All Tax and legislation articles – Page 18
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OpinionLucy Lewis: Omission of employment bill from Queen’s Speech is no great surprise
Yesterday’s Queen’s Speech was reportedly the shortest for nearly 10 years. It was, as many commentators have pointed out, a little on the light side, with a number of key policies and priorities not making it in to the final version delivered by HRH the Prince of Wales.The long-anticipated employment ...
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OpinionAmanda Lennon: Could the HRT shortage lead to discrimination claims?
Employers should be flexible and support employees who are affected by menopause and perimenopause symptoms due to the shortage of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) medication, or they could risk facing discrimination claims.A surge in demand for HRT treatment has left pharmaceutical manufacturers struggling to keep up. Many women are finding ...
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OpinionAnita North: Delay to Employment Bill is a blow to thousands of workers
In 2019, the Conservative Party stated in its election manifesto that it would “encourage flexible working and consult on making it the default unless employers had good reasons not to.” This came after public anger in relation to poor working conditions in UK factories and warehouses.These changes were wrapped up ...
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OpinionCharlotte Clewes?Boyne: The consultation on the draft pensions dashboard regulations
The pensions dashboards project, spearheaded by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), is gaining pace, designed to give people more control over their pensions. The cost of building the central infrastructure will be borne by the government, but there will also be a cost to employers. It is worth ...
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OpinionAndrea London: Attitude change needed to address ageism at work
With hybrid working models quickly becoming 'the norm' and the constant requirement instead for online productivity, virtual working and remote meetings or presentations, is our older generation cognisant of technological advances, and are they able to keep up?We seem to be noting an increased polarisation of the labour market in ...
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OpinionSusie Al-Qassab: Employers can take steps to eliminate gender inequality in the workplace
When the UK government commissioned the workplace and gender equality research in order to review whether policies in the workplace were family friendly and in support of the progression of women, it was identified that the main barriers were tensions between working and caring for a family, negativity surrounding and ...
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OpinionLee McIntyre-Hamilton: How the Spring Statement 2022 will affect employers and employees
The Chancellor’s Spring Statement has been met with much criticism since it was delivered on 23 March, not least from employers.Those who were hoping for a delay to the national insurance contributions (NIC) increases will have been disappointed, as the rise of 1.25% from 6 April is going ahead. While ...
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OpinionRebecca Berry and Sarah Taylor: Living with Covid raises questions for employers
The change in emphasis of the Government’s Living with Covid guidance raises many questions for employers; what does the lifting of the legal requirement to self-isolate for those who test positive for Covid-19 mean for employers? How should employers implement the guidance that those who test positive for Covid-19 should ...
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OpinionKatie Ash: Protecting employee mental health is more than just a workplace perk
As such a large part of an employee’s life is spent at work, it’s important that employers play an active role in ensuring that their workers develop and maintain a good quality of life and a healthy relationship with their place of work.This is particularly important post pandemic, when it ...
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OpinionOscar Hodgson: Is unlimited holiday really without limits?
For the Zoom-weary worker emerging from the depths of the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, a holiday sounds like a fantasy. It is no wonder that mention of unlimited holiday captivates the most sceptical workers.Imagine an unlimited number of days off each year, no holiday requests, and the ability to take it ...
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OpinionMartin Williams: Will a return-to-work policy pose risks for employers as Covid rules end?
How are we to frame the lifting of Covid-19 (Coronavirus) restrictions in the workplace? The virus is still with us and people are being admitted to hospital in a way they would not if this were the common cold.All good employers will need to be mindful of the risks involved ...
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OpinionElena Visser: The argument for giving employees growth shares
The benefits of giving employees a stake in the business by way of equity participation are well rehearsed.Often the decision comes down to a choice between allocating shares upfront, effectively making the employee a day-one shareholder, versus granting them a tax-efficient enterprise management incentive (or EMI) share option.Making employees a ...
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AnalysisHow to make the case for electric company car schemes
Need to know: Businesses are under pressure to cut carbon emissions, and employee vehicles are an obvious target. Salary sacrifice schemes mean this can save companies money, and make electric vehicles affordable for staff. Subscription models mean firms are no longer tied into long leases should ...
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OpinionHarriet Calver: Is the four-day week worthwhile for employers?
A four-day work week is not a new phenomenon. Many employees in the UK already have this pattern, typically agreed on a case-by-case basis between employee and employer following a flexible working request. It tends to be accompanied by a corresponding reduction in pay, except in the case of compressed ...
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OpinionAlan Lewis: What a recent court case can teach us about vicarious liability
Whilst employers can draw some comfort in terms of defending vicarious liability claims from the recent Court of Appeal case of Chell v Tarmac Cement and Lime Limited [2022] EWCA Civ 7, they ought not be complacent and there are lessons to be learned.Chell was a fitter employed by a ...
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OpinionBecky Lawton: Will new staff family rights come into force in 2022?
The government has committed to introducing several new family rights following a number of consultations over the last couple of years.The introduction of neonatal leave and pay will create a new statutory entitlement for employees whose babies spend an extended period of time in neonatal care. The intention is to ...
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OpinionRichard Fox and Ozlem Mehmet: Removing vaccination as a condition of employment
Health secretary Sajid Javid has announced that the government will launch a consultation on removing vaccination as a condition of employment in health and all social care settings.The regulations requiring front line health workers to be vaccinated against Covid-19 (Coronavirus) as a condition of employment were due to come into ...
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OpinionLaurie Ollivent: Covid-19 is reshaping gender and diversity reporting
Working parents comprise a key demographic of the workforce. As mid-tenure employees, they are experienced and often have a level of institutional knowledge which can rarely be replaced with a lateral hire.However, reports suggest this demographic is more likely than others to be re-evaluating their roles coming out of the ...
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OpinionTom Moyes: Encouraging conversations with employees around mental health
At any one time, one-sixth of the working age population of Great Britain experiences symptoms associated with mental ill health, and this causes around 40% of all days lost through sickness absence, according to the Mental health and work report published in 2008 by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.So why ...
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OpinionDavid Jepps: How Covid-19 affects statutory sick pay
At the start of the pandemic, statutory sick pay (SSP) rules were changed to include Covid-19 (Coronavirus) scenarios because self-isolation or having tested positive with no symptoms were not covered by the SSP definition of incapacity. Those rules have since been tweaked many times and are expected to stay in ...