Bereavement leave What you need to know

Bereavement leave What you need to know by Amber Rolfe Losing someone you love is never easy. That’s why it’s important to ensure you allow yourself an appropriate amount of time off work to grieve, as well as organise any other essential duties you may need to fulfil. But how much time off is permitted, and how do you ask your employer?Here’s everything you need to know about bereavement leave:What is bereavement leave?Bereavement leave (also known as compassionate leave) is an agreed upon time off of work an employee takes following the death of a family member or loved one.The time allows individuals to make funeral arrangements, and complete tasks such as organising the deceased’s possessions and will, as well as pay their respects and begin the grieving process, in the event of the death of a loved one.Am I entitled to bereavement leave? According to the Employment Rights Act 1996, UK employers are obligated to give employees an unpaid “reasonable” number of days off following the death of a family member, or dependent.Who are classed as family members? This is usually defined as a spouse, partner, child, parent, brother, sister, grandparent, aunt/uncle, niece/nephew, or someone the employee cared for.However, the rules for this are far from defined, meaning the death of people outside of your immediate family, such as friends, may be considered as grounds for allowing bereavement leave.How much time off can I take? There is no set amount of time an employer should allow when it comes to bereavement leave, and it’s usually given at their own discretion, depending on the situation.Some may specify a set number of days, whilst others will make their decision on a case-by-case basis. On average, businesses will most commonly permit around 2-5 days.This allows the employee to deal with an unforeseen emergency, along with the arranging and attending of a funeral.Will I get paid? Whilst employers have no legal obligation to pay employees while they are on bereavement leave, some may choose to.To find out if your company offers paid bereavement or compassionate leave, check your employment contract or employee handbook.What if I need more time off? Whether you’re able to extend your bereavement leave past the average amount will once again depend on your employer and the individual situation.If you need longer than is being allowed, always speak to your company’s HR team directly to see what other options are available.Will my bereavement leave run out? Bereavement/compassionate leave is completely separate to other types of leave (e.g. time off sick, annual leave), and doesn’t accumulate or formally ‘run out’.Will I have to provide proof? Some employers may ask an employee for evidence of the reason an employee is taking bereavement leave, although this must be a reasonable request.This could be, for example, an obituary, or a death or funeral notice.Details of whether you’ll need to provide these documents can be found in your employment contra ct.How do I ask for bereavement leave? The process for requesting bereavement leave will vary from company to company, and will usually be outlined in your employee handbook or contract.Usually, it will involve telling your employer as soon as possible. If it’s an emergency, letting them know after you leave work, at your earliest opportunity, is recommended.Final thoughts Finally, it’s important to remember that every situation is different. However, you should never feel pressured to go back to work before you’re ready.If you feel like the bereavement leave you’ve received isn’t enough, talk to your employer. Most are extremely understanding in situations like these, and will be willing to provide you with extra time off if you need it.After all, they have a vested interest in the wellbeing of their employees, and providing the time off is warranted and reasonable, should be able to come to an arrangement that suits everyone involved.Finally, if you’re unhappy with the treatment you’re receiving, or your employer has denied you any bereavement leave, consider raising a grievance with your HR team directly to find out more about your options.    Still searching for your perfect position? View all available jobs nowFind a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordance with our privacy policy and you will receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. Employee rights

