by Emma | Apr 1, 2024 | Newsletter
It’s April Fools day on the 1st of the month so I wanted to talk about “horseplay” at work.
What is Horseplay?
Rough, boisterous and excessive play or pranks that occur at the workplace. Horseplay can be activities such as joking that includes physical contact, playing around, racing, grabbing, foolish vehicle operation and social pressure to participate in unsafe acts.
Employers cannot rule out the possibility that horseplay at work will result in harm being caused and that they can be held liable for the actions of their employees in such circumstances.
It’s important to strike a balance and not to discourage banter that can have a positive impact. Implement a policy, which clearly sets out what is deemed to be acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.
New Legislation
Just another quick reminder about all the employment legislation changes coming into force this month:
- Carer’s Act
- Paternity Leave changes
- Flexible Working changes
- New statutory rates
- Minimum wage increase
It’s alcohol awareness month in April.
- Did you know that between 3-5% of absence is caused by alcohol?
- Did you know that 25% of us have turned up to work hungover ?
- Did you know that 15% of us have turned up to work drunk?
Give me a call to get your Alcohol and Drug policy in place.
by Emma | Mar 1, 2024 | Newsletter
Minimum Wage Increase Reminder
Don’t forget that the national minimum wage increases from 1st April. Please ensure that you have made changes to your payroll and sent any relevant paperwork out to staff.
Statutory Rates Increases
Proposed rates from April 2024 are above, watch this space for confirmed rates. Again please ensure your payroll/ accounts department are aware of these changes and apply.
Mothers Day – 10th March
Parents make up a huge amount of the UK workforce, but parental support from employers is still largely falling short. According to a survey 92% of fathers are employed in the UK against 75% of mothers.
98% of women want to come back to work after maternity leave but only 13% think it’s viable on a full-time basis. Maternity leave also impacts career progression, there was a 32% reduction in managerial roles after women have children and a 44% increase in admin roles, with many women stating that it’s easier to find flexible work at a junior level.
With flexibility legislation changing in April 2024, this may assist women returning from maternity leave.
Do you need a new Flexible Working Policy? give me a call now.
Do you need advice on handling a flexible working request? please contact me to ensure you are dealing with requests in the correct way.
by Emma | Feb 1, 2024 | Newsletter
If you are looking to make redundancies, you need to be aware of the new legislation coming into force on the 6th April 2024. The Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family Leave) Act 2023 expands the current laws protecting pregnant employees or those on, or returning from, maternity/adoption/shared parental leave facing redundancy.
Currently, employees on maternity/adoption/shared parental leave have enhanced protections in redundancy situations, including the right to be offered a suitable alternative vacancy over other employees at risk, if one is available.
The Act expands this protection to include pregnant employees, from the moment they notify their employer of their pregnancy, through to 18 months after childbirth
Another act coming into force on the 6th April 2024 is The Carers’ Leave Act 2023. This Act will grant a new entitlement of one week unpaid leave annually for employees who care for dependants with long term needs. This right to leave will be available to all employees from day one of employment. “Long term needs” is defined as:
- Anyone with a condition that meets the definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010;
- Illness or injury (physical or mental) that requires or is likely to require care for more than three months, or;
- Old age
Changes to Flexible working also come into force on the 6th April 2024. Employees will have the right to request flexible working from day one of employment (rather than after 26 weeks which is the position currently).
Employees will also be able to make two requests in any 12-month period, up from one. Employees will no longer have to explain the effect of the change requested, as they do currently, and employers will have to make a decision on a request within two months (rather than three)
As it’s Valentines Day this month, I thought it would be worth discussing work place romance!
Apparently workplace romance is on the rise and this is no surprise as it’s the main way we meet someone new. How many people have you met through work that has turned into a romantic relationship? I am sure we all have, I certainly have.
As an employer how do you manage this though?
You cannot ban relationships and stick your head in the sand about them. Having a policy in place to deal with relationships is the best way to tackle potential issues, having open communication is key to safeguard your business.
Please contact me if you would like to put a policy in place.
by Emma | Jan 21, 2024 | Newsletter
– Employers will have to keep “adequate” records to demonstrate compliance with their obligations under the WTR in relation to the 48-hour week, 8-hour limit on night work etc. The regulations make it clear that there is no need to record a worker’s daily working hours if the employer is able to demonstrate compliance without doing so.
– The introduction of rolled-up holiday pay.
– Leave for part year and irregular hours workers will, from 1 January 2024, accrue at the rate of 12.07% of hours worked and will be paid at the rate of 12.07% of pay in a pay period.
Where the amount of annual leave that has accrued includes a fraction of an hour, the fraction is to be treated as zero if it’s less than 30 minutes and one hour if it’s 30 minutes or more.
A 52-week reference period is to be used for calculating accrual of annual leave.
– The elements of remuneration that should be included in calculations of a week’s pay for holiday pay purposes will remain the same so employers can continue with their current payroll systems.
– There will be a right to carry over annual leave in situations including sickness, a failure to recognise employment status, failing to afford the right to paid annual leave, and as a result of being unable to exercise the right as a result of statutory leave.
– 31 March 2024 is the backstop for the carry over of leave under the Covid 19 provisions.
and
– Small businesses (with fewer than 50 employees) will be able to inform and consult directly with employees in respect of TUPE, and this flexibility will be extended to all businesses where a small transfer of fewer than 10 employees is proposed.
by Emma | Jan 21, 2024 | Newsletter
You may have caught the news in December about Deliveroo’s trade union decision. If not here’s the update:
The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain’s decision that the reference to the right of “everyone…to form and to join trade unions” is limited to those who have an “employment relationship” with their employer.
Therefore, Deliveroo’s riders were not covered by the right to form and join a trade union because there was no employment relationship between them.
