The 18 - 24 May 2020 is Mental Health Awareness Week. This year, faced with the ramifications of a global health crisis, it's more important than ever to look after the mental health of your employees. Inspired by the tremendous acts of kindest we have seen throughout communities across the country, kindness is the chosen focus of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week. A study conducted by the Mental Health Foundation had some interesting findings. Two-thirds of people said that being kind to others has…
If you work in HR, you're probably drowning in Coronavirus queries. So, your new - additional - responsibilities with employment documentation, are the last thing you want to hear about... Whilst the Government recently deferred certain changes to employment legislation, those commonly referred to as the “Good Work Plan” will - thus far - take effect from 6 April. Read on to find out what you need to do to be compliant with the changing legislation. What do I need to do? Many organisations are…
What can you do when your employees can't work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic? Keep reading to find out. Millions of people are transitioning to homeworking and battling with IT systems and collaboration apps. We're also getting used to this new routine of remote working. But for many managers and employees, switching to homeworking is simply not an option. Perhaps you work in the manufacturing, transportation or food sector? Carrying out work to provide the nation with valuable services and resources throughout the COVID-19…
The Department for Work and Pensions confirmed that Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) will be paid to all qualifying employees from day one for Covid-19 / Coronavirus related sickness, including self-isolating. This took effect from 13 March 2020 and the measure will last for at least eight months. The emergency legislation (2020 no 287) was passed via a statutory instrument to amend the Statutory Sick Pay (General) Regulations 1982. This confirms that a person who is self-isolating to prevent infection or contamination with the coronavirus disease,…
Please note: this article was correct at the time of writing, however take a look at our most recent blogs for the most up-to-date articles surrounding this topic. Vast swathes of the working population are now working on laptops from home. In some cases, multiple family members, working for different companies, are sharing the same kitchen table. The current Public Health crisis has resulted in many businesses implementing or reviewing Business Continuity Plans. As part of this, businesses have had to consider a mass move…
Required to submit a gender pay gap report this year? Furloughed some of your employees in 2020/2021? You may like to know how that will work. How does the government furlough scheme affect the gender pay gap reporting process? From 2017 any organisation with 250+ employees have to publish and report figures about their gender pay gap. Of course, due to the Coronavirus outbreak, the Government Equalities Office (GEO) and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) decided to suspend enforcement of the gender pay…
You may think that once your new employee has signed on the dotted line of their employment contract, the recruitment process is over. Unfortunately, you’ve still got lots of work to do to ensure the success of your recruit, even if the job ad stipulated ‘candidate must hit the ground running’. Yes - we’re talking about the employee induction process! We know that many employers invest lots of time and money into ensuring they recruit the most suitable candidate for their company. Yet when it…
Please note, legislation has been updated in regards to holiday calculations since this article was written, effective for holiday years starting on or after 1 April 2024, so some of this information may be out of date. If you’re a Moorepay client, please contact us if you need guidance. Otherwise, please see this article on the changes for more information. The Court of Appeal has said that the way employers are calculating holiday entitlement is potentially wrong. In a long and detailed judgement, the Court of…
It’s December. Emily is engrossed in a WhatsApp group about a Christmas night out with the girls. Mark is frantically ordering Christmas presents for his nieces and nephews. And Ahmed is researching things to do in Prague in preparation for his new year getaway. We all know productivity plummets in December. But is the use of mobile phones at work fuelling this disengagement? When it comes to reviewing the use of personal mobile phones at work there are several factors to consider beyond obvious productivity…
Ahh the work Christmas party! A time for colleagues to celebrate the end of the year and enjoy each other’s company in a relaxed setting. Unfortunately, employers can't just hire a venue, provide a turkey dinner and get a good DJ. There's much more to consider to make sure everyone stays safe and has a good time. Last year, sexual harassment complaints soared as global media stories shone the spotlight on accounts of sexual harassment. Think Harvey Weinstein, and the social media #MeToo movement. What's…