4 Things Your Small Business Needs For Consistent Growth

4 Things Your Small Business Needs For Consistent Growth A small business destined for success will always start out with a good idea. It must then transform that idea into a good business plan. This plan now serves as a blueprint for what action to take. After the action yields positive results, a small business will need to focus on its consistent growth. After the business is up and running,   it will need several elements to ensure business continuity. Lets take a closer look at four key elements your business must have in place to ensure consistent growth. While each business is different, some elements you should always have in place when running your small business: a solid marketing strategy. reliable legal services. an engaged team. and positive cash flow. Develop a solid marketing strategy. When your business develops a solid marketing strategy, your sales will increase, you will attract new customers, and your existing customers will buy more. If you are not familiar with how to create an effective marketing plan that includes a situation analysis, sales forecast, and expense budgeting, then one good way to start would to work with small business marketing services who can help you establish your brand, improve customer loyalty, and increase your market share. Without an effective branding strategy, you will not be able to identify whats unique about your products. Consequently, you will not know how to differentiate your product from other products in the marketplace and will not have an edge in a competitive marketplace. Besides getting clear on your business identity and brand, you also need clarity about your customers. You will need to find the right demographics to succeed in your business. Research your demographics by reviewing your current customer base, checking out your competition and analyzing the value your products offer. Your marketing efforts will flounder if you have not chosen the right demographics and psychographics to target. Create a budget for legal services. Its easy enough to underestimate your need for legal services and to fail to budget enough for legal counsel. Although you may have already paid a considerable amount in legal fees to start your business, there will be other legal services that youll need as you grow your business. Since you cant always anticipate what legal services you will need, its a good idea to find a small business lawyer who will help you sort out any unexpected legal issues your business might encounter. Also, reserve some funds in your budget for these services. Build an engaged team. Although its common sense to build an engaged team, finding a small business where everyone collaborates well is as difficult as finding blue diamonds littered on the streets. Good leadership is necessary to create a team that works together toward a shared vision. Unless a leader can figure out how to come up with a compelling vision, build rapport, and incentivize a team, people will not find a meaningful reason to work together. An engaged team offers every member an equal opportunity to participate in the organization and communicate their best ideas. According to Access Perks, half of the American workforce is not engaged when it comes to their jobs. Its an alarming statistics considering that cooperation between employees in a company can make the difference between failure and success. Ensure positive cash flow. A business may appear to be doing well on paper, with higher revenues than costs, but negative cash flow can topple the applecart. Cashflow is the money that flows into your business every month. Positive cash flow is when money is flowing into the business at a faster rate than it is flowing out. Negative cash flow is when money is flowing out of the business at a faster rate than it is flowing in. This can occur if customers have a 30- or 60-day credit or if they dont pay their invoices on time. This, of course, can cause problems with rent, monthly loan payments, invoices from a supplier, and other overheads. Cover Your Basic Needs For Continued Business Growth No doubt, there are many other things that you can think of when it comes to intrinsic business elements, but for your business to grow from strength to strength, you must have a process in place to cover your needs when it comes to marketing, legal services, teamwork, and positive cash flow. If you dont have these four elements in place, your business will not have the stability it needs to grow to the next level.

What Would Tom Brady Say About You - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

What Would Tom Brady Say About You - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Last Sunday, my favorite comment by any of the many sportscasters was this: “Brady was unstoppable when the pressure was strongest.” What if we said that about you? Are you unstoppable when the pressure is the strongest? The strongest stress is when it all comes down to one action you must take in one moment, under whatever conditions are present, in front of whatever crowd has gathered (or not). Brady threw the touchdowns. Butler made the game-stopping interception, with 20 seconds to go. The players on both sides played against the odds, because they were all great players. Sometimes the battle is just you and a deadline. Sometimes it’s you and a blank piece of paper. Sometimes it’s you and people waiting for you to say something profound that will advance their business or solve their problem. Sometimes it’s having the presence of mind to do the deal that can be done, rather than the deal you imagined you would have. Sometimes you are out of money, out of time and out of patience. Your adversary or obstacle appears strong and unmovable. Sometimes the only options you have are the ones you can conjure up on your own. Sometimes the only option is to simply bear the anxiety, and trust your teammates. Any of those moments could be the moment when the pressure is the strongest. I like that kind of stress. Tom Brady does, too. Do you? I call that good stress, versus bad stress. The only difference between good and bad stress is what the stress means for you. Or perhaps better said, what does the stress do FOR you, rather than TO you? Every team has a journey and a lot of people lost faith in us but we held strong, we held together, and its a great feeling. Tom Brady said. I just had a vision that I was going to make a big play and it came true, Malcolm Butler said of his goal-line interception that gave the Patriots its Super Bowl XLIX title. Butler was kicked out of school early in his freshman season. He spent 2010 out of football, working at a Popeyes and taking classes at Alcorn State, per AL.com. If your life has been more like Butler’s than MVP Brady â€" you have Brady’s respect and gratitude. What you may not know is pretty much all of us are rooting for you, to do what you do best under the stress you find yourself in. Do what you do, the way you do, under whatever conditions youre in. Save the day. Win the game. Get that report in on time. Sign the deal. And when you do, imagine the crowd roars for you!

