Avoid an HR Hangover This Christmas 2023

He’s Making a List…..He’s Checking it Twice…..but at this year’s Office Christmas party will YOUR staff be naughty or will they be nice?

It might only be the beginning of November, but many employers are already planning this year’s Christmas party and they are no doubt hopeful that this festive season will be an enjoyable time for bosses and employees alike but be warned – without careful planning, employers could easily end up with a costly HR Hangover!

Free flowing alcohol at the annual office Christmas party often acts as a trigger for some less than jolly employee behaviour leaving business owners/managers with a less than festive HR hangover to cope with.

Common issues Employers often have to deal with after the office Christmas party include gross misconduct (usually the result of a festive punch up), claims of bullying, harassment or even discrimination (sex, age, race, religious).

So here are Employment Law Services (ELS)’ “’Top Tips” to help Employers avoid an HR hangover by steering their company sleigh around the traditional Christmas HR landmines:

  1. Ensure all employees are aware of the company’s standard disciplinary and grievance procedures.
  2. If staff are expected to come in the day after the office party, make sure this has been clearly communicated to them beforehand
  3. At the office party, ensure all employees are catered for regardless of their age, sex, sexual orientation, religion or disability.
  4. Lastly, consider providing transportation from the party venue to ensure staff arrive home safely.

If you haven’t done so already, now is the time to review your Company’s existing discipline & grievance policy to make sure it is up to date with current legislation and the ACAS Code of Conduct and if you have any specific queries regarding employment issues Contact Us  and our multi-award winning Employment Law and HR Team will provide you with commercially focused advice and support.

 

 

Free Homeworking Policy for Employers

As we have reported previously, the Coronavirus continues to spread rapidly in the UK with the latest number of confirmed cases in the UK now numbering 321, of which 298 are still active.
As the outbreak continues to spread so too will the implications for Employers so we are offering a FREE Homeworking policy to anyone who wants it.
Simply click the image below to download your FREE Homeowrking Policy now.

Free Homeworking Policy for Employers

For more information on the new Emergency Legislation introduced to allow the payment of statutory sick pay from the very first day an employee is sick instead of four days under the current rules AND how to cope with the various other implications Coronavirus may create for Employers, check out our other articles:

https://employmentlawservices.com/emergency-legislation-on-statutory-sick-pay-announced-by-prime-minister/
https://employmentlawservices.com/coronavirus-employment-law-hr-implications-for-employers/

We also have 16 Essential HR Policies available for download via our website that you may be interested in.

https://employmentlawservices.com/employment-law-advice/sme-employer-toolkit/hr-document-packs/

Additional Advice and Support

If you are an employer who requires assistance with any of the issues raised here, call us now on 0800 612 4772 or Contact us via our website.   

Other Useful Resources:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-information-for-the-public

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/contacts-phe-health-protection-teams

https://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/a-to-z-of-topics/covid-19/

Coronavirus | Employment Law & HR Implications for Employers

When business continuity is put at risk by a crisis and/or people related threats like the seemingly rapid spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the HR issues this creates for Employers can significantly compound matters.

The first priority for Employers is to consider the health and safety of employees.  

During a pandemic or crisis, a business must keep itself and employees informed about related health risks. 

Health and Safety Actions could include:

  • Having a system or means to keep abreast of government advice on any current issue, as it develops. This can be an internal system or one that has been established via a third party such as a law firm or risk management business.
  • Keeping everyone updated on actions being taken to reduce risks of exposure in the workplace.  Employers must ensure that:
  • contact data (email, work telephone, personal telephone and address) held within any such system is reviewed and updated on at least an annual basis to account for the common regular change in personnel and personal data; and
  • there is an emergency communication system in place in the event that normal means of communication cannot be accessed or utilised. An example of this is where email functionality is not available, and a business needs to turn to personal telephone contact details.

