All Tax and legislation articles – Page 7
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OpinionSally Hulston: EHRC guidance on menopause in the workplace
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has published new guidance on menopause in the workplace and set out employers’ legal obligations. The guidance reasserts the fact that women experiencing menopausal symptoms, particularly in severe cases, have certain protections under the Equality Act 2010.While the menopause is not itself a ...
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ArticleHow will the Spring Budget 2024 affect pay, pensions and employee benefits?
Image credit: photocosmos1 / Shutterstock.comChancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt (pictured), delivered his Spring Budget speech in the House of Commons on Wednesday 6 March. Below is a summary of the key announcements that could affect employers' pay, pensions and benefits strategies:Spring Budget 2024: National insurance contribution (NIC) rate cut ...
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ArticleSpring Budget 2024: Government maintains fuel duty freeze for 12 months
Spring Budget 2024: The government is to maintain the current rates of fuel duty for a further 12 months to help support people with the cost of living.The measure, which was announced in the Spring Budget, will save the average car driver £50 in 2024-25 through the extension of the ...
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ArticleSpring Budget 2024: National insurance contribution (NIC) rate cut to 8%
Spring Budget 2024: The government is to cut employee national insurance contributions (NICs) by two pence, falling from 10% to 8% from 6 April.In his Spring Budget, Jeremy Hunt, Chancellor of the Exchequer, said that this will save the average worker on a salary of £35,400 around £900 a year, ...
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ArticleStay up to date with the Spring Budget 2024
Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt will deliver his Spring Budget 2024 speech at 12.30pm on Wednesday 6 March 2024.Stay tuned to the Employee Benefits website for all the latest updates on how the Spring Budget could impact pay, pensions and benefits for employers and staff.The Autumn Statement 2023's key ...
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OpinionMusab Hemsi: When it comes to baby loss, employers should not forget about fathers
As progressive workplaces move towards a more open and supportive culture, the impact of baby loss, whether through miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death, is becoming more widely talked about. However, employer support is often focused on mothers, with less consideration given to the fact fathers are suffering too. As men ...
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AnalysisWhat do employers need to know about the pensions lifetime allowance abolition?
Credit: Natata/Shutterstock Need to know: The abolition of the pensions lifetime allowance in April will require an overhaul of employee communications, and a revaluation of pension scheme design and administration, including opportunities to simplify the scheme and reduce the cost of running it. Employers will need ...
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ArticleTribunal finds Oxford University professors should have had employee status
An employment tribunal has found that two creative writing professors who were employed as gig workers by Oxford University should have had employee status.Alice Jolly and Rebecca Abrams worked at the university since 2008 and 2007 respectively, and both taught the Master of Studies degree in Creative Writing.In 2022, they ...
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OpinionHannah Mugleston: Rights and support for employees undergoing IVF treatment
Pregnant women have a legal right to paid time off from the workplace to attend antenatal appointments. MP Nickie Aiken is campaigning for the same rights to be extended to those undergoing IVF treatment. Her private members bill regarding this will have its second reading in March 2024.Aiken is also ...
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ArticleAddison Lee drivers reach settlement in workers’ rights dispute
Three drivers employed by private hire firm Addison Lee have reached an out-of-court settlement in a long-running dispute around holiday pay and the minimum wage.The claim was originally brought by three drivers, represented by law firm Leigh Day and members of trade union GMB. More than 600 drivers have subsequently ...
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ArticleEasyjet, Estee Lauder and Greggs fail to pay national minimum wage
Estee Lauder Cosmetics, airline Easyjet and food chain Greggs are among more than 500 employers which failed to pay their lowest-paid employees the national minimum wage.An investigation by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) between 2015 and 2023 found that breaches by 524 employers caused more than 172,000 employees to ...
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OpinionLee McIntyre-Hamilton: Changes to national insurance and the impact on employment
The new year has already brought some welcome news for employees, with the cut in employee national insurance contributions (NICs) from 12% to 10%. As of 6 January 2024, the cut means that all employees who currently pay NIC will benefit.The extent of the savings will depend on an employee’s ...
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Article30% of female public sector staff have had flexible working requests denied
Just under a third (30%) of women working in schools, hospitals, care homes, town halls, police stations and other public services have had requests to work flexibly denied, according to research by trade union Unison.Its survey of 44,065 women working in the public sector also found that 25% of those ...
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OpinionKerry Hudson: Change in flexible-working arrangements for 2024
Employees will have more rights to ask for flexible-working arrangements under new legislation coming in this year.Workers with 26 weeks of employment can ask for flexibility on how, where and when they work. Where employers previously did not need to consult with workers before giving their decision, they will now ...
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Article2Gether Support Solutions staff awarded Covid bonus payment
Hundreds of staff employed by NHS outsourcing firm 2Gether Support Solutions will now receive a more than £1,600 lump sum payment for working during the pandemic after undertaking industrial action.2Gether Support Solutions is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the East Kent NHS Trust, which runs the Kent and Canterbury Hospital in ...
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OpinionSarah Bogues: How to become a fertility-friendly employer
Employers play a critical role in the fertility journey of their employees. When employers get it right, the loyalty they can cultivate among their staff is immense. As the Fertility Treatment (Employment Rights) Bill makes its way through Parliament, it is an opportune time for employers to reassess their approach ...
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ArticleTribunal finds AstraZeneca scientist with mental health disability was wrongfully dismissed
An employment tribunal has found that a former AstraZeneca scientist with a mental health disability was wrongfully dismissed.James Muir, a senior scientist who had been developing the pharmaceutical firm’s recently approved cancer drug Truqap, had worked there since 1998. He suffered from chronic depression and anxiety and had taken extended ...
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OpinionHelen Burgess: How to help break mental health stigma in the workplace
Time to Talk Day (1 February 2024) is an annual awareness day that focuses on starting conversations about mental health. The workplace can be fertile ground to get conversations started around mental health to help break the stigma and support employees who may be struggling.On the legal side, an employee ...
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ArticleTribunal rules in favour of Tayside Aviation staff in redundancy case
An employment tribunal has ruled that Tayside Aviation failed to follow correct redundancy procedures as it entered administration last year.The Dundee flight school gathered a group of 22 employees who were on the premises in a conference room for a meeting on 20 April last year. Tayside Aviation’s previous finance ...
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OpinionNabila Mallick: Employers must take menstrual health in the workplace seriously
While there is no specific protection in law, there are various provisions that indirectly protect women from discrimination or harassment relating to periods and the menstrual cycle. These include protections from disability discrimination where women have diagnosed medical conditions related to menstruation and protections against sexual harassment, such as where ...