We’ll walk you through best practice and structure for your absence policy that will support your business and your employees. So, for starters, what should your absence management policy contain as a minimum? The reporting procedure: this should include how and when to report sickness absence. Evidence: this section covers what’s required for self-certification. It also explains when medical evidence is required, as well as any requirements to undergo examinations. Trigger points: this section covers the number of absences which would cause concern. Unauthorised absence: the policy should be clear about the consequences of failure to…
With the new tax year fast approaching, the time to switch payroll providers is now! Our recent Annual Payroll Survey saw a whopping 23% increase of companies who had switched their payroll providers in the last 12 months. Unsure if you’re settling for less? Is there better out there? Why is now the perfect time for you to switch providers? Let’s find out. Reviewing your current provider ‘We’ve used our provider for a long time, they know our payroll and switching to someone else is…
We explain the important topic of whistleblowing. What is it? What's the procedure? How do employers handle whistleblowing reports from employees? And what about public interest disclosures or handling malicious allegations? Keep reading to find out. What is whistleblowing? The standard definition of whistleblowing is: “a person, often an employee, who reveals information about activity within a private or public organisation that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe or fraudulent”. Another simple definition from the government website is: ‘You’re a whistleblower if you’re a worker…
For many employees, major sporting events such as the World Cup, Wimbledon, or the Ashes are the highlight of their year and they're keen not to miss crucial matches. Inevitably, some of the events will take place during working hours so how should employers handle requests for time off? Read on to understand what you need to consider during major sporting events including productivity levels, communicating with employees, and managing sickness absence. Home and hybrid workers Employees working at home are not exempt from any…
A really important message, beautifully executed. I’ve watched the John Lewis Christmas advert five times and it still makes me teary. It also got me thinking: what does this mean for HR teams? Sadly, the requirement to take time out of work in order to adopt or foster a child is not particularly well-supported in employment law. This may leave employers and their HR teams feeling as if they’d like to do more. Let’s look into the adoption and foster care process, the current legislation,…
Once upon a time, in the year 2019, and merely a week since Boris Johnson’s landslide ‘Brexit Election’ victory, the state opening of parliament took place. Prominent in Her Majesty’s announcement of forthcoming legislation, a raft of measures affecting employment. Except… none of it materialised; not in 2020, 2021 or 2022. It all vanished, along with Boris Johnson himself. It would return ‘when parliamentary time allowed’. But it didn’t. And now we have a yet another new Prime Minster, Rishi Sunak, and it’s unclear whether…
Our Mobile App, birthed by our Next Generation Software, and a certified swot when it comes to impressing employees. Our agile deployment structure means we can fast-track fantastic features straight to our customers and their employees. Hooray! So, the real question is, what have we been working on? Payslip notifications Is there a happier day than payday? We think not. Employees now get a pocket-sized ping when their payslip is ready. We don’t need to tell you they can download it and send it directly…
'How can I automatically move data from one system into another?’ you ask, brimming with concern that you're doomed to an eternity of entering it all manually. Your tech savvy colleague frowns at you and says ‘Err... We can just use an API.’ You nod vigorously and say ‘Of course, yeah, yeah… obvious now you’ve said it.’ There’s uncomfortable laughter... You immediately return to your desk and ask Google: 'WHAT IS AN API?' But all the articles thrown up by your search are written in…
Part-year workers are now entitled to a full year paid holiday allowance, after the Supreme Court hands down its long-awaited judgment. The Court endorsed the earlier Court of Appeal judgment meaning employers who previously pro-rated the holiday entitlement for staff working part of the year on permanent contracts will have to change their practices. What was this case about? It had been common practice for employers to pro-rate holidays for part-year workers - usually ‘term-time’ - for many years. It was a perfectly logical and…
Over 3,000 people across 70 companies in the UK are expected to take part in a 6-month pilot scheme of the four-day working week. The scheme, which launched on 13 June 2022, is being coordinated by ‘4 Day Week Global’, in conjunction with Autonomy (a UK based think tank) and the 4 Day Week UK Campaign, with research involvement from Oxford and Cambridge universities and Boston College. The pilot scheme is based on the 100:80:100 model – 100% of pay for 80% of the time,…
