Progress HR

24/12/2025

Wishing everyone we’ve worked with this year a very happy and peaceful festive season.

24/11/2025

Good Employment is your right! 
 
We’re proud to be celebrating   2025;a week dedicated to showcasing what good work looks like and why it matters. 
 
The  is shining a light on the upcoming Employment Rights Bill, and we were delighted to be invited to join the panel at the kick-off event this morning alongside representatives from ACAS, the TUC, and CLES to discuss the impact of the ERB on Greater Manchester’s businesses and its employees.

14/05/2025

This was by far the best Masterclass we’ve been to in the last 12 months. 👇

Amazing panel of international lawyers and experts on all things EU Pay Transparency Directive, and we especially enjoyed hearing from Unilever about the project they’ve undertaken to ensure compliance within a global setting.

We made pages and pages of notes….all the nuanced top tips from colleagues in Europe who are getting ahead of the curve but there were a couple of things that stood out for me that domestic U.K. employers can take best-practice action on now:-

🎯 When GDPR legislation came in a few years ago, most employers waited until the final hour to put compliance steps in place and what resulted was a frenzy of tactical actions. Don’t let the Pay Transparency Directive become the new GDPR.

🎯 Even if you’re a domestic U.K. business, ensure your RemCo is planning ahead and sponsoring a 2025 Equal Pay Audit so you’ve got time to put corrective measures in place if needed

🎯 Total Compensation will be looked at so start getting under the skin of the weird and wonderful pay elements that are being processed - even if it’s paid once in a blue moon to a small population

🎯 Collective Bargaining Agreements are an explanation not a justification for pay differentials. You will not be able to hide behind them

🎯 Be mindful that each individual country will implement the directive slightly differently so if you have pockets of people working in the EU, don’t just apply a blanket approach to transparency as you may be in breach of local Competition and/or GPDR laws

🎯 Are your role categorisation and job evaluation methodologies current? Remember that Equal Pay Claims continue to rise and employers are most at risk in the area of Equal Pay for Equal Work. Are you sure that your Ground Handling Agents’ job is of lower value to your HGV Driver?

🎯 HR Teams need to re-think their BAU practices to ensure they’re not inadvertently creating an Equal Pay problem. Demoting someone or red circling as a result of organisational change? Beware!

🎯 And lastly for now, don’t rely on ‘market forces’ to justify a pay gap. There may have been a skills shortage at the point of recruitment, but is that really the case 3,4,5 years later?

Thank you International Employment Lawyer for the invite.

18/03/2025

Excited to be in Parliament this afternoon attending a joint CIPD and The Society of Occupational Medicine event on helping women thrive at work, by making women’s reproductive health a key priority.

Improving employment practices is vital for women and economic growth.

11/12/2024

Thank you to Cathy at Refresh Designs for designing this years’ beautiful Christmas card, and to Art of Brilliance for our custom-branded 2025 Happiness Calendars.

Wishing all our clients, partners and supporters a wonderful festive season ❄️

28/11/2024

Joint consultation meeting on the SSP reforms with members of the Civil Service and CIPD this lunchtime.

To have to make a choice between going to work ill or not being paid is a terrible position to be in and as a contractor, I know more than most what that feels like.

But I wanted the consultation team to really understand that not everyone who incurs 3 waiting days is struggling financially.

I gave lived examples from my logistics days where employees would simply take an unpaid waiting day off ‘sick’ when it was Grand National Weekend, the Cheltenham Gold Cup, or a local football derby. It was so common we’d preemptively bring in extra agency workers, knowing absence would be high at those times. And the employees knew full well that they’d make their money up in overtime later in the month.

I remember the day that by the time I left work at 5pm, we were at 67% absence for some reason or another. Because for those employees a waiting day of not being paid just didn't matter.

Over the years, I’ve sat in pay negotiations and proudly talked about how our employees had premium terms and conditions - far above statutory minimums. But with changes like SSP from day 1 on the horizon, I wonder if this erode the differentiation for premium employers? Will they be expected to offer even more, like CSP from day 1? Suddenly, HR and leadership teams are having to rethink their entire EVP.

I'm on the fence with this one. I've worked on environments where absence is talked about at the highest levels because it's such a cost to the business.

One idea I suggested was taking a more holistic approach to health. I've seen employees turn down health benefits like PHI or cash plans because of the BIK tax implications. Maybe the government could rethink how these are taxed to encourage employees to look after themselves better?

What do you think? Is SSP from day 1 the right move? Or does it need more thought to avoid unintended consequences?

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25/11/2024

Throwback to Costa Rica 2 years ago 🦥🇨🇷

I’m certain the Hotel Manager must have had a very dark sense of humour because this guy definitely didn’t love his job 🤣

The pandemic made me realise that life’s too short not to be doing something you love.

Being self-employed has given me the flexibility, work-life balance, opportunity to grow, and ability to do purposeful work that I’ve craved for years. That level of empowerment is so important for a persons confidence and sense of self-worth.

So as you head to work this Monday morning, how are you feeling? Do you love what you do? If not, maybe it’s time to be the change you want to see in the world.

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30/10/2024

If Carlsberg did University campuses…..

Thrilled to have been invited to speak at Northeastern University London’s Women’s Network today at their amazing campus at St Katherine’s Docks, right next to Tower Bridge.

What a great initiative this is as part of the university’s engagement strategy to invite a series of guest speakers along to talk about the issues that matter most to the fabulous women at Northeastern University.

It was great to have such open and honest dialogue about all things HRT, menopause & mental wellness, and the importance of keeping our bones strong and healthy 💪

30/10/2024

𝗜𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲-𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆?

Today’s budget announcement introduces significant changes for employers, particularly in terms of National Insurance (NI) and payroll costs. Key points to consider include:

𝟭. 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗡𝗜 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲
Employer NI contributions will rise from 13.8% to 15%. This means that employers will incur higher NI costs on each employee’s earnings, directly increasing overall payroll expenses.

𝟮. 𝗟𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗡𝗜 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱
The threshold at which businesses start paying NI on employees’ earnings will drop from £9,100 to £5,000. As a result, companies will pay NI on a larger portion of employees’ salaries, raising payroll costs particularly for lower-paid roles.

𝟯. 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝘂𝗺 𝗪𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝗜 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀
The increase in Minimum Wage, combined with higher NI costs, is expected to have a notable impact on micro businesses, who may feel the strain more acutely than larger organisations.

This budget may make hiring contractors an increasingly attractive option for managing rising employment costs while maintaining operational effectiveness.

Engaging experienced contractors Outside IR35 (off-payroll) could offer a cost-effective solution, as these workers don’t carry the same NI burden and can contribute immediate expertise with minimal onboarding.

The chancellor says businesses will "contribute more" as she raises employer National Insurance to 15%.

07/10/2024

Do you have a Menopause Action Plan in place?

Did you know around two-thirds of UK businesses still don’t have a Menopause Policy? 🤯

Get prepared for the proposed changes by the new government this Menopause Awareness Month.

Whether it’s creating an action plan, developing a tailored policy, CPD-accredited management training, or our award-winning employee workshops, I’m here to help you get prepared.

Drop me a message, and let’s discuss how we can make your workplace menopause-friendly! 🌟

Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace
The Menopause Friendly Accreditation