All Tax and legislation articles – Page 34
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OpinionEmma Hamnett: What can employers do to stamp out workplace bullying?
Failing to curtail the threat of workplace bullying increases the risk that an unhappy employee will issue a claim for harassment or unfair constructive dismissal in an Employment Tribunal (ET).These claims are costly, time consuming, bad for the reputation of the business, and demoralising for staff.There is no definitive legal ...
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ArticleEAT upholds decision that Addison Lee drivers are not self-employed
Taxi organisation Addison Lee has lost an appeal against an Employee Tribunal (ET) ruling, which stated its drivers are not self-employed contractors running their own businesses.The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) confirmed that the true nature of the relationship is that the drivers work for the organisation, upholding the decision reached ...
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OpinionEmma Hamnett: Key Christmas party warnings
In the run-up to Christmas and the dreaded office party, employers should be aware of a recent judgment that means they may be legally responsible for the actions of their staff, even if they take place outside the workplace.In itself, this is not news, but a recent Court of Appeal ...
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ArticleHow will the Autumn Budget 2018 impact pay and benefits?
Chancellor Philip Hammond (pictured) delivered the Autumn Budget speech to the House of Commons on Monday 29 October 2018. Below is a summary of the key announcements that could impact employers’ pay and benefits strategies:From April 2019, the tax-free personal allowance will increase from £11,850 to £12,500, while the higher-rate ...
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ArticleGovernment to introduce 2% digital services tax in 2020
Autumn Budget 2018: From April 2020, the government will introduce a new 2% digital services tax on large organisations, Chancellor Philip Hammond has announced in his 2018 budget.The tax will apply to revenues generated from search engines, social media platforms and online marketplaces where activities are linked to the participation ...
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ArticleKeep up to date with the Autumn Budget 2018
Chancellor Philip Hammond will deliver his Autumn Budget 2018 speech at approximately 3.30pm on Monday 29 October 2018.Stay tuned to the Employee Benefits website for all the latest updates on how the Autumn Budget could impact employers and staff.In the Autumn Budget 2017, key announcements included: an increase in the ...
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ArticleMorrisons loses High Court appeal over breach of payroll data
Supermarket chain Morrisons has lost a challenge to a High Court ruling that found it partly liable for a data breach leading to payroll data of around 10,000 staff being posted online.Andrew Skelton, who was senior auditor at the organisation's Bradford headquarters, posted the workers' names, addresses, bank account details ...
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ArticleIndustrial Tribunal awards £3,000 to man told he was ‘too old’ to apply for job
Image credit: Equality Commission NIAn Industrial Tribunal has awarded £3,000 to a 63-year-old man from Antrim who was told he was too old to apply for a job as a store person and van driver by Spring and Airbrake Ireland.The Tribunal found Patrick Matier (pictured), whose case was supported by ...
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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 ...