Fundamentally, in the event of a pandemic, the Employer must also take steps to ensure that there is good hygiene in the workplace (based on the facts and science of the pandemic itself) and that working practices do not pose undue risks to employees. Actions could include:

  • Reviewing systems of hygiene to ensure that they provide appropriate protection. In the case of influenza pandemic for instance, staff need to be encouraged to regularly wash their hands with soap, to carry and use tissues and sanitising hand gel. Practically, training or communications to all staff about why these practices are required often boosts compliance beyond a simple mandate about doing so.
  • Increasing the cleaning of hard surfaces in the workplace, particularly phones and door handles. 
  • Carrying out a cost/benefit analysis for offering flu injections (or any similar preventative measure depending on the pandemic) to the workforce. Communicating the potential benefits of the preventative measure for the employees, their families but also those who may be unable to have this (for example, those who cannot have it due to allergies) may help to increase the uptake.
  • Carrying out a risk assessment to identify any higher risk groups, such as those who have a high level of contact with each other.

HR Issues for Employers

At the same time the health and safety issues are being addressed, employers also need to be prepared for the possible HR implications that may arise as a result of the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). 

Employee Absence and Sick Pay

The key thing to note is that the employer’s normal sick leave and pay entitlements still apply even if someone has coronavirus.  As always, an Employer’s obligations in respect sick pay depends on why the employee is absent. 

Employee with Coronavirus

If employees are unwell with coronavirus, then your normal sick pay policies and procedures should apply.  Employees who believe they have coronavirus may be instructed by their GP to self-isolate for 14 days and so may not be able to produce a Fit Note in the usual way.  Employers should take this into consideration and consider relaxing their normal sickness policies in these circumstances.

Self-Isolation or Quarantine

The advice from Government at the time of writing this article is that people who have visited the identified “high risk areas” must stay at home and self-quarantine for 14 days.  

There is no legal (statutory) obligation to pay employees who are not sick but cannot work because they have been told by a medical expert to self-isolate, have had to go into quarantine or are abroad in an affected area and are not allowed to travel back to the UK but Acas recommends that it is good practice for employers to treat these scenarios as sick leave and follow their normal sick pay policy, or agree for the time to be taken as holiday.  

Employers who choose not to do this could exacerbate the problem because there’s a risk an employee in this situation could come to work because they need to get paid and this could then spread the virus, if they have it, creating even more problems for Employers. 

Time Off for Dependants

Under current UK Employment Law, employees are already entitled to unpaid time off to look after someone who depends on them in an unexpected event or emergency and this would apply to coronavirus situations where an employee’s dependant is sick or needs to go into isolation or hospital, or if schools are closed and they need to look after their children.

Normally, the amount of time off an employer would consider reasonable in unexpected events or emergencies would be two or three days but the time allowed must be reasonable for the situation which, in the case of coronavirus and self-isolation, may need to be much longer.  If employees need to stay off to look after dependants or ask to stay away from work because they are generally concerned about coronavirus, then they could be offered:

  • home working
  • holiday;
  • unpaid leave; or
  • Flexible working

Employer Imposed Absence

Where an employee is suspended by their employer on health and safety grounds, because of a possible risk of infection, it is likely that they have the right to continue to receive full pay (in the absence of a contractual provision to the contrary). Where an employee is willing and able to perform work in accordance with the contract, there is an implied term that the employer has an obligation to pay wages, unless there is a contractual right not to do so.

If you inform employees that they must stay away from work as a general ‘precaution’ then it is recommended that those employees should be paid their normal salary, but the Government is currently encouraging businesses and schools to remain open and operational so suspension of employees for medical reasons may not be an issue for Employers.

Common-sense and Flexibly

Each case should be assessed on the facts and employers should avoid knee-jerk reactions.  The issues created by an outbreak of coronavirus are not normal and therefore the normal approach to absence don’t apply for coronavirus related absences.  Employers should also exercise caution and think carefully before using coronavirus related absence to trigger warnings under absence management policies.

Advice and Support

If you are an employer who requires assistance with any of the issues raised in this blog call us now on 0800 612 4772 or Contact us via our website.   

