to be able to sell a record number of stands and welcome around 800 visitors on the day - creating a real ‘buzz’ in the rooms. I’m looking forward to visiting the next Expo on October 13th - please contact the Events team if you would like to book a stand. Other events have included a tour of NMiTE, the Food and Drink Conference, attending the ‘Meet the Neighbours’ event, the latest joint area council meeting hosted at Malvern Hills Science Park and a visit to my old company’s new £1 million facility at Orchard Valley Foods in Leominster. Plus a recording with the BBC and discussing the rising impact of food inflation and supply chain challenges, the Economic Conference, hosted by Mazak, and more. Please head over to the events calendar on the Chamber website and book your place at forthcoming events. It’s been a busy start and very encouraging to see the buoyant attendance of Members at these events. We’re seeing a real desire for Members and visitors to meet face-to-face and get back to networking and interacting together. I look forward to working with you all. Please connect and see if I can help. https://www.linkedin.com/in/
mike-forrester/
Until next time, Mike.
Keeping your company on track with the latest employment updates
Whether you work in HR, operations or management, understanding employment law is vital to the success of any business. In the ever-changing employment landscape, keeping on top of the latest updates can be challenging. That’s why we’re inviting you to our popular employment law update on 23 June at Sixways Stadium in Worcester. The day runs from 8.30am to 2.15pm, featuring five 45-minute talks from industry experts about the latest employment and HR topics, along with tea, coffee and a buffet lunch.
The day will start with ‘The changing UK immigration landscape and compliance’ from our immigration specialist, Raj Bhambra. She’ll be exploring the changes to the immigration system that have come into force since Brexit such as the revamped skilled worker route and the newly established Global Business Mobility visa route –– and discuss the positives and negatives of the current system. The changes in Right to Work checks as of April 2022 will also be covered, along with compliance and reporting obligations. These changes mean employers are no longer able to accept physical documents when conducting Right to Work checks on all nationals other than British and Irish nationals, instead having to use the Home Office’s previously optional online checking service. Then follows our ‘Employment and HR update: the essentials’. Harpreet Kaur from our employment and immigration team will cover all the key developments in employment law, including the recent high-profile P&O mass dismissal case. ‘Issues in the modern workplace: the effect of homeworking on businesses and employees’ will be explored by Elaine Fisher, director of Eagle HR, and Katherine Dakers. With Covid-19 changing the hybrid working landscape forever, it’s more important now than ever to understand and act on post-pandemic issues.
From Covid hesitancy around jabs and returning to the office, to flexible and smart working, Elaine and Katherine will be surveying the unexpected consequences of lockdown and how employers are dealing with them. For instance, our Future Understanding Workspaces report showed that employees much preferred a mix of working from both home and the office, rather than just employment law is working from home full-time; how is this now being reflected in day to day working life? Our penultimate talk of the seminar, ‘The menopause – vital to the success of any business. finally!’ comes from Heidi Cooper and Michael Stokes. Following an increase in the menopause being referred to as the cause of discriminatory treatment or dismissal in the last five years, the effects of the condition – including exhaustion, forgetfulness and joint pain - are now being openly discussed and recognised by employers. In an employment appeal tribunal last year, it was concluded that women suffering from menopausal symptoms could be considered disabled. This seminal ruling has led employers to rethink how women suffering with the menopause are treated in the workplace. Heidi and Michael highlight recent data and explore key cases. The final talk, ‘Mental health issues in the workplace’, will be given by our guest speaker, Kevin Gani, director and general manager of SFPD at Renishaw. As we all start to return to the office and begin to socialise in a post-pandemic world, looking after our mental health is as important as ever. Whether through organising wellbeing events, ensuring employees are checking in on each other regularly or arranging team outings, wellbeing is becoming central to how employers recognise their employees – and in turn how employees interact with their employers. Kevin will be discussing health and wellbeing in the workplace and the role of leadership. This will be an informative and thought-provoking day, bringing together employment and HR experts from across our firm to provide you with the most up-to-date employment law information on the matters affecting your business.
To find out more, please contact:
Elaine Fisher Partner (non-solicitor), Senior HR Consultant
T: M: E:
01905 746 446 07807 797 947 efisher@hcrlaw.com
T: M: E:
01905 675 826 07816 591 406 hkaur@hcrlaw.com
