Opinion – Page 13
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Opinion
Sarah Thompson: Employers must prepare for no grace period post GDPR implementation
Everyone knows what is at stake regarding fines relating to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) non-compliance; up to €20 million or 4% of global annual turnover, whichever is greater, but what will really happen on 26 May 2018 if organisations are not compliant?There have been comparisons between the GDPR and ...
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Opinion
Sarah Thompson: The next steps in employers’ GDPR compliance
Last October, McGuireWoods covered some of the keys steps that reward professionals could take to get up to speed with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) coming into force this May. With fines of up to €20 million or 4% of annual worldwide turnover, whichever is greatest, at stake, GDPR ...
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Opinion
David Lorimer: How employers can protect against data breach liability
Last year's case in which Morrisons was found liable for damages arising from the actions of a rogue employee had broad implications for all employers. Andrew Skelton was imprisoned for eight years after deliberately disclosing payroll records relating to almost 100,000 staff members to several newspapers and online in 2014.This ...
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Opinion
Julie Hodgskin: Payroll and the General Data Protection Regulation
Part of the process of preparing for the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will be to perform a payroll information data cleanse. This needs to be planned and methodically carried out by 25 May 2018.The Information Commissioner’s Office has given us a tool to use in the form of ...
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Opinion
Greg Burgess: Back to the drawing board on employment tribunal fees?
The fact July 2017’s decision of the Supreme Court concerning the employment tribunal fees system made it on to the main evening news on all channels, shows just how significant the decision was.The court’s decision effectively said that the fees system was denying lower earners access to justice because the ...
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Opinion
Kate Hurn: Taylor Review advocates enhancing rights for dependent contractors
The government-commissioned review of modern working practices by Matthew Taylor calls for legislative change to help determine employment status more easily and recommends enhancing rights for workers.Taylor acknowledges the confusion created by the current category of workers, made up of bona fide employees and so-called limb (b) workers who are ...
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Opinion
Amanda Steadman: How would the Taylor Review proposals affect employers?
The overriding ambition of the Taylor Review is to make the case for all work being 'good work' and for this to become a new national priority. In a nutshell, 'good work' means that all work in the UK should be fair and decent with realistic scope for development and ...
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Opinion
Lovewell's logic: Building the foundation for a truly modern work environment
Changing workforce demographics and employers’ interest in adapting benefits strategies and working patterns accordingly to meet employees’ expectations and needs in the modern workplace is a topic we often address at Employee Benefits. Yet, despite many organisations’ aims to be seen as an employer of choice in order to recruit ...
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Opinion
Ruth Buchanan: The new General Data Protection Regulation is just around the corner
With under a year to go before the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) takes direct effect on 25 May 2018 in European Union (EU) member states, including the UK, employers should be preparing for its implementation.GDPR introduces a much tougher regime than the existing data protection legislation, with potential fines ...
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Opinion
Rosalind Connor: What the British Airways pensions case means for trustees and employers
The decision in the case of British Airways vs Airways Pension Scheme Trustee was handed down on 19 May 2017. The case, as the judge remarked, has been a lengthy one, and the appeal underway means that the case may well run for many more years. The case is the ...
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Opinion
Crowley Woodford: Take stock of benefits strategies in light of upcoming changes
Employee benefit offerings come in all shapes and sizes. At one end of the spectrum, there are the traditional employee benefits such as contributions to an employee's pension scheme, childcare vouchers, and subsidised gym membership, and at the other end there are wine clubs, unlimited holiday allowances, and free-bacon Thursdays.With ...
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Opinion
Kate Hurn and Penny Hunt: Potential artificial intelligence and automation employment law issues in 2017
In January this year, a Japanese insurance company announced plans to replace 34 employees with robots. Automation is likely to affect labour markets worldwide and the reality is drawing nearer; RBS and NatWest announced in 2016 that they will be using a virtual chatbot to deal with UK customer queries ...
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Opinion
Anna Humphrey and Anna McCaffrey: Worker-status cases reflect growing scrutiny on changing ways of working
In November 2016, four couriers for CitySprint began their case in the Employment Tribunal alleging they should be considered workers and not self-employed contractors.Coming in the wake of October's Uber judgement in which the Employment Tribunal found that Uber drivers were workers, the case represents growing scrutiny on whether the ...
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Opinion
Sean Nesbitt: Uber by numbers – what next for worker status?
The Uber judgment is only the end of the beginning for the gig economy and the debate on worker status. You would need an algorithm to track the implications. Here are some:3-4: Months for an appeal to get to the Employment Appeals Tribunal. A speedy hearing is possible, but up ...
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Opinion
Akshay Choudhry: Uber test case could disrupt UK's burgeoning gig economy
In July, the Central London Employment Tribunal heard evidence concerning the employment status of two Uber drivers in a test case that could have a significant bearing on the rights of the tens of thousands of Uber drivers in the UK, and potentially countless others working in ...
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Opinion
Marc Meryon: On-demand economy raises questions around workplace rights
New working models emerging from the digital, on-demand economy have given rise to a wave of tribunal cases, with individuals looking to establish the extent of their workplace rights.Earlier this year, four cycle couriers, supported by the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain, launched claims in the London Central Employment ...
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Opinion
Raoul Parekh and Anne Croft: What could Brexit mean for share schemes?
Much of the Brexit debate has centred on whether leaving the EU will allow the UK to reduce the burden of business regulation. But what does this mean for employee share schemes?The mainstream press has been full of arguments about what Brexit might mean for employment law, with a contrast ...
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Opinion
Caroline Harwood: An own goal on employee benefit trusts?
The ‘Rangers’ or ‘Big Tax’ case concerns the establishment of an employee benefit trust (EBT) in 2001 by the Murray Group, then owners of Rangers Football Club. Sub-trusts were established for the benefit of players, other employees, and their families. Sub-trust funds were then lent to relevant employees.HM Revenue and ...
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Opinion
Sarah Henchoz: What could the outcome of employee-status cases mean for employers?
Organisations that have a high population of atypical workers are coming under increased scrutiny, with workers challenging their legal status through the courts, as Uber, Yelp and FedEx have all recently experienced. These employees have alleged that, notwithstanding the label they are given, they should be deemed to be employees ...
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Opinion
6: Column - What will employers need to consider in light of the rise in insurance premium tax?
In the Summer Budget 2015, Chancellor George Osborne announced that the standard rate of insurance premium tax (IPT) will increase from 6% to 9.5% from 1 November 2015.IPT is a tax on insurers and is added to general insurance products, such as car, home and travel cover, as well as ...