Latest update: https://employmentlawservices.com/emergency-legislation-on-statutory-sick-pay-announced-by-prime-minister/

Useful Resources:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-information-for-the-public

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/contacts-phe-health-protection-teams

https://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/a-to-z-of-topics/covid-19/

Valentines Day: 5 potential problems with workplace romances

When a romance has been formed in the workplace, it can be difficult for the employer to put an end to it. The Human Rights Act 1998 states that everyone has the right to respect for their private and family life subject to a few limited exceptions.

We have looked at 5 potential problems that could arise from workplace romances and how to prevent these problems from occurring in the first place.

Policies on workplace romances

Employers should take a proactive approach towards office romances by having a policy that sets out guidelines for workplace dating – before problems occur. These policies should be clearly communicated to all members of staff.

Most employers will be ok with two colleagues having a relationship as long as this does not affect their work responsibilities. However, it is important to note that relationships between two parties where one has managerial authority over the other is likely to be frowned upon.

Conduct in the workplace

This policy should be used to define what conduct will be viewed as appropriate/inappropriate and what will result in disciplinary action.

A ban could be included within this policy on “intimate behaviour” during working hours. For example, kissing, holding hands etc.

One rule for all

As with all workplace policies, the rules should be applied consistently throughout the workforce, including senior members of staff. Rules set out in the policy should be applied to whatever the couples protected characteristics may be under the Equality Act 2010. For example, rules should not be more enforced to a same sex couple than they are to a heterosexual couple. This would be a clear case of sexual orientation discrimination.

When the relationship turns sour

In the event that two colleagues break up, employers may feel it would be appropriate to have a rule within its policy that requires employees in a personal relationship to inform their line manager if the relationship status changes. For example, if the two parties break up.

This would provide employers and managers with a good opportunity to address potential problems early on and remind employees of the behaviour that will be expected of them.

Workplace dating: romantic gesture or sexual harassment?

Employees with romantic feelings towards a colleague may wonder if asking them out would be viewed as sexual harassment?

As with many employment law questions, the answer is “it depends.”

The Employment Tribunal when deciding a sexual harassment complaint will always look at the context of the case.

For example, an employee asks out a colleague – the colleague declines – the employee accepts this rejection and does not push any further. A sexual harassment allegation in this case would probably not stick.

However, an employee could have a valid claim for sexual harassment if the colleague persisted after the employee made their feelings clear.

How can EmployEasily Legal Services help?

If you are an employer who requires assistance with any of the issues raised in this blog contact us today for your free consultation 0370 218 5662.

Performance management guidance for employers

Performance management is the process that employers use to maintain and improve the performance of their workforce so that organisational objectives are met.

Most performance management procedures will involve:

  • Employees being set performance targets
  • Performance meetings between managers and employees to discuss performance
  • Evaluating employees against their performance measures
  • Records of performance being taken

Why is performance management important?

Managing employee performance is critical to an organisation’s success. If the performance is not monitored then there are no standards, if there are no standards, employees will feel less inclined to perform to the best of their ability.

Further, it is an essential element of employment when getting things done. It gives employees and management structure that will help an organisation:

  • Motivate employees
  • Monitor employees and ensure that they are making valuable contributions towards the companies’ goals
  • Recognise and acknowledge the good work of employees
  • Detect and improve poor performance

How to get performance management right

  • Identify clear objectives
  • Think about what suits your organisation best
  • Be transparent about the full process
  • Consistently engage and consult with employees
  • Get senior managers on board

How can EmployEasily Legal Services help?

At Employment Law Services (ELS) we can offer training courses and e-learning on performance management for you and your team. We can also support through any individual issues that you may encounter.

If you are an employer who requires assistance with any of the issues raised in this blog contact us today for your free consultation 0370 218 5662.

All I want for Christmas is…. A stress-free payroll!

Christmas and New Year can be the most expensive time of the year for most people. If you employ people, the festive period can bring a number of problems that you will need to be aware of before you can wind down for you break.

In this blog we will detail some of the most common employer Christmas payroll issues and how to avoid them.

December Pay Date

The December pay date can be awkward, paying your employees a few weeks earlier means a longer month in January.  

