Have you heard the latest news?

Welcome to HR Heartbeat, where we give you a rundown of the week's top employment law stories. Stay on the pulse of current trends impacting your business, plus get up-to-the-minute commentaries on all things HR and legal.

No degree? No problem

Skills-based recruitment is on the rise according to LinkedIn as 90% of employers no longer require applicants to have a degree.

Three-quarters of recruiting professionals predict skills-based hiring will be a big priority for companies in the next 18 months, especially as this approach could widen talent pools ten-fold!

While there may still be some professions where a degree is required, employers should consider if a skills-based approach could work for them.

More public holidays? Don’t bank on it!

The TUC believes UK employees don’t get enough bank holidays in a year and has called for all workers to get 12 days of public holidays a year—an increase of 4 days.

The government, however, has said the current pattern of public and bank holidays is well established and there are no plans to change it.

Would your HR be prepared if the government suddenly changed its stance?

Stay organised with rapid answers to your staffing questions ahead of all public holidays, including the upcoming August Bank Holiday this Monday (28th August 2023).

Ask BrightLightning:

• Do employees have a legal right to take Bank Holidays off?
• Do employees have to have a day off when an extra Bank Holiday is created?
• Can I make an employee book off a Bank Holiday as annual leave if they want to have the day off?

Counter-offers made in a bid to retain staff

40% of employers surveyed by CIPD have made counter-offers in the past year. Given the recruitment and retention challenges that employers are facing, it’s no surprise this tactic is on the rise — but is it a bit last ditch?

Only 22% of the employers surveyed had a formal counter-offer policy leaving them open to potential pay disparity and equal pay claims. So, before you put that offer on the table, it’s important to get the right counter-offer advice.

And there are lots of other ways to keep your staff engaged before it gets to the counter-offer stage, including paying closer attention to your employee benefits and perks you can provide to your staff.

The highest regular pay increase since 2001

According to the Office for National Statistics, regular pay increased by 7.8% between April and June 2023 — a record pace!

Despite the pay growth, when you factor in inflation the increase is just 0.1% and many employees will continue to be impacted by the cost-of-living crisis.

Need guidance on how you can support staff with rising costs? Ask BrightLightning: How can I help employees affected by the cost-of-living increase?

And that’s a wrap. Tune in next week for more headlines and make sure you stay ahead of major employment law changes!