With the clocks changing at the weekend, thoughts drift towards the Christmas season and the busy build up for shoppers and retailers. Originally an American concept to start the shopping season, Black Friday is now very much part of our lives. Falling on 29th November this year, it will be characterised by flash sales with plenty of ‘deals’ to be had.
The online market in particular is strongly associated with Black Friday with the likes of Amazon, Asos and Sports Direct to name a few offering bargains to frenzied shoppers. With high demand, these online retailers work 24/7 to ensure customer orders are fulfilled on time. In recent years some online retailers have made the news for the wrong reasons, mainly around the working conditions in the warehouses that store their goods.
A key consideration for these types of businesses from an HR perspective is around the Working Time Directive which entitles employees (but is not limited) to the following;
- Legally they cannot work more than 48 hours a week on average, normally averaged over 17 weeks.
- 1 rest day in each working week – which could be averaged over 2 weeks, entitling to 2 days off in a fortnight
- 11 hours rest between each working day
- Rest breaks during the working day of at least 20 minutes, if the employee is expected to work more than 6 hours during the day.
Our specialist HR Advisory team is on-hand to advise and guide you through. To discuss your own circumstances, please get in touch with HR Consultant Brian Lenehan E: brianlenehan@bakertillymm.co.uk T: 028 9032 3466.