Hindrance from HR

Publishing its first “Burning Issues” barometer on employment issues facing the

’s manufacturers,

, the manufacturers’ organisation has found that dealing with the complexity of HR issues and compliance with new employment legislation is increasing the bureaucratic burden for the

’s manufacturers.

EEF, which provides employment advice to its membership of more than 6,000 manufacturing companies, received nearly 24,000 calls for support in the first six months of 2006. Whilst this is the first nationwide analysis of call data received, evidence suggests that the last year has seen a significant increase in requests for help.

There has been a particular growth in requirements for help in new areas of legislation such as equal opportunities and discrimination.

The top five employment issues from a list of more than 30 from January to June 2006 were: disciplinary issues, redundancy and reorganisation, contracts of employment, absence management, and termination of employment.

These five issues accounted for nearly 60% of all calls. However, the proportion of enquiries regarding discrimination and policies and procedures has increased significantly in recent weeks due to the new age laws that became law on 1st October.