Miranda Zolot, general counsel at Oyster, talks about the benefits and challenges of distributed working and global hiring. Join her as she discusses subjects including: •    EORs and PEOs; •    compliance issues; •    employee/contractor misclassification risks; and •    AI.

Related resources

What is an employer of record?

Hiring across borders: Five compliance challenges and how to solve them

Guide for global employers: Recruitment and selection

Guide for global employers: International assignments

According to research, almost half of the skills used by the workforce today will no longer be relevant in a couple of years. Given this context of a fast-evolving workplace with shifting needs, it's perhaps unsurprising that organisations are struggling to hire people with the right skills. What is to be done? Career mentor Laurie Macpherson joins us to discuss ways for HR and employees to begin to rethink recruitment and reskilling.

Read the transcript here

• Four steps HR can take to help businesses and employees embrace the new "squiggly" careers era
• Whose responsibility is employee development anyway?
• Managing retention: Creating a retention strategy
• Global learning and development 2024: XpertHR survey report

A raft of employment law changes have come into effect over the past few months. In this edition of the podcast, Zeba Sayed and Stephen Simpson discuss some developments that have perhaps received less attention than others: the changes to special redundancy protection for family-related leave that came into force on 6 April 2024.

Read the transcript here

April 2024 employment law changes: Eight-point checklist for HR

Redundancy policy

Redundancy: Letter offering suitable alternative vacancy to pregnant employee

Redundancy during or after maternity leave: Letter offering suitable alternative vacancy to employee

International and domestic politics, issues of gender and sexuality: people disagree about lots of things. Understandably, many organisations worry about the impact of controversial beliefs being expressed in the workplace - perhaps because of the effect on other employees, perhaps just because of the distraction that disputes can cause.

In this edition of the podcast, employment law specialist Darren Newman joins us to discuss how organisations can navigate conflicts of belief in the workplace. Darren sets out the relevant case law and tackles questions including:

• Can employers distinguish between what is said in the workplace and what is said elsewhere, eg on social media?
• Can they put rules in place governing how people talk about controversial issues?
• What can they do to protect themselves and their employees?

Read the transcript here

• Gender reassignment discrimination: Gender fluid and non-binary identities are protected
• Religion or belief discrimination: Gender-critical belief is protected, EAT holds
• Balancing competing rights: A difficult challenge for employers

Running an employment tribunal claim can be complicated and requires careful management. We are joined by part-time employment tribunal judge Tina Elliott, who offers practical tips on how to prepare effectively.

The topics we discuss include:

• case management hearings;
• document disclosure;
• witness statements; and
• video hearings

Read the transcript here

We are joined by Louise Haycock, immigration solicitor and partner at law firm Fragomen, to discuss the latest immigration changes affecting employers and the workforce, and how HR can prepare for them.

Read the transcript here

Record of all workers' right to work in UK form

Employment law guide: Immigration rules and right to work

More XpertHR podcast episodes

The rules around COVID-19 were very clearly drawn in 2020. But what is the state of play now, not just in relation to COVID but to illness in the workplace generally? What should organisations do about employees who are nervous about returning to the workplace? Or about at-risk employees, particularly when infection rates are high? Or about long COVID - is it now treated as a disability? Bar Huberman, strategy and practice head of content at XpertHR, offers guidance.

Read the transcript here

Resources

Disability discrimination: Employee with long COVID was disabled

Hybrid working: Setting up the workplace for effective hybrid working

How to respond where an employee is reluctant to return to the workplace

According to a YouGov survey, 15% of people meet their partners at work. Given how widespread the phenomenon is, to what extent does HR need to take an interest in office romances? Stephen Simpson, principal strategy and practice editor at XpertHR, joins us to discuss the finer points of workplace relationship etiquette and to answer the (somewhat unromantic) question: Should the UK introduce US-style "love contracts"?

Read the transcript here

How to manage personal relationships at work

Personal relationships at work - line manager training

Personal relationships at work policy

Personal relationships at work quiz - line manager training

Rebekah Martin, senior vice president of reward, inclusion and talent acquisition at AstraZeneca, joins us to talk about the changing motivations and requirements of the workforce - connection to purpose, skills-based learning, recognition and more. She discusses her role at AstraZeneca and sets out a series of ways in which organisations can try to ensure that they are employers of choice for Gen Alpha, the next generation to join the workforce.

Managing retention: Employee development 

Six strategies to attract talent and remain competitive in 2024

Rebuilding in 2024: Strategies for reshaping worker expectations

Five HR priorities for 2024