As Police Sergeant Angel explained about his pocket notebook in the 2007 comedy film, Hot Fuzz: “This is the most important piece of equipment you will ever own. This notebook has saved my skin more times than I care to mention.” And when it comes to employment law, we agree. Best practise is any formal meeting with an employee should be recorded in some form and placed on the employee’s personnel file. This includes performance reviews and appraisals. However, because of the litigious nature of…
From 6 April 2019 two major changes to the rules on itemised pay statements take effect. The Employment Rights Act 1996 has been amended meaning that: Firstly, the right to an itemised pay statement has been extended to include workers Secondly, itemised pay statements must include the numbers of hours worked where the employee’s pay varies by reference to time worked Both changes are a direct response to the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices that called for greater clarity over pay for UK employees.…
1st April 2019 marks the beginning of Stress Awareness Month. It aims to increase awareness of the causes and cures of what has been labelled our modern stress epidemic. Stress-related absence has increased for two-fifths of businesses in the past year, according to new research from the CIPD and Simplyhealth. The top causes of stress-related absence were excessive workloads and management style. What is work-related stress? It is generally accepted that going to work is a good thing. However, according to the HSE there are…
The new UK tax year is coming! But why does it run from 6th April - why not January to January? Well, it all started a very long time ago when - in England and Ireland - the New Year started on 25th March. It was known as Lady Day to commemorate the angel Gabriel's happy news to the Virgin Mary, that she would soon give birth to Jesus Christ. Why the shift from 25th March to 6th April? Hundreds of years ago, people were…
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article was written, effective for holiday years starting on or after 1 April 2024, so some of this information may be out of date.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. Calculating holiday entitlement for full time employees is relatively straight-forward. But what about when an employee starts or leaves part way through the holiday year, and what about…
March 8th marks International Women’s Day, and with this year’s theme set to be “#BalanceforBetter” we have taken a look at the Govt figures to understand the Gender Pay ‘balance’ a year on since Gender Pay Gap was first reported. The stats show that smaller employers are doing more to close the gender pay gap than larger companies. The female pound (the amount that women earn compared to men) is worth around 87.6p for women employed by SMEs for every £1 earned by men, compared…
Recently, we have been receiving an increasing number of queries to our advice line on issues relating to holiday entitlement. In order to offer some guidance in this complex area, we’ve compiled a list of the most common questions we receive and, importantly, the answers to them. Q: Is an employee entitled to paid annual leave from their first day of employment? A: Yes, although it is permissible in the first year to use an accrual system where leave is only granted as it is…
You have nurtured and developed a dynamic internal HR function, working in tandem with your organisational strategy. So why on earth would an experienced HRD or their team engage an external solicitor for employment law advice? Why HRD’s may avoid Employment Law Advice from Solicitors With you at the helm of HR, why risk receiving advice that conflicts with your company’s long-term vision? A solicitors’ position is likely to be long winded, very risk averse and filled with complex legal case law and jargon. Yes,…
If you’re a business owner, manager or HR professional you’ll be interested in the recently updated data on the risk you face from health & safety factors. The latest data for 2019 ranks every area of the country for the health & safety risk faced by businesses. Business risk is a different slant on health & safety. But it matters because, in 2016, the Government changed the sentencing guidelines for prosecuting health & safety breaches. As a result, businesses, business owners, directors and employees are…
Today is the third Monday in January which is dubbed "Blue Monday". Allegedly it's the most depressing day of the year. The thinking behind this concept is the festive season is well and truly over and your pre-Christmas pay cheque feels like a lifetime ago. Plus, you're struggling to keep your New Years Resolutions, despite your best intentions. The post-Christmas period can leave employees feeling down, unmotivated and unproductive. Our recent survey conducted in January 2019 found that 35% of employees feel “kind of average”…
