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.

Training and development is a top priority for Millennials and Gen Z

According to Cloud Assess, over a quarter of employees aged between 16 to 34 believe training and development is the most important factor when it comes to their engagement as an employee.

Given these generations will make up much of the workforce over the next few years, this should be a key priority for business owners.

BrightHR’s Learning Management System makes training your staff easy AND engaging with courses on a variety of HR and health & safety topics. Learn more here.

The NHS Trust to make allowances for ‘male-menopause’ symptoms

Often referred to as the ‘male menopause’, andropause is a condition that’s associated with the decrease in the male hormone testosterone.

The East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) has been told to make allowances for male staff experiencing symptoms of andropause, which can take place over time as men get older.

Managers at the trust have been told to provide additional uniforms, portable fans, and change shift patterns to assist.

Need an Andropause policy? BrightHR has hundreds of essential policies on BrightBase including one for this very topic, learn more here.

Would your employees give up flexible working for money?

HMRC is launching a pilot where employees can volunteer to give up flexible working, in exchange for a small allowance.

Participants in the pilot would receive £4.67 per week before tax, according to the Public and Commercial Services Union.

As part of the pilot, employees would work fixed hours during six months of the year, including June and December. For the rest of the year, they would work shorter fixed hours.

World Mental Health Day

The start of this week (10th of October) was World Mental Health Day the theme this year being “Mental health is a universal human right”.

1 in 4 people in the UK will experience some kind of mental health problem each year…

That’s why it’s essential that employee mental health should be a focus for employers all year round. And, having a dedicated day each year stands as a good reminder for you to consider how you can increase mental health awareness in your workplace.

Whether it’s appointing a mental health first aider in your workplace or even investing in an employee assistance programme for your staff—it’s important to show your support to your team and support yourself.

Get more in-depth tips on supporting your staff’s mental health plus your FREE wellbeing policy, here.

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