by Emma | Jan 30, 2023 | Newsletter
HSE Guidance |
| Temperatures in indoor workplaces are covered by the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, which place a legal obligation on employers to provide a “reasonable” temperature in the workplace, but which does not stipulate a legal minimum and maximum working temperature. The Approved Code of Practice contained within the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations stipulates that for indoor working the minimum temperature should be at least 16°c, or 13°c if much of the work involves “rigorous physical effort”. HSE guidance states that the following steps can help keep people as comfortable as possible when working in the cold: - Provide adequate workplace heating, such as portable heaters, to ensure work areas are warm enough when they are occupied
- Design processes that minimise exposure to cold areas and cold products
- Reduce draughts while still keeping adequate ventilation
- Provide insulating floor coverings or special footwear when workers have to stand for long periods on cold floors
- Provide appropriate protective clothing for cold environments
You can also change work systems to limit exposure by introducing systems such as flexible working patterns or job rotation and provide sufficient work breaks to allow workers to get hot drinks or warm up in heated areas. Workplace temperatures should be monitored, and particular regard should be paid to those employees with medical conditions such as Raynaud’s phenomenon which may be triggered by the cold. The contents of the risk assessment, including the control measures, should be shared with employees to ensure they have sufficient information and instruction. The HSE has published additional guidance for those working in very high or low temperatures, for example on heat stress, dehydration or cold stress. Working from home Employers’ health and safety duties towards staff equally apply to staff working from home, either partly, under a hybrid model, or where they are entirely home-based. Employers are required by law to assess risks and do whatever is ‘reasonably practicable’ to safeguard their workers’ health and wellbeing to ensure, so far as possible, a safe working environment including a reasonable temperature in the workplace. Employers aren’t obliged to pay towards heating bills or provide heaters for the employee’s home, but should suggest alternatives for staff who can’t afford to maintain a safe working temperature, such as coming into the office. Those who are in receipt of certain Government benefits may be eligible to apply for the Cold weather payment, government scheme, where the average temperature in their area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees celsius or below over seven consecutive days. Outdoor working For those working outdoors, employers will need to carry out an adequate risk assessment, to identify the necessary control measures. Control measures may include the provision of personal protective equipment, suitable work breaks, mobile warming rooms and training employees to recognise the early symptoms of cold stress, generally cough or body aches. Reducing the risk of slip and trip accidents HSE guidance on reducing the risk of slip and trip accidents, including due to icy conditions, includes: - Applying grit to areas prone to be slippery. Rock salt is used by the Highways Agency and is the most commonly used form of “grit,” with salt found to be less effective unless used in its powdered form.
- Covering walkways, or main walkways, if practicable, or using an insulating material in smaller areas overnight.
- Diverting pedestrians to less slippery walkways
As always, first conduct a risk assessment to see what you need to put in place. |
by Emma | Jan 13, 2023 | Newsletter
2023 sees us celebrate our 10th year in business. I would like to thank you all for your business and support.
We are launching our new logo and branding, with our special 10 year logo, which will be used throughout the year.
We will be offering some special offers to our clients during 2023, so please give your eye out for emails.
As always, any questions please give me a call on 07929506143.
by Emma | Dec 10, 2022 | Newsletter
2023 Increases |
The rates which will apply from 1 April 2023 are as follows: | Rate from April 2023 | Annual increase (£) | Annual increase (per cent) |
|---|
| National Living Wage | £10.42 | 0.92 | 9.7 | | 21-22 Year Old Rate | £10.18 | 1.00 | 10.9 | | 18-20 Year Old Rate | £7.49 | 0.66 | 9.7 | | 16-17 Year Old Rate | £5.28 | 0.47 | 9.7 | | Apprentice Rate | £5.28 | 0.47 | 9.7 | | Accommodation Offset | £9.10 | 0.40 | 4.6 |
|
by Emma | Dec 1, 2022 | Newsletter
December 2022
Exclusivity clauses in employment contracts restrict workers from taking on additional work with other employers. In May 2015, their use was banned in zero hours contracts in Great Britain, which are contracts under which work is not guaranteed to the worker.
This ban on exclusivity clauses will be extended to low-income workers effective in England, Scotland and Wales from 5 December 2022. From this date, contractual exclusivity clauses are unenforceable against workers whose guaranteed net average weekly wages do not exceed the Lower Earnings Limit (which is currently £123 a week).
To calculate this net average, where the contract of employment or other worker’s contract is permanent, the average weekly wages are calculated by dividing by 52 the total remuneration to which the worker is entitled under that contract in respect of a period of 52 weeks. For temporary contracts, the average weekly wages under the regulations are calculated by dividing the total remuneration to which the worker is entitled under their contract by the number of weeks during which their contract is expected to continue.
In the same way, as for the earlier regulations in respect of zero hours contracts, exclusivity terms are defined in the new regulations as any contractual term which prohibits a worker from doing work or performing services under another contract or arrangement, or which prohibits a worker from doing so without their employer’s consent or consent of the business.
