Rest breaks at work: employers’ guide
The rules on taking breaks at work are covered by the Working Time Regulations 1998 and your employee’s own contract of employment. Whether or not these breaks are paid is entirely your decision as the employer, and should be stated in the employee’s contract. Most employees have a right to a break of twenty minutes […]
Should I Furlough My Employees?
Businesses forced to close to reduce the spread of coronavirus and those that are still operating but seeing no or very little work are now looking to lay offs, asking workers to take unpaid leave or to furlough employees to reduce their outlay on salaries. Can you force employees to take unpaid leave? Despite the […]
Statutory layoff pay: guide for employers
In the current climate, where the coronavirus crisis has forced the closure of many UK businesses, or resulted in a significant downturn in profits, employers may be looking to temporarily suspend workers’ employment. To avoid use of layoffs and redundancies, the Government has introduced the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which reimburses employers employment costs such […]
Home working: employer guidance
Given the current work from home requirements due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the phased return to work post-lockdown, home working is expected to become more widely adopted. For employers, this means giving full consideration as to how home working will work on a longer term basis, and what this means in terms of assessing […]
Bereavement Leave (How Much Time Off Work?)
As an employer it is important that you provide both a compassionate and legally compliant approach to employee absence from work following the death of a loved one so as to minimise the impact on the bereaved individual and your business. Yet the law relating to bereavement leave is by no means clearly defined. What […]
SSP1 Form (Employer Guide)
Understanding how Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) works is an important part of being a responsible employer, especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic. If you want to find out more about SSP and when to use the SSP1 form, the following guide covers the rules on employee entitlement, notice, self-certifying and fit notes, as well as […]
Protected Characteristics in the Workplace
The Equality Act 2010 was introduced as the primary piece of legislation for the enforcement and prevention of discrimination. Its powers extend to the workplace, supporting anti-discrimination in all areas of employment. The Act covers the specific ways in which certain personal characteristics known as protected characteristics are safeguarded, and looking specifically at employment, sets […]
MOTs Extended Due to Coronavirus
MOT expiry dates are being pushed back for some cars, motorcycles, light vans, lorries, buses and trailers in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. MOTs for cars, vans and motorcycles MOTs due on or after 30 March 2020 For cars, vans and motorcycles with MOTs due on or after 30 March 2020, the MOT expiry date […]
Compulsory redundancy: employer guidance
To ensure the survival of your business you may find yourself forced to make financial cuts, including reducing your payroll liabilities. Alternatively, your organisation may have undergone a complete restructure, or you may have invested in new technology, making certain roles obsolete. Whatever the business driver behind redundancy, employers must in all cases follow a […]
Coronavirus: Making Workforce Changes
Employers are having to make difficult workforce decisions in response to the coronavirus outbreak. [toc] While the Government introduces emergency schemes to avert widescale layoffs and redundancies, employers need to be aware of the employment law implications of making changes to a worker’s contract terms. We look at some frequently asked questions from employers relating […]
Family Court Issues Coronavirus Child Arrangements Advice
The Family Court has provided guidance for parents concerned about complying with child arrangement orders (CAOs) during the coronavirus crisis. Alongside the Stay at Home Rules issued on 23 March 2020, the Government provided specific guidance relating to child arrangement orders, stating that “where parents do not live in the same household, children under 18 […]
Coronavirus: Caring For Dependants (Employer Guide)
Update to article following Government guidance on 4th April: Furloughing workers to care for dependants On 4 April, the Government issued specific guidance expanding the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to allow employees to be furloughed to carry out caring responsibilities. The guidance states that workers unable to do their jobs because of caring responsibilities resulting from […]
Coronavirus: Working from Home (Employer Advice)
The UK Government has placed the country on official lockdown from 23 March 2020. Under the new rules, members of the public must not leave their house except to: Travel to and from work if impossible to work from home Shop for essentials, as infrequently as possible Exercise outdoors once per day, alone or with […]
Unpaid leave: HR guide to employees’ rights
Unpaid leave is where an employee takes time off from their job without pay. In some situations, as in the case of time off to care for a dependent in an emergency, you must grant the time off, although you can decide whether it is paid or unpaid. In other situations, such as a request […]
Coronavirus: Government Help For Employers
The UK Government has set out a range of schemes to help employers deal with the coronavirus crisis. This includes a package of measures to support businesses including: Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme The coronavirus job retention scheme aims to help employers who would otherwise have to lay off workers due to the Covid-19 outbreak. HMRC […]
Contracted Hours Not Being Met? (Help!)
The problem of contracted hours not being met is affecting employees across the economy as employers are forced to respond to the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. The following guide provides an overview of the law relating to contracted hours, and what you can do if your employer has failed to pay you for all […]
Should You Offer Voluntary Redundancy?
When an employer considers the possibility of making compulsory redundancies in their workforce, they should always investigate any available alternatives to that course of action first. One of these alternatives is voluntary redundancy which may reduce the number of compulsory redundancies that an employer needs to make. It may even be that sufficient voluntary redundancies […]
Restructuring and redundancy: employer guide
How should an employer proceed if a restructuring process could potentially involve redundancies? A business restructure does not necessarily mean that redundancies are inevitable, for example, where changes are made for operational rather than for financial reasons. But in some cases, the loss of jobs may be unavoidable. In this guide, we look at the […]
Redundancy process: making staff redundant
When making staff redundant, employers should follow a fair legal process that upholds employees’ rights while protecting the organisation from risks such as unfair dismissal claims. Throughout the process, the employer has to show compliance with the law and that they have exhausted all other options before terminating an employee’s contract through redundancy. In outline […]
What are fair reasons for redundancy?
Redundancy is classified as a potentially fair reason for dismissal, provided that it is carried out properly and the employer follows a lawful process. If the redundancy is not genuine, the correct process is not implemented or the reasons for an employee’s redundancy are unfair, the dismissed employee may be able to bring a claim alleging […]