Opinion – Page 7
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OpinionNaomi Brown: Do workplace pension schemes fully cater for 2024 family life?
There is no denying it. It is almost 2024. Families of all shapes and sizes are preparing for a joyful festive season with their loved ones.But as I look at all the wonderful families around me, families whose ideas of what 'family' means left the 1950s behind long ago, part ...
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OpinionMirit Ehrenstein and Louise Mason: Changes to remuneration, pay transparency and diversity metrics in 2023
The end of 2023 saw considerable changes to regulation and guidance around many employment issues, including remuneration, pay transparency and diversity metrics.The bonus cap has been removed. This means that UK banks that had to limit variable remuneration to 200% of fixed pay are now permitted to pay bonuses at ...
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OpinionChris Ronald: How employees want to be supported this Christmas and beyond
It has been a tough year for employees. Just as we got through Covid, we were then faced with another challenge:the cost-of-living crisis. And unfortunately, there is little sign of it easing as we edge closer to 2024. This time of year is already tough, with the expense of Christmas ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Are employees' expectations always realistic?
When it comes to searching for the most desirable employment package, are employees’ expectations always realistic, or are many destined to place themselves on an eternal path searching for something that does not exist?The end of the year can be a time of reflection, as individuals assess what they have ...
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OpinionRichard Knight and Amy Davies: Responses to Mansion House reforms in Autumn Statement
The Autumn Statement from Chancellor Jeremy Hunt included well-trailed measures that show the government has listened to the industry’s responses to the Mansion House reforms. There are a number of details that must be worked through, in particular for the reduction in small defined contribution (DC) pots.Following its call for ...
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OpinionYvonne Gallagher: Supreme Court rules that Deliveroo riders are not workers in collective bargaining case
The Supreme Court has upheld the earlier decision of the High Court and Court of Appeal in rejecting the claim by trade union the Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB), which was seeking to compel Deliveroo to recognise it for the purposes of collective bargaining on behalf of riders working ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Are pots for life the way to boost pensions engagement?
In his Autumn Statement on Wednesday (23 November), Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, announced plans to introduce the concept of employees having a single pension pot for life. Should this come to fruition, the move would mark a significant departure from the traditional model for workplace ...
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OpinionAnna Dabek: Creating a menopause friendly workplace for womens’ wellbeing
More women are citing menopause as a reason for claims of discrimination or unfair dismissal at tribunal. The number of cases which did so increased by 44% in 2021.Menopause is not a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. That said, over the last couple of years, women have brought ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Will we ever successfully close unequal pay gaps?
Next Wednesday, 22 November, is Equal Pay Day in the UK. This is the date when, based on mean average earnings, women effectively stop being paid for the year compared to men. According to analysis by the Fawcett Society, which is behind the day, the UK’s gender ...
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OpinionElla Bond: The effects of a tribunal about dismissal regarding returning to office
In the legal case Follows v Nationwide Building Society, an employee was awarded almost £350,000 in compensation after successfully claiming unfair dismissal and indirect disability discrimination by association. The case serves as a stark reminder for employers to exercise caution when imposing mandates for employees to return to the office, ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Is it too soon to mention *whisper* Christmas?
Now that Halloween and Guy Fawkes celebrations have passed, my thoughts have inevitably turned to Christmas. I have always loved this time of year, but for some reason, this year my festive spirit seems to have arrived much earlier than usual and I am now excitedly planning ...
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OpinionRhiannon Barnsley: Automatic-enrolment act is no cure for the epidemic of under-saving
The Royal Assent of the Pensions (Extension of Automatic-Enrolment) Act marks a significant development in the UK pension landscape. There are notable changes that could shape the retirement savings framework for certain employers and employees, but more needs to be done to fix the consistent under-saving for retirement that is ...
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OpinionAdrian Crawford: Bankers’ bonuses uncapped
The bankers’ bonus cap has been scrapped in the UK from 31 October 2023 as a post-Brexit measure reportedly designed to liberalise City pay and boost the competitiveness of the UK as a financial centre.First introduced by the European Union in 2014 in response to the 2008 financial crisis, the ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Will the removal of the bankers bonus cap drive change in remuneration structures?
Is it better to pay a reasonable basic salary and place a cap on bonus payments, or to pay a lower fixed wage with the scope to earn a much larger bonus payout? This is the question that has arisen this week following the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) announcement that ...
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OpinionColin Godfrey: Supreme Court ruling on unlawful wages deduction from unpaid or underpaid holiday pay
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court handed down its judgment in the important case of Chief Constable of Northern Ireland v Agnew. In a judgment that will be welcomed, the Supreme Court has determined that, in a claim by an employee for an unlawful deduction of wages arising from unpaid ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Supporting domestic abuse survivors
One in five people over the age of 16 have experienced domestic abuse of some kind, according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics in November 2022. This means that in any workplace, or indeed, within the majority of teams, statistically, you may well know someone who is ...
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OpinionJenny Arrowsmith: The growing issue of menopause in the workplace
HM Courts and Tribunal Service’s June 2023 data revealed an increasing number of employment tribunal cases citing menopause as a contributing factor. There has been a steady rise in cases over the past few years. In 2017, there were five cases, increasing to six in 2018 and seven in 2019. ...
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OpinionLovewell's logic: Do employees feel comfortable seeking mental health support?
Tuesday 10 October marked World Mental Health Day, a day aimed at talking about mental health and demonstrating to everyone that mental health matters. This year’s theme for the day was ‘mental health is a universal human right’, which aligns with the messages of many workplace mental health strategies.As ever, ...
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OpinionLaura Tracey and Rubina Kakuji: How to support your employees during Baby Loss Awareness Week
Baby Loss Awareness Week is held every year in the UK from 9 – 15 October and is a time for people to come together to commemorate the lives of babies lost in pregnancy or at or soon after birth.Regardless of the stage of the pregnancy that loss occurs, it ...
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OpinionAudrey Williams: How can EU equal pay regulation benefit UK workers?
The government has confirmed that it will ensure European Union (EU) derived protection under equal pay laws will remain in place for employees and workers. It is important to remember the assurances given previously, that leaving the EU would not have the effect of eroding employment rights.This has come under ...