You offer all your employees the same amount of holiday but one member of staff says this isn’t enough. They’ve asked if they can buy some additional days from you. If you agree, are there any benefits for you in their arrangement? If an employee buys extra holiday, you’ll save gross pay and employers’ NI […]

The UNISON survey was carried out in April and May 2018 and involved 2,940 public service workers, key findings suggested that: 47% the survey respondents thought employers discriminate against employees who are responsible for looking after loved ones 78% believe that staying in a job is harder for carers or parents. 76% of carers and parents have […]

A new right. On 13 September 2018 the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018 (the Act) received Royal Assent. The Act creates an entitlement to paid statutory parental bereavement leave for the first time. It provides a right to two weeks off work for those employees who have lost a child under the age of […]

Nearly two-thirds (61%) of women would take an organisation’s gender pay gap into consideration when applying for jobs, a new survey from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) reveals. The poll, commissioned to understand the impact of the gender pay gap on staff motivation and behaviour, also shows that 58% of women would be less likely to […]

The Business Secretary Greg Clark has announced a series of new measures to back businesses and entrepreneurs, support workers and ensure every part of the country benefits from the government’s modern Industrial Strategy. The new measures include: Proposals to help parents and carers in the workforce While many companies are increasingly embracing flexible working and the […]

At the Conservative Party Conference Philip Hammond announced that large employers will be able to transfer up to 25% of their apprenticeship levy funds to businesses in their supply chain from April next year. The Chancellor is reported to have said: “We have heard the concerns about how the apprenticeship levy is working, so today we’ve set out a […]

An employee has sent any e-mail saying they’ll be a few days late returning to work from annual leave as their flight back to the UK has been cancelled. As they say it’s not their fault, what should you do now? Ask the employee to produce evidence of the cancellation and the rearranged flight, e.g. […]

The Pensions Regulator has published the annual commentary and analysis report for April 2017 – March 2018, which looks at the impact of automatic enrolment and upcoming trends and challenges. The report shows that the vast majority of staff across the UK are now saving for their retirement. Workplace saving is continuing to rise with 84% […]

More than 200,000 workers who were paid less than the minimum wage have been identified following a record government clampdown. The number of workers identified as underpaid was double that in 2016/17 and the highest number since the National Minimum Wage came into force. In every case, the government instructs employers to repay their workers […]

Significant numbers of older employees feel they are being discriminated against at work because of their age, including believing they have been turned down for jobs (9%) and being offered fewer opportunities for training and progression (32%). The Centre for Ageing Better’s report calls for employers to be more age-friendly and inclusive of those over […]