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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.

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So, let’s check out this week’s headlines…

Diversity and inclusion! Could greater attention to your workplace diversity actually boost your chances of getting candidates through the door?

A new YouGov survey found two-thirds of UK workers see diversity and inclusion in the workplace as a big part of their decision when applying for jobs.

Reflecting on your approach to diversity in your business could help your hiring. But how do you put it into practice so that it’s reflected in your hiring strategy? A great starting point could be offering your staff and managers diversity and inclusion training. Or making sure that your business has the correct and up-to-date inclusive policies in place and that you promote them.

Confronting AI anxiety

It’s a commonly held belief that AI has the potential to replace job roles and functions. But before you start yelling “The robots are taking over”—new research reveals AI could actually raise salaries. Especially if employees have the right set of skills and are equipped to keep up with the AI revolution.

Within the realm of HR and employment law, as we at BrightHR well know, AI has been a useful way to save time and stress by automating HR admin.

But as using unverified AI tools can lead to potential privacy and data protection issues for employers, it’s recommended you think about specific AI-related policies to make sure you set clear guidelines for its use in your workplace.

Cancelled annual leave spreading with wildfires

As wildfires continue to spread in Greece, Spain, France and Italy, many employees, who’ll have had annual leave booked for sometime now, face last-minute holiday cancellations.

Employees might choose to cancel their pre-booked annual leave. But how should you respond as an employer?

It’s down to you whether you agree or disagree with a cancellation request. But you should always make sure you give it full consideration and adopt a clear and consistent approach to annual leave.

For specific and timely advice you can lean on, ask BrightLightning: Can employees change their annual leave if their holiday is cancelled because of the fires in Greece?

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