A special seminar is being staged in Derby to help businesses in
the East Midlands cope with government plans to scrap the default
retirement age.
The change, which comes into effect on 1 October 2011, will mean
that companies will no longer be able to force staff to retire when
they reach the age of 65. This will have a significant impact on
staff turnover and recruitment, not to mention the health and
safety implications of an ageing workforce.
The seminar is taking place on Tuesday 22 March at Derbyshire
County Cricket Ground and is being hosted by HR Exchange, the
city's only dedicated HR networking group.
Previous speakers at HR Exchange include Ruth Badger from BBC
TV's 'The Apprentice' and Kavita Oberoi, star of Channel 4's
'Secret Millionaire', who both shared their HR experiences with
local businesses.
In addition to helping with changes to the default retirement
age, attendees will also receive guidance on the implications of
men potentially being able to take up to six months paternity leave
and the effects of the compulsory pension scheme.
Guest speakers at the event will be Ciara Miller and Sian
Williams from leading Midlands law firm Flint Bishop LLP and
Richard Shanks, managing director of Professional Financial Centre
(East Midlands) Limited. Richard will also be providing advice on
the Compulsory Pension Scheme.
Commenting on the event, Sian Williams, employment solicitor at
Flint Bishop LLP said:
"Preparation is the key to businesses surviving this law change.
The main problem for many companies is ensuring that they deal with
staff of retirement age in a fair and non-discriminatory way.
"It is important for companies to consider the Equality Act 2010
when dealing with staff approaching retirement age."
HR Exchange is an informal networking group that brings together
people who are responsible for HR and provides a platform for them
to discuss topical HR issues. At each event a guest speaker
presents on a relevant HR 'hot topic' and gives an insight into how
they have approached a particular HR situation within their
organisations.
For further information about the event, contact Catherine
Harrison on 01332 226149 or email catherine@hrexchange.co.uk
For more information about Flint Bishop, please visit their
website: www.flintbishop.co.uk