A ruling by the High Court has legitimised an employer's right to force those over 65 to quit work. The law thus enables a British employer to dismiss any staff member on their 65th birthday, without redundancy payments, as long as they stick to the correct procedure- even if employees do not wish to go.

Two age charities Age Concern and Help The Aged have been left feeling 'very disappointed' with the outcome, which they believed to be against EU regulation. However, the case ruled that the Default Retiring Age which was introduced in 2006, does comply with all age discrimination law.

The verdict, whilst not being well received by age groups who have been supporting the case from the outset, has gone down favourably with employers. The result means that all those employees who are currently in the process of taking their employer to court for unfair dismissal will, in all likelihood, fail. The BBC news website has reported that there are currently over 260 cases pending in tribunals.

Although employees over 65 do have the right to request to continue working after their retirement age; an employer can refuse this request without supplying a reason. Employers are also able to refuse to recruit anyone over the age of 65. The BBC suggests that currently 1.4 million people work beyond the state pension age, and that "many more would if their employer permitted it".

Although the outcome has been less than favourable for those over 65, John Wadham, the legal group director for the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said: "The number of older employees is increasing and the law should support those who wish to carry on working and making an economic contribution."

The government will be reviewing the compulsory retirement age in 2010.

To read the full story as reported by the BBC News website, click here.

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There were two job related stories that caught my attention in the news yesterday, and both coincidentally were regarding sick days.

 

The first story was one I heard on my way to work yesterday morning on Radio 1. New research carried out for the government has found that NHS workers average a total of 10.7 sick days a year, compared to an average of 6.4 days per year for workers who aren't employed by the government. The research went on to highlight that amongst the reasons for the increased number of sick days taken by NHS staff were 'stress' and 'aches and pains'. To read the full news story as reported by Radio 1's Newsbeat, you can click here.

 

The story has gathered a lot of attention from employees of the NHS, who I imagine would feel quite perturbed by the broadcasting of this research, which has an air of criticism over the increased number of sick days taken, when compared with non government workers. I can't imagine any of us would like our workplace to broadcast the average sick days taken, as there is never going to be anything positive to be achieved from this knowledge.

Even though the statistics for the NHS were noticeably higher compared to the 6.4 average noted elsewhere, one wonders just how this data is calculated, and secondly- when you look at your own sick days, can you, hand on your heart say you have never taken a sick day that was perhaps slightly unnecessary?

We've all done it at some point or another- had one of those days where you feel slightly under the weather- nothing life threatening, but the idea of putting on your office clothes and heading out the door at 8 is just too much to bear, forcing your slight under the weatheredness to spawn into a full-blown horrendous illness, and this is what you tell your boss when you call in sick.

 

Over the years many people have researched the reasons behind sick days, and surveys have shown that it is not uncommon for the working public to have such sneaky 'sick days' as: hangover induced sick days, sick days for the world cup and other major sporting events or just because you don't quite feel like working. The best example of the UK's lack of enthusiasm for the workplace has to be the phenomenal number of closed offices during February's freak snowstorms. It was reported that over 1/5 of the national workforce had been 'unable to get into work', but how many of these people were merely opportunists rather than with actual logistical difficulties? I would like to take this opportunity to say I personally braved the weather and was one of only a few members of the office that actually did make it in that day. (Although I must also admit that this was only due to a colleague giving me a lift into work; thus I was unable even to try and use the old snow excuse!)

 

The problem is, when this goes too far- if you have to force yourself into work every week, and are wondering if you can 'get away' with another sick day so soon after the last, it is perhaps worth thinking about whether you are in the right job. Which leads me onto the other news story:

The BBC News website reported that a man who claimed assault to avoid going into work has been found to have made the whole thing up, and even inflicted nasty injuries upon himself to back up his tale. This has got to be one of the most elaborate and ridiculous methods of having a day off I have ever heard! Not only did he waste police time, but he actually took to major self harm, just to avoid his hotel cleaning job.

 

So I urge you, before you ask your friend to run you over just so you can have a week off work- ask yourself why you are doing this? Why are you taking unnecessary sick days, and feeling discontent with your job? I'd say it means that it's time for a new one, and that can be as simple as logging on to a jobs website- not attacking yourself with a boulder. So go on, start that job hunt, and find the job you actually want to go into work for.

 

I'd like to encourage you all to let out your guilty confessions in the comment section- have you ever taken a cheeky sick day? if so, what for? We won't tell anyone...

I am always looking for job related blog fodder so I was very happy to discover on the BBC News Website last night the emergence of, what can only be described as, the next contender for the best job in the world...

Wookey Hole in Wells, Somerset is currently advertising a job vacancy. Nothing strange about that you say? Well you’d be wrong, as it is in fact a £50,000 per annum post for a witch to inhabit the Wookey Hole caves to: ‘be a witch and do the things that witches do’.

The advertisement that has appeared on the Wookey Hole Website is comical, intriguing and a downright genius bit of PR that has already made its way across the country’s news sites. The advertisement announces that auditions for the witch role will be held on Tuesday 28^th July, and that candidates should turn up bringing ‘any essential witch accoutrements’ they might need, and are also advised that ‘a limited range of potion ingredients will be available’.

The other requirements outlined for the post are also far from conventional, with the site stating that the candidate ‘must be able to cackle’ and ‘must not be allergic to cats’.

It is yet again another commendable PR effort for a business which perhaps remains relatively unknown outside of the county of Somerset. As with the Hamilton Island, ‘best job in the world’, the advertisement has the ability to drive traffic to their website, drive visitors to the attraction, and inevitably fill the vacancy, with more candidates that you can shake a broom at.

And for all you men out there that might feel slightly perturbed that the advertisement calls for a ‘witch’, be assured that due to sexual discrimination laws, the post must be advertised to both men and women interested in the position. Political correctness gone mad, it may be, but they cannot exclude male applicants for the role; unless, as the website states, documentary evidence can be produced showing that the original witch was female.

So for all of you budding witches out there, dust off your broomsticks, straighten out your pointy hats and head over to Somerset, where you might just be cackling all the way to the bank...

Job Summary

Job Role: Witch

Location: Wookey Hole Caves, Wells, Somerset

Salary: £50k Per Annum (As the website states this should be an ample sum, ‘Enough to buy designer-label rags, frogs from Fortnum and Mason’s and a Le Creuset cooking pot’.)

Requirements:

-Must be able to cackle
-Must be prepared to travel
-Must be able to work weekends and school holidays
-Must be a good communicator
-Must not be allergic to cats

Interview Date: Tuesday 28th July at 11am

Further Information: Please phone Wookey Hole 01749 672243 or email witch@wookey.co.uk