17/10/2009 by Geoff.

A recent case has come before an Employment Tribunal which shows the need to be wary of giving “off the cuff” remarks. A Senior NHS Manager was passed over for a position, in favour of a colleague 13 years her junior.  She claimed she had been discriminated against on the basis of her age.   The Claimant was the preferred candidate for a role in the NHS.  She had 38 years relevant experience.  She had told her Manager that she was three years from retirement age (60), her Manager allegedly replied “I didn’t realise you were so old”.   The Claimant was awarded £33,500 for injury to feelings; £5,700 aggravated damages as well as interest and a statutory uplift of 25% for failure to follow the old statutory procedures - her total award was £49,162.50. 

The lesson to be learnt in this case is “be wary of what you say……………….”

Written by our HR specialist Simone Greasley

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17/10/2009 by Geoff.

I’ve just returned from a great holiday in New Zealand and whilst there I saw some things that you might find of interest since they’re related to business or will just lighten your day.

Business Opportunities

I saw two of these which to my knowledge have not been exploited in the UK. We are going to evaluate the  ideas so at the moment I can’t tell you more. If we don’t follow these up then we will pass them on. Please contact us to express any interest (enquiries@emseff.co.uk).

Getting your business noticed

It’s always wise to get your business noticed. Whilst in NZ I saw a woollen shop - to get them selves noticed they had the sheep in the field in front of their shop dyed purple - very noticeable! No prizes for the name of the shop!

A bit of humour

Kiwis seem to have a passion for throwing themselves off things and doing things that are good for the adrenaline. Whilst one of our group leaped off the Sky Tower in Auckland and did a bungee jump off the bridge that started it all we settled for a less dramatic jet boat ride. The driver recounted a tale that his passengers irrespective of real age were all really 30 -35, a 93 year old passenger took exception to this telling the driver he felt like a teenager - not working and taking drugs!!! 

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