Generally, most employees will get paid the last working day of each month, however, if your organisations pay date falls before Christmas, your employees should be paid as normal. Failure to do so exposes your business to potential claims of breach of contract.

At Employment Law Services (ELS), we are often asked at this time of year: “Do we have to bring our employees pay dates forward in December?”

The short answer to this is, no. Employers are not legally obliged to bring their employees pay dates forward for December unless it says so in the contract of employment.

Christmas Bonuses and Gifts

Many employers choose to hand out Christmas bonuses and gifts to their employees to thank them for another successful year in business. On paper, this may look like a straightforward matter, however, for your payroll team it can be a huge challenge.

Employers should set out the difference between cash gifts and physical gifts and then consider whether the employee can sell this gift on for cash or whether the employee in receipt of the gift is a named director of the company and how much money they earn.

This can be a fairly complex matter and therefore, it is important that your payroll team are clear on both definitions.

Employers should note, that they do not have to pay a bonus to employees at all unless it states otherwise in the contract of employment.

Christmas Working Hours

There are no legal requirements around festive working hours and while a lot of employers choose to close the business for the full 2 weeks, others may choose to have their employees work in between. In this event, employers should ensure they have made the appropriate arrangements with pay roll so that these employees are paid the correct salary and on time.   

How can EmployEasily Legal Services help?

If you are an employer who requires assistance with any of the issues raised in this blog contact us today for your free consultation 0370 218 5662. �

An employer’s guide to Christmas employment issues

With Christmas only 4 weeks away, the employment issues surrounding this holiday often create a HR headache for employers. This blog is intended to arm employers with the correct knowledge and guidance to help make the festive season as stress free as possible.

1. Overtime

If an employee has normal working hours, overtime usually means any time you work beyond these hours. Normal working hours will be set out within the employment contract. It is important to note, that despite how busy you are with the working year coming to an end, you can not force employees to work overtime unless the employment contract states otherwise.
The Working Time Regulations sets out that employees do not have to work more than 48 hours per week on average. If an employee wishes to work beyond the 48-hour limit, they must put this in writing. This is otherwise known as the opt-out agreement.

2. Managing client gifts

No matter how well intended a client’s gift may be, the potential exists for impropriety. And, whilst it may be flattering to be in receipt of the gift, employers and employees should remain cautious before accepting a client’s token of appreciation. Accepting gifts of high value, could be viewed as something that has potential to influence the professional relationship.
In addition, if a high-valued gift is viewed as giving someone a financial advantage to prompt that person to carry out their duties or activities improperly, accepting the gift may result in an offence under the Bribery Act 2010.
Therefore, all employees should be reminded of the rules and policies on accepting client gifts. For example, all gifts received should be entered into a register and no gifts of a certain value should be accepted without prior consent from a line manager.

3. Winter sickness bugs

With the cold and flu spreading more easily in the winter months, employees are more likely to catch illnesses and pass them on.  Given the high costs that are associated with short-term sickness, employers should ensure that they have in place an easily implemented sickness absence policy, including who should be the point of contract during the absence, what evidence will be required, sickness pay details and return to work interviews.

4. Adverse weather conditions

As an employer, it pays to be fully prepared for whatever weather the winter throws at you – whether its wind, rain, storms, snow or ice.

So, what issues should you keep in mind?

• You are not legally obliged to pay employees if they do not come into work because of the weather
• You should have a policy that outlines this
• Try to be flexible where possible – can you both come to a short-term arrangement in which the employee can work from home until the weather improves?

5. Dress code and Christmas jumpers

Some employers choose to relax their dress code at Christmas. Allowing employees to dress down and wear Christmas jumpers can help bring some festive cheer into the workplace. However, employers should be cautious about the wording when notifying employees about this, ensure they know Christmas jumpers and casual dress is optional and not compulsory. In addition, employers should be sensitive to employees who do not celebrate Christmas or do not wish to dress any differently at this time of year.

How can Employment Law Services (ELS) help?

If you are an employer who requires assistance with any of the issues raised in this blog contact us today for your free consultation 0370 218 5662.

The law on payslips is set to change by April 2019: Start preparing now!

