The EZHR Weekly Update 8th February 2023

In this week’s update, we’re talking toilets, discrimination and National Apprenticeship Week.

Earl Shilton Town Council has lost an appeal after an employee raised a complaint regarding ‘inadequate’ toilet facilities. Specifically, they provided female employees with a cubicle within the men’s toilets.

Earl Shilton Town Council operated from a church that other community groups used, such as playgroups.

The playgroup requested council members not to use the toilet while children were using them, this became challenging for the council and its employees. In an attempt to put an alternative in place the council offered women the opportunity to use a cubicle in the male toilets was a sign that could be put on the door when the toilet was being used.

The tribunal found that the council fell down in its requirements to provide basic toilet facilities and there was the risk of women seeing a man using the urinal.

While the council were trying to put an alternative in place, which in their mind they thought was useful. The reality is that due consideration needs to be given to these issues. The ‘We’ll just get on with it…’ attitude does not work for every one and employers need to deeply consider what they’re doing and the impact of those behaviours. The best way is to have a conversation with those impacted and just make sure they are okay with your approach.

This week is National Apprenticeship Week 2023, the annual celebration of employers who are committed to trying to bring in and develop talent in their businesses.

Despite the success of this over 50% of business don’t use their fund mean that over £600 million in apprenticeship levy funding has not been used in the last year, an amount that could have funded more than 60,000 apprenticeships.

Apprentices are a great way of recruiting and developing talent in your business alongside normal recruitment processes.

That said getting this right can sometimes be quite challenging so we’ve created a quick guide on what to look out for and how you start to address bringing an apprentice into your business, you can find it here https://www.ezhr.uk/news/the-ezhr-guide-to-apprenticeships