Employers are fretful of falling foul of the law without clear guidance for hiring foreign workers post-Brexit, economists have warned at a home affairs select committee hearing. Dr Heather Rolfe, associate research director for employment and social policy at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, told MPs organisations that were inexperienced in employing workers from outside of the EU were particularly concerned about the changes Brexit could bring to their hiring processes. “Employers are worried about falling foul of... Continue reading

The Government should make it mandatory for large companies and asset owners – such as pension funds – to report their exposure to climate change risks and opportunities by 2022. That is the conclusion of the Environmental Audit Committee in a new report on Greening Finance published on 4 June. "We need to fix the incentives in our financial system that encourage short-term thinking. Long-term sustainability must be factored into financial decision making,” said Mary Creagh MP, Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee. “Climate ch... Continue reading

The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has announced it has committed £500,000 to train 156 construction workers as mental health first aid instructors, improving the mental health and wellbeing of the British construction industry. The funding has been awarded to Building Mental Health – an industry initiative including Lendlease, Mace, Multiplex, Morgan Sindall and Laing O’Rourke via CITB’s Flexible Fund. Building Mental Health will work with Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England and use the funding to deliver 13 bespoke MH... Continue reading

Plans to introduce grandparental leave, which would have extended shared parental leave to grandparents, have been put on hold. The proposed changes, which were planned to be implemented this year, were announced by the Conservative Government back in 2015, and involved extending the current system of shared parental leave – which allows a total of 52 weeks off – to cover grandparents as well as a child's mother and father. Families would also be allowed to split statutory shared parental pay – which is £139.58 a week or 90% of average... Continue reading

Managing Director of International Workplace, David Sharp, is taking on the world’s oldest ultramarathon this weekend, to raise funds for the Worshipful Company of Pattenmakers Charitable Foundation. A Fellow of BIFM and the Chartered Institute of Marketing, David is taking part in the Comrades Marathon, a 56-mile test of endurance through the hills between Pietermartizburg and Durban. Known as the ‘ultimate human race’, this will be the 93rd running of the event, which started in 1921. Yesterday saw him receive a cheque from luxury s... Continue reading