Jeremy Hunt delivered what has been dubbed the ‘back-to-work budget’ on 15 March with multiple measures aimed at getting working aged people who aren’t currently working, back to the workplace. Key points in the spring budget included the expansion of free childcare hours, ‘returnerships’ for over-50s, and more support for people with disabilities or long-term health conditions. In his speech, the chancellor unveiled his plans to grow the UK economy through a strategy that focuses on four pillars, or “four E’s”: Education, Enterprise, Employment and…
This acquisition marks a key milestone in Moorepay’s strategy to offer a fully integrated, modular suite of payroll and HR software, designed to power exceptional employee experiences for SMBs. March 9, 2023 — Moorepay Limited, a member of the Zellis Group and a market-leading payroll and HR software and services provider for SMBs across the UK and Ireland, is announcing today that it has acquired Natural HR who are an all-in-one, feature-rich, cloud-based HR software provider made by HR, for HR. This acquisition combines Moorepay’s strengths in payroll software, managed payroll services, and…
What’s a benefit in kind (BiK)? Think company cars and private health insurance – they’re valuable, non-cash perks employers give to their staff on top of a salary. Other examples of BiKs are non-business travel and entertainment expenses. In short, it’s stuff that benefits an employee personally, but the business pays for. Benefits in kind are also sometimes called ‘fringe benefits’, and ‘employee perks’. Paying income tax on a benefit in kind Most BiKs are taxable (this is to prevent people replacing their salary with…
Divorce is a challenging time, which can have a big impact on a person's mental health. But is it enough for employers to simply acknowledge this, or should they be providing more specific support for those experiencing the strain of divorce? A recent pledge signed by major firms to support employees going through a divorce suggests that the latter may be true. The divorce support pledge The pledge, which was signed by firms such as Barclays, Lloyds, and Vodafone, commits employers to providing additional support…
According to a recent work survey completed by the Charted Institute of Personal Development over 55% of surveyed employees have taken time off work due to either depression, stress, or mental health reasons. This type of absenteeism is costing the UK economy 56 billion pounds each year. A main contributing factor to this level of absence has been employees working in what is described as a toxic work environment. In 2022 this manifested itself in three main ways: Burnt Out What is burn out? Anyone who…
A growing proportion of the UK workforce is over 50 years of age. People are living longer than ever before and with the current economic state, may not be financially able to retire at a time when they originally wanted to. So, how can employers support a generation of older employees and avoid age discrimination at work? Although many companies embrace their older workers and appreciate their experience, a recent Tribunal case – Jones v Tango Networks UK Ltd and P Hesketh – indicates that…
According to the HR Director, 1 in 3 UK workers currently label themselves as 'quiet quitters'. Employee turnover can have a significant impact on a company's productivity and morale. But what about employees who quietly disengage from their work and responsibilities, rather than quitting their job abruptly? This, despite what the name suggests, is known as quiet quitting. It can be just as damaging to a company and is often harder to spot. So, what is quiet quitting? Quiet quitting refers to when employees gradually…
With bosses at McDonald's publicly acknowledging a grave problem with workplace sexual harassment, we consider the steps employers can take to avoid a similar fate. What happened? The fast-food giant has made a legally binding pledge to better protect workers, following an intervention by the regulatory body responsible for enforcing the Equality Act 2010, and a persistent union led campaign. Employers such as Sainsburys and Jaguar Land Rover have followed suit. Employers are legally responsible if a worker is sexually harassed by another worker, where…
HR professionals are well versed in tackling gender stereotyping that places a female applicant at an unfair advantage. But do men who apply for roles in female-dominated occupations also face discrimination because of deep-rooted gender stereotypes? According to a recent study, this could be the case. Background Led by Dr Mladen Adamovic (Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour and HR Management) at King’s College London, her recent study found that male applicants can face discrimination based on gender stereotypes. The study, involving more than 10,000 applications to…
EAT 23 November 2022 How far does an employer need to go to level the playing field for an employee who is disadvantaged? If an employer’s reasonable adjustments don’t fully alleviate a disadvantage, has it failed in its duty under the Equality Act s20? Julian Hilaire worked in the council’s Youth Support department. He suffered from several conditions that amounted to a disability. Specifically he suffered from a form of depression connected to suffering the pain of arthritis and this impacted on his sleep, social…
