As yet another polling day approaches (the general election is being held on Thursday 12th December, in case it’s not in your diary yet), a question we are often asked is: “Do I need to give workers time off to vote?”
There’s no legal requirement to do so. And with polling stations open from 7am to 10pm, most employees should get the opportunity to vote no matter what their working hours. If your Christmas party is already confirmed for this date or if some employees do face an issue, a degree of flexibility during the day will help keep relations positive.
So what else might you need to consider? Some schools are being used as polling stations, and this may mean they are closed to children, presenting a childcare headache for working parents. It is a good idea to find out now who might be affected to remind them and to give them time to make alternative arrangements. Unpaid time off for dependant emergency is not intended to cover events like this.
Political discussion can quickly turn heated. So it’s advisable to discourage or prohibit it in the workplace. Even Google, renowned for an uninhibited workplace culture, has seen the need to clamp down on such “disruptive conversations” this year.
Whilst political beliefs are not expressly protected under the Equality Act 2010, some types of view may be captured by religious and philosophical belief. Cases concerning Scottish Independence and climate change have been found to be covered, whilst vegetarianism, for example, was not.
The upcoming election might get you thinking about the qualities which managers and leaders should have in your own business: integrity, resilience, vision perhaps. When hiring or promoting for leadership positions, one thing you should be wary of is fake news – just as in the real election.
In 2017, a leadership training and research firm conducted a survey of 3,000 employees; over half were concerned that colleagues were getting away with being untruthful about themselves.
So next time you are recruiting, make sure you don’t become a victim of fake news: delve a little deeper into claims being made, follow up on references. And if it is an internal appointment, a culture of regularly reviewing employee performance and carrying out one-to-ones will help you get to the truth and increase your chances of hiring a genuine performer.
For more information on staff absence, conflict, recruitment, appraisals or any ongoing HR issue in your business, please contact Simon Morgan of The HR Dept at simon.morgan@hrdept.co.uk or phone 0345 634 9154.