Since this article was written there have been many a tonne of changes, including a new Government. To see the information following the King's Speech visit this article. Or visit our payroll legislation guide here. In the 2024 Spring Budget, Jeremy Hunt unveiled measures to address the cost-of-living crisis, as well as tax cuts for working parents, offering a beacon of hope for individuals and businesses alike. With reductions in National Insurance contributions and extended support funds, the budget aims to lighten financial burdens and…
At the 2005 general election New Labour promised to introduce a new Equality Act to simplify the existing body of legislation governing equality in the workplace and 'promote equality at work'. Following the Equalities Review in 2007 led by Trevor Philips (the head of the Commission for Racial Equality at the time), the Act was enacted in 2010 and replaced: Equal Pay Act 1970 Sex Discrimination Act 1975 Race Relations Act 1976 Disability Discrimination Act 1995 Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003 Employment Equality…
Calculating holiday entitlement for workers with regular hours is relatively straight-forward. But what happens when you have employees who work different hours every day, week, or month? How do you calculate holiday entitlement for irregular hours? We've already covered how to calculate holiday entitlement for part-time workers, furloughed workers, casual workers, and how to calculate holiday pay for employees on a range of contracts. This article gets into the detail of calculating pay for your staff who are on irregular or variable-hours contracts (formerly referred to as…
Manual administration can create many problems for HR, as working with spreadsheets and paper-based systems are cumbersome and laborious. The negative impact of all this labour-intensive administration is most obvious in the amount of time and effort involved in people doing these tasks. This translates into higher costs and missed opportunities, such as preventing teams from working on more impactful HR initiatives. Yet this is just the tip of the iceberg, as there are a host of unseen costs related to manual HR administration that…
The word “woke” is one that divides the room; to some it’s a step in the right direction for equality, for others it’s a “war on truth”. It’s a word that’s caused much controversy in recent years, within the media, political spaces, the court of public opinion, and in the workplace. You’ve probably heard it thrown around a fair bit, particularly by politicians, both with positive and negative connotations. But what does it mean? Is it a necessary and vital movement that will lead us…
As famous sports coach Lou Holtz once said: “nothing on earth is standing still – it’s either growing or dying”. This is true in a business context too, where the rapid rate of change means your organisation is either moving with the times, or falling behind with inevitable consequences. We live in the age of disruption, with countless examples of companies such as Netflix, Airbnb and Uber that have turned established industries on their heads. It’s why, in 2024, a culture of continuous innovation is…
Emotional intelligence, also known as EQ, is about having awareness of how our own emotions play a role in influencing our thoughts actions. And taking it a step further, using that knowledge to be more productive and have better interactions with those around us. With increased awareness of mental health and wellbeing, we are now more conscious of how the way we act can affect the wellbeing of others, making soft skills such as emotional intelligence of equal importance as holding the technical skills required…
Presenting can be a daunting prospect for anyone, regardless of their experience or confidence level. But it doesn't have to be so scary! In this blog, we’re going to list five steps to help you prepare for that speech and deliver with confidence and ease. You know, the one you really don’t want to give… 1. Remind yourself of the purpose whilst considering the audience Reminding yourself of the reason for presenting is the perfect place to start. To get your head in gear, think…
Ready to crack the code of HR metrics? Join us as we unravel the importance of tracking KPI’s and harnessing the power of data-driven decision-making to propel your business forward! Understanding HR metrics HR metrics, simply put, are vital data points that gauge the value of your workforce and assess the effectiveness of your HR initiatives. By leveraging this data, businesses gain insights into what works, what needs improvement, and how to shape a robust people strategy for success. Why HR metrics matter Data is…
Across most organisations, payroll is undoubtedly a highly valuable function. Yet one burning question is yet to be unanswered: who should look after payroll - the HR or the finance department? This question continues to be a topic of much debate, with some people thinking payroll should reside within the HR function, while others believe it should sit within finance. Why the debate? Payroll is a specialist function in any organisation. It requires a unique set of skills and processes - as well as, sometimes, software…