Providing your employees with payslips is generally a routine process that does not require a lot of thought behind it.

Under UK law, a payslip should be issued to all employees each time they are paid. Employers do not need to issue payslips to non-employees, this includes contractors, freelancers and workers. There are further exceptions made for the police service, merchant sea men and master or crew members working in share fishing.

At present, the law states that an employee’s payslip should be issued on or before pay day and should set out the following:

• Earnings before and after any deductions
• The amount of deductions that may change each time the employee is paid, for example, tax and national insurance

As of April 2019, employers will need to state how many hours all employees and workers are being paid for on the slip. This is because workers who have not been receiving a payslip up until now have been seen to struggle when attempting to calculate what deductions are being taken from their pay. And, if the pay calculated does not support what it states on the payslip, they are able to dispute this more easily in front of an Employment Tribunal.

How can Employment Law Services (ELS) help?

If you are an employer who requires assistance with any of the issues raised in this blog contact us today for your free consultation 0370 218 5662.

2019 Budget: National Living Wage set to increase by almost 5%

The National Living Wage, which is the statutory minimum wage for those aged 25 and over, has to rise to £8.21ph from April 2019 – which means an additional £690 annually for low paid workers.

The Low Pay Commission (LPC), which recommended the increase, have anticipated that the increase will see almost 2.4 million workers throughout the UK better off.

In addition, the Government have accepted all of the LPC’s recommendations for the following NMW rates:

• 21- to 24-year-olds will increase by 4.3% from £7.38 to £7.70 per hour;
• 18- to 20-year-olds will increase by 4.2% from £5.90 to £6.15 per hour;
• 16- to 17-year-olds will increase by 3.6% from £4.20 to £4.35 per hour;
• Apprentice rates will increase by 5.4% from £3.70 to £3.90 per hour; and
• The accommodation offset will increase by 7.9% from £7.00 to £7.55.

“The increase in the national living wage (NLW) to £8.21 in April 2019 will ensure a pay rise for the lowest-paid workers that exceeds both inflation and average earnings.

“Over the past year, the labour market has continued to perform well and the economy, while subdued, has met the criteria of ‘sustained growth’ set out in our remit for the NLW. We therefore recommended an increase in line with a path to 60 per cent of median earnings by 2020.” Said Sanderson, who is the chair of the LPC.

He added further: “We recommended real-terms increases to the national minimum wage (NMW) rates for younger workers and apprentices, as the labour market conditions for these groups remain strong. These rates will continue to rise faster than both inflation and average earnings.

“We opted for smaller increases than we recommended last year because of slightly weaker labour market conditions for young people, combined with insufficient evidence to fully understand the impact of the largest increases in a decade implemented in April of this year. However, next year’s will still be some of the highest increases on record.”

How can Employment Law Services (ELS) Help?
If you are an employer who requires assistance with any of the issues raised in this blog contact us today for your free consultation 0370 218 5662.

HR Health Check

How healthy is your business? To find out, answer these simple questions below.

1. Do all your employees have a written contract of employment? Y/N
2. Are these contracts of employment issued within the first 8 weeks of their employment commencing? Y/N
3. Do you have job descriptions for all roles within the organisation? Y/N
4. Do you check that all employees have the right to work in the UK? Y/N
5. Do you have a staff handbook? Y/N
6. Do you have written disciplinary and grievance procedures? Y/N
7. Do your policies and procedures comply with employment legislation? Y/N
8. Do you have a probationary period for new hires? Y/N
9. Do you know the 5 reasons for a fair dismissal? Y/N
10. Do you have a clear procedure for dealing with absence? Y/N

Answers

If you answered yes to under 5 questions, you are at high risk and should take immediate action.

If you answered yes to under 10 questions, you are at moderate risk, there is room for improvement in this instance.

If you answered yes to 10 and more questions, well done! You are at low risk – your HR essentials seem to be in place.

How can Employment Law Services (ELS) Help?

If you are an employer who requires assistance with any of the issues raised in this blog contact us today for your free consultation 0370 218 5662.