In the famous words of fictional character Forest Gump, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get”.
2021 has certainly been a box of chocolates for us and our friends, we started the year working from home and in Lockdown and we got excited about eating outdoors (in the cold) when restrictions started to ease in April.
2020 taught us that we needed robust systems but a flexible attitude and this has been a benefit to us this year.
Employment Law is one of the fastest-changing laws in the UK so it is no surprise that there were changes. Some of the changes included:
- The implementation of settled and pre-settled status of EU nationals
- The end of the furlough scheme
- Increases in minimum wage and sick pay
- Compulsory vaccination for workers in the Care sector.
As well as some HR trends such as The Great Resignation and a more common approach to Hybrid and Working From Home.
This year we have seen some highs within Orchard Employment Law. Our wonderful clients have continued to trust in us to support them through the ups and downs of employing people. Of course, we have to mention our delight in successfully winning employment tribunal cases for our clients.
Our team has grown yet again, you may have noticed that our online presence has stepped up since George, our in-house marketeer joined the team.
We saw the return of in-person events and although we remained cautious it was great to see people at The Women In Business Big Show and The Education People Show.
Jemma has been super busy being featured in the media on television and radio shows such as Times Radio, BBC South East, ITV, BBC Radio Kent, KMTV, and Daily Mail. She was also a speaker at many virtual and in-person business events including, Chartered Institute of Management Accounts (CIMA), Omni Pro’s CPD Store, Bristol Live with In-house Recruitment, and Tourism South East’s AGM.
We got behind the bid to make Medway a City of Culture, unfortunately, Medway didn’t win the bid but it was a great opportunity to pour back into our local towns.
We are super pleased to confirm that we remain certified with ISO9001, meaning that we have good quality management systems and standards. The external auditor was impressed with all of the measures we put in place to ensure our clients have the very best and he found that we go over and above what is expected.
Looking back, we can say that we have had a good year despite challenges. We look forward to next year’s box of chocolates and wish you a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year.