This means that any contractual clause that prohibits these workers taking on additional employment will be void and unenforceable.
To avoid a breach of the new regulations and the risk of tribunal claims, employers in Great Britain should ensure that they do not take steps to enforce any exclusivity clauses in existing contracts for low-income workers to whom the regulations apply, such as dismissal or taking disciplinary action for taking on additional employment without authorization, from 5 December 2022 onwards. This is the case regardless of how long they have been employed or engaged by the business.
New contracts issued from 5 December 2022 onwards should avoid the use of exclusivity clauses for low-income workers to which these new regulations apply, as well as zero hour and causal hour workers, as these clauses are void and unenforceable.
For further information please contact me.
by Emma | Nov 11, 2022 | Newsletter
Where an employee has been dismissed for asserting a statutory right, which includes the statutory right to take a reasonable amount of unpaid time off for dependent leave, they do not require the usual 2 years’ minimum employment service to bring a claim for unfair dismissal. A dismissal in that circumstance will be automatically unfair.
The right to take a reasonable amount of time off to deal with an emergency involving a dependent is one that should not be overlooked by employers dealing with absence requests. This right is widely defined in the legislation, as a dependent could mean a spouse, partner, child, grandchild, parent or someone who depends on the employee for care who is not a relative.
The employee in this case had been employed as a machine operator. His partner was pregnant and had some health issues. Following her routine antenatal appointment, she was told to attend an emergency hospital appointment.
This presented a childcare problem for them in terms of taking their child to school and the employee wanted to be able to support his partner at the appointment. He submitted a request to take the day off as holiday, but this request was refused.
The employee sent in further requests for time off, explaining it was because of childcare issues and asked if he could be allowed unpaid time off if not holiday. No response was received and on the morning of the appointment he telephoned his employer to confirm that he would not be able to attend work that day.
When he returned to work the following day, he was called to a disciplinary hearing due to unauthorised absence and insubordination. It was decided that no action would be taken. However, five months later he was called to another disciplinary meeting and dismissed. His manager took the decision to dismiss the employee on the spot as the employee did not yet have 2 years’ service. The reasons cited for his dismissal in his dismissal letter included smoking, returning late from breaks, using a mobile phone and taking drinks onto the factory floor and not following procedures or providing sufficient notice before taking time off. In other words, the statutory right to time off for dependents was part of the reason for the dismissal.
The employee, who had less than two years’ service at the time of his dismissal, claimed that the dismissal was automatically unfair. The employer in this case was a small business. It had never had anyone take dependents’ leave before the employee’s request.
The employment tribunal decided that the employee had been unfairly dismissed on the grounds that the primary reason for his dismissal reason was that he had taken time off work to care for a dependent.
The tribunal found that the employee had complied with the statutory requirements in respect of exercising his right to take time off for this reason in that he had made the request to take leave as soon as possible and informed the employer of where he was when absent.
While the initial disciplinary hearing had not resulted in action being taken, the incident had not been forgotten by his manager and it was expressly referred to in the letter of dismissal.
When giving evidence at the tribunal hearing the employee had admitted smoking at the factory gates from time to time and admitted using his phone on the factory floor, as well as the fact that there was friction between him and his line manager. However, he was adamant that he had not been spoken to in a disciplinary sense about those matters and had not had disciplinary sanctions imposed on him until his letter of dismissal.
Based on the evidence, the tribunal concluded that the other reasons put forward for dismissal had lacked credibility given that other employees had not been dismissed for smoking or mobile phone use on the premises. The employee was awarded just over £8,000 by the tribunal as compensation for the unfair dismissal. This award included a 20% uplift to the award for the employer’s failure to follow a fair procedure by failing to give notice of the dismissal meeting and the failure to hold a fair appeal hearing.
For further information on dealing with domestic/ dependent leave please contact me on 07929506143.
by Emma | Oct 18, 2022 | Newsletter
World Menopause Day – 18th Oct |
| It’s World Menopause Day. The day is to raise awareness, break the stigma and highlight the support options available for improving health and wellbeing. We have sent through a few cases over the last few weeks to highlight, that tribunal cases are becoming more frequent in relation to menopause. What can you do as an employer? Start the conversation
Just like Mental Health, you need to start the conversation and allow employees to come forward. You need to have an open culture where employee’s feel comfortable talking about their symptoms. Ideas: Implement a Menopause Policy Link your Harassment/Bullying Policy to your Menopause Policy Provide risk assessments where required Put up menopause posters in toilets, notice boards, intranet’s etc Send information/ make information available to employees sign posting menopause to advice and help Train someone in-house to be a Menopause ambassador. Employees can speak to this ambassador in confidence Be open to making reasonable adjustments with employees experiencing menopause symptoms Provide an employee assistance programme, where employees can access help If you would like further information or you need assistance putting together any of the idea’s above, please let me know. |
