The Government has announced the rates of the National Living Wage (NLW) and National Minimum Wage (NMW) which will come into force from 1st April 2024. 

The Government has announced the rates of the National Living Wage (NLW) 

Minimum wage rates from April 2024 announced

 has recently published their work-related ill-health and injury 

Figures show that approximately 1.8 million workers in Great Britain are affected by work-related illnesses, with stress, depression, and anxiety accounting for nearly half of these cases.

We have a wide range of health and safety awareness and management courses, take a look 

The Health and Safety Executive has recently published their work-related ill-health and injury statistics for 2023.

Health and Safety Executive statistics for 2023

Research tells us that on an average employees use only 60% of their potential productivity! 

In each organisation and for each individual employee there will be varying causes and factors that inhibit productivity and output. But there are some simple methods and tools available that you can apply in your workplace and share with managers and employees to help boost productivity and deliver better results for your organisation.

Steps for increasing employee productivity:

Research tells us that on an average employees use only 60% of their potential productivity! In each organisation and for each individual employee there will be varying causes and factors that inhibit productivity and output. 

How to improve worker productivity

The Home Office has announced that the penalties for failing to conduct appropriate right to work checks for employees will triple to a maximum fine of £60,000 in 2024.

For a first offence, penalties will be increasing next year from £15,000 to £45,000 and the maximum fine for a repeat offender will increase from £20,000 to £60,000. The increases have been announced with the aim of deterring modern slavery, illegal migration and exploitation.

The Home Office is not changing the rule set on how checks for non-British or Irish nationals should be completed. Employers must check the right to work for non-British workers by taking either of the following steps:

The gov.uk website has a full list of certified companies that can run digital ID checks of non-British job applicants (and existing employees). Employers can only use a government certified company to do the checks and a list of these can be found here:

2. Completing a Home Office online right to work check 

The job applicant or existing employee can generate a share code on the gov.uk website and share this with the employer.  

The employer can check the code to validate the right to work in the UK. 

Right to work checks – International workers

Over the last year the government has been looking at ways to simplify holiday pay rules and dispense with EU law. It has now confirmed plans to implement law that will allow employers to pay workers with irregular hours or on a part-year contract an additional sum to cover holiday pay each month. 

This so called “rolled up” holiday pay is currently unlawful after a ruling in 2006 by the European Court of Justice. The Court was concerned that rolled up holiday pay may have discouraged workers from taking leave as they could earn more holiday pay by staying at work. 

The plans will not include a 52-week reference period nor will they apply to workers with more typical working patterns.

The government has stated that “Allowing holiday pay to be paid as an enhancement to a worker’s pay at the time that the worker performed work, instead of when they are on holiday, would ensure that the worker’s holiday pay was as closely aligned to the pay that they would have received as possible.”

It is anticipated that the accrual method of calculating holiday pay entitlement at 12.07% of hours worked will be used.

The government has also stated that under future legislation the following payments should be included when calculating holiday pay:

We are anticipating the changes will come into effect from 1st January 2024 and will update you with more details once this timeline is confirmed. 

The government has now confirmed plans to implement law that will allow employers to pay workers with irregular hours or on a part-year contract an additional sum to cover holiday pay each month. 

Government to permit rolled up holiday pay for workers on part-year contracts or irregular hours

The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 

has now received Royal Assent and will come into effect from October 2024.

The legislation will create a new duty on all employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sex harassment of their employees in the course of their work.

Failure to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment could result in the Equality and Human Right Commission taking enforcement action. Where there has been a successful claim for sexual harassment, and the employer is found to have been in breach of this statutory duty the Employment Tribunal will have the power to increase compensation by up to 25%.

The legislation amends the existing Equality Act which currently provides for a defence to a harassment claim if the employer can show they had taken all reasonable steps to prevent it from happening. However, there is currently no legal requirement on employers to take all reasonable steps. 

The new law will place a legal obligation on employers to take proactive measures to prevent sexual harassment. 

The duty will only apply to sexual harassment and not other forms of harassment based on a protected characteristic (i.e. age, race, sexual orientation, etc.). The Act does not define what reasonable steps should be, however the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) will draft a statutory code which should give this detail.

Although the legislation will not come into effect until late 2024 it is important to start preparing for the change and keep evidence of the actions that are taken. 

Action employers can take over the next year to prepare and inform their workforce could include:

If you would like to discuss bespoke harassment awareness training options for your organisation then please contact a member of the SSG team.

New legislation requires employers to proactively prevent sexual harassment

This month, Manuela Grossmann, our HR specialist will be talking in-depth about flexible working and how the new legislation will affect employers. 

Midweek Masterclass - October 

Recent research by Reward Gateway has found that 24% of employees experience loneliness at work. 

Gen Z workers (those aged 18-24) are the group most likely to feel this way with 32% effected. This figure contrasts with workers aged 55+ of whom only 9% experience loneliness at work.

Feelings of loneliness were found to be highest amongst office workers which challenges the assumption that home workers and hybrid workers would feel this more.

The research shows that loneliness directly impacts on our approach to work. Just 16% of workers who feel lonely are willing to go “above and beyond” for their employer. Whereas for workers not experiencing loneliness this figure jumps to 30%. There is also a correlation between feelings of loneliness, absence and poor mental health. The research found a link between individuals feeling lonely and having increased levels of concern over finances. 

What can employees do to address loneliness?

The research found that the following measures can help address loneliness amongst employees:

Provide meaningful rewards and recognitions to your team

Worker loneliness and isolation reduce productivity – what should employers do?

Over recent years zero hours contracts have received considerable negative coverage in the media however this option can bring benefits to workers that need flexibility such as students and individuals with multiple employers.

Whilst this flexibility can bring benefits to employers and workers alike and enable them to offer and accept work assignments there is still a requirement for organisations to operate ethically. This includes ensuring that all workers have a voice and that there is fairness with the organisation.

Here we will consider alternative and flexible approaches to engaging workers.

One option is banked hours. This is where the employer creates a “bank” of hours from which they plan for the number of workers and hours they require per month.

Shifts then flex week by week to meet the needs of the business but employees receives a regular income - unlike the inconsistency from zero hour contracts.

An example could be an organisation that needs workers covering two to three days a week. The workers would be given a contract for 2.5 days per week. The days of work would be unspecified as the organisational needs will vary from week to week. But it gives the individual a more reliable income. 

Annualised hours is where an employee works a certain number of pre-planned hours over a year. 

Employee attendance is planned around the requirements of the organisation. Where there is a need for longer or shorter shifts due to peaks and troughs in demand, the organisation will adjust working hours accordingly. Similarly the system can work for seasonal demand where the volume of workers needed has predictable peaks such as either during school holidays or in the run up to Christmas where the demand for labour increases. The employee would receive the same monthly wage throughout the year which gives them certainty around income.

Employers should still schedule regular work patterns with advance planning for attendance and time off. Usually a set number of hours are set aside to overcome short term but urgent situations such as covering for sickness and preventing a need to bring in agency workers. 

The employer has the option of “writing off” any unworked hours. This potential outcome is used by some organisations as a way of boosting productivity, reducing absence and driving more efficient working practices.

Critically employers will need rule sets and procedures for how these two highly flexible approaches will be implemented and managed. 

It is best to involve the workforce in producing these procedures so there is agreement on areas such as the notice periods for changes to planned hours.

Alternative and flexible approaches to engaging workers.

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