All Tax and legislation articles – Page 33
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OpinionAlison Loveday: Understanding employer responsibilities during a heatwave
As employees across the country continue to sweat it out during one of the longest heatwaves the UK has seen, many are calling for a relaxation in working conditions.Turn on the TV or open up a social media site and you are bombarded with mixed messages about what to do ...
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OpinionSarah Chilton: How employers can put an end to sexism and harassment in the workplace
The conversation continues at Employee Benefits Live 2018...Sexual harassment in the workplace has received a huge amount of attention over the past few months. Employers must take steps to tackle harassment, to reduce their own risk, and to instill safer working cultures in their organisations.In early 2018, the Women and ...
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ArticleCommittee recommends new duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment
The Women and Equalities Committee has recommended that the government introduce a new duty on employers to help prevent sexual harassment in the workplace.The recommendation forms part of the Sexual harassment in the workplace report, and corresponding recommendations, published today (Wednesday 25 July 2018). These are based on the results ...
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OpinionRhiannon Jenkins: Should commuting count as working time?
Time spent commuting is not usually 'working time'. Employers do not generally have any control over an employee's activities until they reach the workplace, and have no say in where the employee lives or how long they spend commuting.However, the European Court of Justice's (ECJ) significant decision in Federacion de ...
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OpinionNicola Butterworth: Employees' conduct is not a guaranteed agreement to new contractual terms
In the age of austerity, compounded by technological advances and the uncertainty of Brexit, many UK businesses continue to face tough challenges. With the biggest organisations announcing profit warnings, and other organisations struggling to make ends meet, faced with the need to cut operating costs, one option open to employers ...
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OpinionGeraint Jones: What to be aware of when using cryptocurrencies in benefits
There are more than 1,500 so-called ‘cryptocurrencies’, such as Bitcoin, in circulation now, and an increasing number of people are taking them as benefits.The risks are clear. A virtual currency is not backed by any state treasury, is hard to turn into ‘real money’, and exists only as a computer ...
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OpinionPaula Rome: What do employers need to take stock of for employee benefits in the next year?
One of the continuing areas of concern for employers is employee retention, increasing productivity and reducing absence. The concentration on wellness and how benefits can be used to assist with these concerns will be on employers’ minds. As well as the traditional benefits, such as employee assistance programmes (EAPs), private ...
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OpinionHina Belitz: What employers need to know about settlement agreements
When employers are faced with potential claims from their employees it is quite common for them to enter into settlement agreements to resolve the dispute. However, not every claim can be resolved in this way. Some can only be settled through The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas), by using ...
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OpinionNick Campbell: Employers must ensure reward is non-discriminatory
The world of work has changed drastically over the past decade and now, more than ever, there is an increased spotlight on the importance of reward and recognition.The benefits for rewarding good service are clear; it can boost morale, improve productivity and, ultimately, have a positive impact on a business' ...
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OpinionSarah Henderson: What do pension trustees need to consider for GDPR?
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) introduces more stringent requirements for contracts between data controllers and data processors than are currently in place. Pension trustees are data controllers of the personal data they hold and use to run their schemes. To be fully compliant with the GDPR, trustees will need ...
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ArticleThe tax and legislation changes impacting reward from April 2018
With the arrival of the new tax year, a number of measures impacting pay and benefits are scheduled to come into effect. Below is a round up of these measures, along with other tax and legislation changes, that employers need to be aware of from April 2018:National minimum wage and ...
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ArticleGovernment committee proposes giving fathers 12 weeks' paid paternity leave
The Women and Equalities Committee has recommended the introduction of 12 weeks' paid paternity leave and that statutory paternity pay should be set at 90% of fathers’ pay.The recommendation forms part of the Committee’s Fathers and the workplace report, published on Tuesday 20 March 2018, which sets out proposals on ...
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OpinionSarah 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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ArticleCourt of Appeal rules in favour of Air Products in long-term incentive plan age discrimination case
The Court of Appeal has allowed an appeal by industrial gas and chemical retailer Air Products, finding that the organisation can objectively justify retirement at a specific age as a good leaver reason within its long-term incentive plan.The case, Air Products v Cockram, regards employee Michael Cockram, who resigned from ...
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OpinionSarah 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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OpinionDavid 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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AnalysisHow do salary sacrifice arrangements affect gender pay gap reporting?
Need to know: Deductions for salary sacrifice arrangements are excluded from an employee’s base pay for the purposes of gender pay gap reporting. This could influence an organisation’s final gender pay gap data depending on how many women compared to men have taken up benefit via ...
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Article44% of employers do not know what GDPR is
More than two-fifths (44%) of employer respondents do not know what the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is, according to research by SD Worx.Its survey of 1,800 HR and payroll professionals across nine European markets also found that 55% of respondents who are aware of GDPR believe that the regulation ...
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ArticleHow will the Autumn Budget 2017 impact pay and benefits?
Chancellor Philip Hammond (pictured) delivered the Autumn Budget speech to the House of Commons on Wednesday 22 October 2017. Below is a summary of the key announcements that could impact employers’ pay and benefits strategies:The tax-free personal allowance will increase to £11,850 in April 2018, an increase of £350 from ...
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ArticleSharesave savings break extended for staff on parental leave
Autumn Budget 2017: Employees on maternity or paternity leave will be able to take up to a 12-month break from saving into a sharesave (save as you earn) scheme.The change, which was announced as part of the Autumn Budget 2017, will take effect from 6 April 2017.Previously, employees could take ...