From 6 April 2010, the existing system of sick notes is replaced by a fit-note system under which GPs can suggest adjustments to an employee's role and/or workplace to enable them to return to work. The system was recommended in 2008 by Dame Carol Black, the national director for work and health, in her review of sickness absence.

In this economic climate, it’s vital to ensure that a business is operating as efficiently as possible. Absence due to sickness is extremely costly, and the impact is exacerbated when an employee is absent for longer than they really need to be.

Legal changes  to employment law in force from April 2010 include the replacement of sick notes with the new fit-note system; a new right to make a request in relation to study or training; and a new right for fathers to take up to 26 weeks' additional paternity leave where their partner returns to work early from maternity leave.

The Labour Party has been in power since 1997, and will need to work hard to regain some of the support they have lost since then. The Conservative Party has been steadily clawing its way back up the popularity stakes – perhaps assisted by the recession and increasing support from ‘middle England’. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats could benefit from growing dissatisfaction with the two main political parties, and will be seeking to increase its presence in the House of Commons. In Scotland, the SNP has set a target of 20 seats in Westminster.

The rise of cloud-based computing is widely predicted to have a significant impact on organisations of all sizes in the next few years; it's something that those responsible for people management and HR strategies need to be aware of and plan for.

Cloud-based services are already beginning to have an impact on HR (even if they may not recognise the term). A 2009 survey of large enterprises found that 44% were using cloud services in some part of their HR processes, most commonly in recruitment management.

The term 'cloud-based computing', (sometimes referred to as ‘Software-as-a-Service' or ‘on-demand') refers to the use of computing resources (i.e. software, storage, hardware) that are based out in the internet (‘the cloud') and accessed by users on a subscription or ‘pay-as-you-go' basis. This is a change from the traditional computing model where companies pay big upfront sums to buy all of the hardware, software and networks themselves and then have all the associated costs and hassle of owning, managing and supporting that infrastructure.

activHR Consulting have recently joined the Social Media Revolution by signing up to Facebook and Twitter. In a move designed to ‘connect’ even more so with our readers , we have recently carried out an extensive campaign to encourage our readers to ’follow us’ and contribute on Facebook and Twitter.