The right to request flexible working has now extended to all employees - not just those caring for a child or dependant adult. Under the provision of the Children and Families Act 2014 from 30th June 2014 an extension of the right to the existing request flexible working process was introduced. The statutory right to request procedure has now been replaced by an ACAS Code of Practice. These changes are intended to make it easier for employees to apply to change their hours, the days…
Now fathers and partners as well as mothers can take time off with their new baby. Shared Parental Leave is being introduced to enable both parents to be able to take paid time off to look after their child within the 52 weeks following the birth. Due to come into force on 1st December 2014, the new regulations will apply for any baby born on or after 5th April 2015. The regulations also apply to Adoption, so will apply to any child adopted on or…
Employment Tribunals now have the power to order equal pay audits for employers who have lost equal pay claims. Equal pay audits have previously been championed by the Equality and Human Rights Commission as good practice. An Equal Pay audit is a comparison of the pay of different groups of staff who perform “equal” work. It is supposed to help employers identify and limit the risks of potentially being found to have committed sex discrimination in relation to pay. If the EPA finds that there…
The Transfer of Undertakings for the Protection of Employment (TUPE), which became UK law over 30 years ago, is tinkered with nearly every year - and 2014 is no different. There are several major changes this year. The first change is that work that is to be transferred must be; “fundamentally the same” for TUPE to apply. What does; ”fundamentally the same” mean? We have a very good understanding but until case law is to be set by Judges in Upper Courts there is no…
Dark days and dark nights are almost upon us as the clocks go back. So - while we have a little daylight left - you may need to review your Health & Safety at work to prepare for the winter period. Maybe your staff won't be able to get to work, ro maybe, closed schools will mean parents need to remain at home. You may already have experience of staff members being off due to unforeseen circumstances but when it may be a majority of staff what…
The case against the introduction of Employment Tribunal Fees is gaining momentum - with UNISON bringing brand new evidence to the table. The Trade Union’s recent appeal case - heard on 18 September - has been put on hold and a new one with much stronger evidence will be presented at the High Court. UNISON reports that in the Court of Appeal, the Lord Chancellor agreed with UNISON that a new hearing should take place as soon as possible, in light of the new evidence. Ministry of Justice (MoJ)…
This week was National Payroll Week - an ideal opportunity to thank your company's payroll department for their hard work. National Payroll Week ran from 1st to 5th September. Hosted by the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP), National Payroll Week is dedicated to raising awareness of the important part that payroll plays in the UK economy. Created to raise awareness and recognise those professionals in the payroll industry, it also acts as a campaign to teach workers about how there pay and benefits works. Taxable…
Morbid obesity could be considered a disability under EU law, according to the European Court of Justice. The Advocate General (AG), of the ECJ, has stated that, while EU law does not generally prohibit discrimination on the ground of obesity, morbid obesity may come within the meaning of ‘disability’ under EU law. The AG’s opinion in the case of Karsten Kaltoft v Billund is not binding. However, the ECJ is due to rule on the case and if the full court agrees the UK could…
Resent research indicates a relationship between shift work and several medical conditions... Type 2 diabetes Ovarian cancer Cardiovascular diseases Obesity Shift work can also contribute to strain of marital, family, and personal relationships. These may not be the only medical conditions attributed to shift work as research is still continuing. What is shift work? The Working Time Regulations 1998 as amended lay down the legal requirements on how working time is organised Shift work is an employment practice designed to make use of, or provide…
More than four million workers are part of an Auto Enrolment workplace pension scheme, according to recent figures from The Pensions Regulator (TPR). More than 21,000 employers have now told TPR how they have met their duties in their compliance declaration. The figures also showed that 8.6 million employees were now members of qualifying pension schemes. Over 4.44 million workers were not members of qualifying schemes, but many of these will have workplace pensions with previous employers. The Pensions Regulator’s Executive Director of Auto Enrolment, Charles…
