Employment Law

Part Year Workers Explanation Following a recent UK Supreme Court Ruling, employees or workers that only work part of the year may be entitled to the same holiday entitlement as someone who works all year as found in the recent Harpur Trust v Brazel case. The decision is set to have wide reaching implications for businesses and organisations that engage casual workers and part year/term time workers. The calculation of holiday pay can already be challenging for a lot of…

What is the Good Work Charter and what does it do? The Good Work Charter is a voluntary membership and assessment scheme that aims to raise employment standards for all organisations of any size, sector, or geography. The charter provides a framework that is set to support an increasing number of employers to better provide opportunities for employees to grow, develop and thrive in the workplace. It is also being used to increase employment standards across all sectors for the…

All employers have the responsibility to make sure that they are preventing illegal working, this is done through conducting simple right to work checks before someone starts their employment. Failure to conduct these tests can result in a civil penalty of up to £20,000 per illegal worker and these tests must be carried out on ALL employees including British nationals, voluntary, unpaid and paid workers. As a large proportion of workers continue to operate remotely businesses are having to use…

Having time off work is essential for everyone! It is what keeps us happy and healthy. Allowing employees, the necessary time for rest and relaxation keeps them motivated and helps reduce burnout. In the UK, employment law states that all workers are entitled to a minimum of 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave a year this is pro rata for part time staff and all workers should be paid their normal pay during this time.  Entitlement for paid holiday starts to…

The Spring Statement was delivered today by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, which, “delivers the biggest net cut to personal taxes in over a quarter of a century.” Headline announcements include:  Three big predicted figures Sunak also referred to estimates from the Office for Budget Responsibility on inflation, growth and debt repayments.  They say that inflation and higher taxes from April could mean households face the biggest fall in living standards ever.

Within the UK, 7% of the population are carers with 36% of them juggling full time employment alongside caring responsibilities. Balancing work with caring responsibilities can prove extremely challenging; caring duties can be time-consuming and the additional stress can have an adverse effect on the carers’ emotions. The government responded to the Carer’s Leave Consultation (2021) stating that they will introduce a new employment right that provides carers with up to 1 week (5 working days) of unpaid leave per year for…

From the 30th September 2021, the Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme, along with the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (Furlough), will both come to an end. But what does this mean? What happens next? As we climb our way out of the jaws of Coronavirus lockdowns and restrictions and return to a sense of normality, one thing is clear; COVID-19 is here to stay. We must find a way to live alongside it which means we should now familiarise ourselves…

Since the 1 January 2021, the UK has been rapidly adjusting to the changes brought about by a post-Brexit world.  With Covid-19 and the ongoing pandemic still dominating the headlines, you’d be forgiven if you’d missed one or two of the changes. Thankfully, we’re here to get you up to speed, to highlight what’s new, and to help you ensure your business and your clients are compliant with updated regulations. What’s new? One of the big changes is around National Insurance Contribution…

Start 2025 off on the right foot and get your business in order with some essential housekeeping. One important but often overlooked task, is to make sure that the nominated contact information, held by the list of key organisations below, is correct and up to date. It can be very easy to quickly check these online and we would advise that if any changes are made these are updated promptly. List of Key Organisations Payroll & Pensions HR:4UK have already contacted our payroll and pensions clients…

Know Your Responsibilities As A Employer When the UK left the European Union on 31 January 2020, the UK was then no longer a Member State of the European Union and entered a transition period due to end on 31 December 2020.  Although Brexit negotiations appeared to be at an impasse, with an agreement being reached before the 31 December 2020 deadline looking highly unlikely, the Prime Minister remained optimistic that an agreement could still be reached at this late stage. …

The introduction of Jack’s Law this April presents employers with an ideal opportunity to review their workplace bereavement leave policy. What is Bereavement Leave? When an employee’s family member or loved one passes away, the agreed time off granted by an employer is known as bereavement leave. Also known as compassionate leave, bereavement leave can be paid or unpaid at the discretion of the employer. This time off enables employees to not only begin the grieving process but also to complete…

Hiring an apprentice is a brilliant way of growing your team and at the same time giving a young person valuable employment and training. Apprenticeships cover many different employment roles in a diverse range of sectors and offer qualifications from intermediate level right through to higher and degree level. Because of this they are an increasingly popular alternative to university, as they offer bright young people a chance to earn while they learn. Before you recruit an apprentice, it is…

At HR:4UK, we’re always looking at fresh and innovative ways to enhance our HR and employment services, keeping you up to speed with new legislation and making it easier for you to manage your people. The world of employment is constantly evolving, so we like to be several steps ahead, ensuring that you stay on the right side of the law. To meet these aims, we made some notable changes of our own during 2019, launching exciting new services such…

Calculating Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) can be a tedious, time consuming task, but something you must get right. SSP is paid to employees who are too unwell and unable to work for a period of 4 days or more. Most employees – including agency and casual workers in some circumstances are entitled to SSP if they’re away from work sick, so it’s a vital part of payroll. At HR:4UK we have many years’ experience in helping employers calculate SSP, as…