3 Great Global Recruitment Stories to Learn From

3 Great Global Recruitment Stories to Learn From We all know recruitment is a fast-paced industry, and that sometimes means you miss some of the important recruiter news stories from around the world, or you don’t realize how useful they can be for your own development. Here are three recent campaigns and reports that you need to know about. 1. Britain: British Army Recruitment Drive to Increase Diversity The British Army’s new recruitment campaign looks to bust some of the main myths surrounding army life, as many would-be troops assume they cannot be gay, emotional or religious if they want to sign up. CNN reported that this campaign is a shift away from the typical army demographic: white, male, and aged 16-25. Ultimately, the number of ethnic minority soldiers in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is deemed too low, and this could be a good way to change the status quo. The overall number of people in the army also needs a boost, with 4,000 recruits needed to reach the desired goal of 82,000 employees, and there are proposed plans change the army’s slogan, which is currently ‘Be the best’, because of criticism it isn’t inclusive enough. Though there has been a criticism of the campaign for suggesting the army is ‘soft’, there are plenty of takeaways for recruiters here. The advert used stereotype-breaking soldiers to answer questions, explaining how their faith, orientation or personality was respected by the army. Could you actively use current staff to appeal to candidates? Could you feedback candidate concerns to an employer to alter the language of their future vacancies or the information on their website? It’s certainly worth considering if you’re trying to promote a stigmatized or stereotyped employer. 2. China: Alibaba Targets Senior Citizens Online shopping hub Alibaba, based in China, is looking to appeal to an older market by hiring the over-60s for their specialist knowledge. The recruitment drive centers around a new position, ‘Taobao senior user study consultant’, and specifically aims to hire older people who have connections with their peers, such as through community groups or hobbies, as well as an interest in younger generations (perhaps through having their own child). The company is a big deal in China â€" earlier this year, it reported that 30% of all Chinese-based digital jobs are set to be with Alibaba by 2035, fuelled by investing in cloud computing and digital entertainment. Also by 2035, the digital economy is set to make up 48% of the entire Chinese economy. Within a day of these new vacancies being posted online, the company was inundated with CVs, proving that senior citizens are keen to keep working. Like many countries around the world, China is struggling to provide for an aging population, so it’s important to keep older people active and healthy for as long as possible. In your own recruiting life, have you considered hiring older candidates to bring something new to a role? What about mature students looking to move into a different career? Perhaps now is the time to start scanning their CVs… 3. India: AirAsia Hit by Recruitment Scams Whilst AirAsia India is genuinely looking to hire candidates right now, many job hunters have been targeted by fake emails supposedly sent from the company. These emails, signed as ‘AirAsia Airlines Limited’, have involved requests for money from candidates: RS9,600, which the senders claim will be used for vague purposes such as ‘interview processing’ and ‘maintenance’. In reality, you should never be asked for money when job hunting, yet many people have been taken in by these bogus emails, sometimes sent by recruitment companies. AirAsia has clarified it never uses recruitment agencies, conducting all its recruitment in-house. The AirAsia India example is part of a larger problem with recruitment scams in India, as reported by the Guardian at the start of 2018. Tales of mysterious employment offers no confirmed address or phone number are common; stories of payments for training are also on the rise. Candidates are advised to be wary of suspicious URLs in emails, as well as confusing job adverts and suspiciously high-paid jobs. As a recruiter, you should be able to reassure candidates that a job is genuine, and you should watch out for scammers trying to use you as an intermediary. Hopefully, those three stories will inspire you to re-examine your recruitment strategies in 2018 and source the very best candidates.

Careers In Photography That Dont Involve Starting A Business

Careers In Photography That Don't Involve Starting A Business For photographers, there’s always one burning question at the forefront of their minds: how to make money? Most people who want to get into the industry think that they have to set up their own company, do all their own marketing, and generally go through all the hassle of starting up. But it turns out that there are actually many more opportunities in the industry than most people realise.The cool thing about a lot of the photography jobs on offer is that you still get to work independently. Photographers get to be their own boss, for the most part, and get to embark on a bunch of fun and exciting projects. Some jobs require a photography course, or even a degree, but given the availability of training today, most budding photographers won’t find this to be a problem.1. Forensic PhotographerPhoto Credit â€" Pixabay.comIf you’ve always loved investigating things, or like Sherlock Holmes stories, then a career as a forensic photographer might be for you. The purpose of forensic photography is to inspect crime scenes, get up close and personal with the evidence, and look for clues for wrongdoing. It’s all very exciting, and a critical part of the legal process.evalThe job of forensic photographers is to make sure that their images accurately represent the crime scene. The job involves doing things like taking pictures of fingerprints.Most forensic photography jobs require training at a police academy as well as around three years of existing photography experience. It also helps if you have some sort of background in criminology or law enforcement.2. High School Teacher In Photography And Visual ArtsPhoto Credit â€" Pixabay.comWhen it comes to the job market, teachers get a pretty sweet deal. They get way more time off work, thanks to the school calendar. And union membership means that their pay is often bumped up, well above that which they’d be able to earn with a job in the private sector. Because of this, teaching has its benefits. But things get e ven better when you get to introduce the next generation to photography â€" a passion you love.To get a photography teaching role in a school usually requires a college degree, but not always. Many private schools hire on the basis of talent, rather than bureaucratic requirements, meaning that people without a college degree can still find work in these environments. Budding photography teachers can get a feel for what the job is like by shadowing another teacher in the role.3. Portrait PhotographerPhoto Credit â€" Pixabay.comThere’s big demand right now for people to take quality photos of families. People want to be able to look back with a sense of nostalgia on critical times in their family’s past. It’s your job to facilitate those memories â€" but it involves a lot more than just taking the shot.You’ll have to work with families, and screaming children, to get them to pose in the right way. And you’ll have to come up with compositions that reflect the unique nature of each family.Excellent interpersonal skills are required, as well as a strong portfolio of portrait clients if you’re looking for a job with another photography business.