The Government has announced minimum wage increases of between 9.7% and 10.9%. The increases will take effect from 1st April 2023. The National Living Wage, paid to those aged 23 and over, will increase from £9.50 an hour to £10.42. This is the largest increase in the National Living Wage since it was introduced in…
Nearly half of UK workers have experienced accentism
A study by the Sutton Trust, which aims to improve social mobility, found that nearly half of UK workers have been singled out or mocked about their accents in work-related social settings and a quarter have been mocked for their accents at work. 19% of employees were concerned that their accent could affect their ability…
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It’s coming home
World Cup 2022 takes place in Qatar from 20th November to 18th December and many of the matches will take place during working hours. What should you make clear to homeworkers who’ll be able to watch games easily? Decide An outright ban may be unrealistic and difficult to enforce but you should adopt a clear…
Second jobs and side hustles
A survey by comparethemarket.com has found that nearly half of all working adults in the UK, around 16.5 million people, are considering taking on some form of paid work in addition to their primary employment. Many employees may not be permitted to do this without their employer’s consent. This could be due to an exclusivity…
To suspend or not to suspend?
In September, ACAS published advice on suspending staff. Although it lacks legal status, those you suspend may refer to it. Your policy may describe suspending as a neutral action but if today you heard that I had been suspended what would you think? ‘That’s just a neutral action by Watershed’ or ‘I wonder what he…
Consult before you decide on a redundancy selection pool of one
In Mogane v Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the EAT found a dismissal unfair when an employer adopted a redundancy selection criterion that inevitably led to a pool of one without consultation before it made that decision. Ms Mogane, a nurse, and her colleague in a similar role, worked on a series of fixed-term…
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Reversing the IR35 pledge
Ignore everything we just said. That was the government’s message as Jeremy Hunt, the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, reversed his predecessor’s pledge. In an emergency statement on 17th October 2022, Mr Hunt announced that the off-payroll rules will not be scrapped after all. See the Government news story here. Unless things change before you…
Change to right-to-work checks
As an employer, you need to check that the people you employ have the right to work in the UK. If you don’t, you could be fined up to £20,000 per employee and your reputation will suffer. During the pandemic, the government introduced digital ways for you to check an employee’s right to work in…
Homeworking: employee who moved north not entitled to London weighting
In McKenzie-Bayliss v The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) an employment tribunal held that a homeworking employee who relocated to North-East England but carried out work for the South-East region was no longer entitled to receive pay at the London rate. Facts After 20 years, Mrs McKenzie-Bayliss was seconded from the London team to CPS Direct….
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Growth plan 2022
On 23rd of September 2022, the Chancellor of the Exchequer delivered his growth plan to Parliament. Here are three key aims: The government intends to repeal reforms to IR35 from 6th of April 2023. After that date, end users will no longer have to carry out employment status determinations if they are engaging someone via…
What can you do about ‘quiet quitting’?
‘The Great Realignment’ is following ‘The Great Resignation’. The concept of ‘working to live’ as opposed to ‘living to work’ has become more widespread as a result of the pandemic. Time spent at home during lockdowns caused many people to stop and consider the impact of their commute, working hours and lack of professional boundaries…
Accommodating childcare during school holidays
The six-week school holidays are here. They will bring childcare difficulties to some employees. They may bring staffing problems to you. What can you do? Here are six ideas. One for each week. If your employee needs to take time off during the school holidays to care for their children, consider: 1 Paid annual leave….
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