Jo Faragher

Kent

Business Journalist and Editor at Freelance

Business journalist and editor | Regular contrib to @personneltoday and @peoplemgt | Previous winner/highly commended at Towers Watson HR Journo of the Year

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Articles

Fear of confrontation means disputes escalate - research

3 days ago | personneltoday.com | Jo Faragher

A fear of confrontation is preventing employees from solving work disputes early, according to new research. Employment law company WorkNest found that a fear of conflict escalating is stopping 43% of employers and HR professionals addressing interpersonal issues at work. Almost a quarter (24%) cited a lack of training or skills in conflict management, and a fifth blamed resistance to change.
HR manager with 'messy' work loses discrimination case

3 days ago | personneltoday.com | Jo Faragher

An HR manager who lost a case for discrimination and harassment after being told his work was ‘messy’ has been ordered to pay costs by the employment tribunal. Thomas Shevlin began working for publishing company John Wiley & Sons as a senior HR operations manager in May 2022. He had ADHD and traits of dyslexia, the tribunal heard, but had not disclosed these to his employer. In May 2023, his manager Rebecca Roycroft met with him for his end-of-year review.
Employee ownership rockets in past decade

3 days ago | personneltoday.com | Jo Faragher

Employee ownership has gone up by more than 1,600% since 2014, according to figures from the Employee Ownership Association. There are now around 2,470 businesses, employing 358,000 people, who have signed up to employee ownership trusts. In 2025 so far, 118 businesses transitioned to employee ownership. There were a total of 560 in 2024. This structure means majority ownership of the company is in the hands of staff, and offers tax benefits to the company in the process.
Seven ways to prepare now for the Employment Rights Bill

1 week ago | personneltoday.com | Jo Faragher

The exact schedule for the Employment Rights Bill is still uncertain, but there are a number of practical measures HR teams can take now to get on the front foot. The Employment Rights Bill was due to reach the last of its Committee Stage readings this week, in the hope that it could be passed before Parliament’s summer recess, which begins on 22 July. This is looking less likely, now that a further Committee Stage has been booked in for the end of June.
Date set for X appeal against unfair dismissal ruling

1 week ago | personneltoday.com | Jo Faragher

The Labour Court in Ireland has set a date for an appeal in a high-profile case between a former Twitter (now X) executive and the social media platform. In August 2024, Gary Rooney won more than EU550,000 in compensation for unfair dismissal – a record high awarded by the Irish Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in such a case.
Sleeping security officer wins £20k for unfair dismissal

1 week ago | personneltoday.com | Jo Faragher

A security officer who fell asleep on his shift has been awarded just over £20,000 for unfair dismissal. Mr Okoro worked for Bidvest Noonan as CCTV controller at the Xscape shopping centre in Milton Keynes, where one of his core duties was to monitor the CCTV from a control room. He had been working for Bidvest Noonan for more than 16 years, with an unblemished service record, the tribunal heard.
'Wellbeing is not an ideology'

2 weeks ago | personneltoday.com | Jo Faragher

‘Good work’ and focusing on wellbeing are the levers needed to get people back into work, according to CIPD chief executive Peter Cheese. Speaking at this year’s CIPD Festival of Work in London, Cheese argued that wellbeing “is not an ideology” but is fundamental to good business. UK statistics show that just over a fifth of the UK working age population is currently economically inactive, yet a high proportion of these people would benefit from being in work, he added.
Parental leave system is 'broken', says committee

2 weeks ago | personneltoday.com | Jo Faragher

The current system of parental leave in the UK has ‘fundamental failings’, according to a new report from the Women and Equalities Committee. The committee asked ministers to commit to “meaningful” reform after the government’s promised review of the system, including changes to pay, leave and the way parental policies operate. The WEC claims that parents will be “let down by a review that leads only to tinkering around the edges of the system”.
Employers must offer more flexibility to working carers

2 weeks ago | personneltoday.com | Jo Faragher

Almost half (44%) of unpaid carers who work have found their mental and physical health has got worse since taking on caring responsibilities. According to Carers UK, a third of current and former carers in employment have postponed or cancelled their own appointments, tests, scans or treatments due to the demands of juggling work and caring responsibilities.
Employment Rights Bill: peers propose change to work experience rules

3 weeks ago | personneltoday.com | Jo Faragher

An amendment to the Employment Rights Bill to ensure that work experience placements do not flout minimum wage laws has been put forward. The Bill is currently going through committee stage in the House of Lords, where each clause is debated before a final reading and ultimately Royal Assent.