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Introduction In the ever-evolving landscape of business, understanding the dynamics of company culture, employee engagement, and loyalty is pivotal, especially for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). The recent leadership crisis at OpenAI, a trailblazer in...
An employment tribunal has recently found an employer fairly dismissed an employee who refused to wear a face covering. The employee worked for a distribution company who transported food products from suppliers to customers. Due to the coronavirus pandemic one of the...
Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced his budget on 3rd March 2021. The main eight points for employers from his budget are: Furlough Scheme to be extended until 30th September 2021 Increase to Apprentice Incentive Payments Trainees grants Business Rates holiday extension...
Anyone wishing to make a tribunal claim must complete a form to tell ACAS why they intend to make a claim. ACAS will try to help employees reach an agreement with employers before a tribunal claim is made. This process is called early conciliation. ACAS is a...
The government have announced that lockdown will end next week (2nd December 2020). Along with this announcement they have announced their Winter Plan to help control Covid19 during the winter months. From Wednesday 2nd December people will again be allowed to leave...
Further to the announcement of a second national lockdown in England, the Government have extended the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) – aka furlough scheme – until 31st March 2021. The furlough scheme will continue to be flexible and furloughed employees will...
On the 22nd October 2020 the chancellor announced changes to the Job Support Scheme (JSS) which is replacing the furlough scheme in November 2020. The changes mean that employers will pay less and employees can work fewer hours to qualify for the scheme. Job Support...
Update on the Job Retention Bonus Further to the latest Treasury Direction, issued last Friday (2 October 2020) we can confirm the following updates on the Job Retention Bonus (JRB). Employers can claim for employees who: had an eligible claim made for them under the...
Having a temperature of 37.8 degrees or more is one of the main symptoms of Covid-19. Many companies are introducing a Covid temperature check policy where temperature checks are performed upon entry to the workplace, to see if employees have a temperature of 37.8 or...
Update on the new job support scheme Since the announcement about the New Job Support Scheme starting from the 1st November 2020 the HM Treasury has clarified certain parts that were causing confusion. Job Support Scheme rules Employees and employers do not have to...
The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak has announced a new Job Support Scheme today (24th September 2020) to replace the Job Retention Scheme which ends at the end of October 2020. This will directly support the wages of people in work, giving businesses the option of keeping...
The EU settlement scheme enables citizens of EU member states, the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland, who have lived in the UK continuously for a period of five years, to apply for settled status to remain in the UK. Those arriving in Britain prior to the...
The coronavirus pandemic has impacted workplaces severely since it hit the UK in March 2020. The world was completely unprepared for the pandemic that occurred, businesses had to close, employees were placed on furlough leave, businesses operated on skeleton staffing...
What are the changes to the job retention scheme from 1st September 2020? From 1st September furloughed employees will still receive 80% of their normal wage, but the government will only pay 70% of this pay. Employers are required to pay 10% towards the wages to pay...
On 10th July 2020, the government introduced a travel corridor list of exempt countries that people could travel to. People arriving in the UK from any of these exempt countries would not be required to self-isolate if they had not also visited a non-exempt country in...
On 8 July 2020, the Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the Government’s Plan for Jobs 2020. As part of that plan, Mr Sunak introduced a new Job Retention Bonus that will be payable in some circumstances to employers that bring employees back from furlough. More detail...
We are into the summer holiday season and families are taking advantage of the recent ease of lockdown measures to get away. However, given the unpredictability of coronavirus rates and the likelihood of government responses to spikes in infection rates overseas,...
New guidelines on the job retention scheme has clarified which non-employees’ companies can claim for under the CJRS these include: Office Holders Office holders can be furloughed and receive support through the scheme. Furlough and other payments will need to be...
From 4th July many businesses in the leisure, tourism, hospitality, personal service, and places of worship have opened their doors for the first time since March when lockdown began. These businesses have had to adhere to strict measures to ensure they are keeping...
On 8th June 2020, the government enforced a two-week quarantine period for anyone arriving in the UK. This included people who were traveling broad on holiday or for other purposes. Upon return to the UK people were required to self-isolate for 14 days and should:...
With the Black Lives Matter movement surging across the globe, businesses should take the impetus to look within at how they deal with inclusion within the work environment. To ensure full employee satisfaction and increases in performance any barriers around...
The chancellor has said there will be no extension to the furlough scheme that has been in place since March 2020. He has confirmed that there will be further financial support for businesses in the form of a bonus for employers who can bring employees back to work....
When was flexible furlough introduced? From 1st July the furlough scheme changed to become more flexible since it commenced in March. From 1st July employees can work part-time and be furloughed for the remaining hours of their working week. Hours of work need to be...
Do employees have the right to work from home? The current government advice is if people can work from home then they should do, however, there is no legal right for an employee to work from home, but it is advisable that any employee who can effectively work from...
The NHS test and trace service is part of the government’s coronavirus recovery plan. The service provides: Testing for those with symptoms; The ability to get in touch with anyone who has a positive result to help share information on any close contact they have had...
WHAT IS FLEXIBLE FURLOUGH? The new flexible furlough scheme starts on 1st July 2020. Under this scheme employees no longer need to avoid doing any work for the employer and they can work for part of the week and be furloughed for the rest of the week, in...
A 2-week quarantine period for anyone arriving in the UK was enforced from 8th June 2020. This includes people who travel abroad on holiday or for business travel. Upon their return to the UK people will be required to self-isolate for 14 days. When returning to the...
It is expected that at least a quarter of UK employers will make some form of redundancies as a result of the current pandemic. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) was implemented to avoid businesses making redundancies as a result of the current pandemic,...
Employers have a duty of care to take steps to ensure the health and safety and welfare of all their employees. Businesses that employ more than five people are legally obliged to have a written health and safety policy or statement which is circulated and available...
The government have confirmed that the UK furlough scheme will finish at the end of October 2020. They are slowly withdrawing the expensive support programme trying not to crash the economy. The government are hoping that the withdrawal process with be mirrored by...
Please find the latest furlough update below for you. A summary of the main points: 10 June 2020 will be the last day that employers can place employees on furlough. from 1 July, 'flexible furlough' is being introduced, meaning employees will be able to work part-time...
To help limit the spread of the coronavirus within the UK, and as part of easing lockdown measures, millions of people will soon be asked to track their movements via an app on their smartphone. What is contact tracing? Contact Tracing aims to identify and alert...
The Government today published guidance on returning safely to work from Wednesday this week Work from home, if you can All reasonable steps should be taken by employers to help people work from home. But for those who cannot you should go to work. Staff should speak...
The government has drafted an initial guidance on how UK companies may be able to reopen their workplaces and gradually exit lockdown. The draft document includes a range of guidelines for businesses to follow, covering additional health and safety and wellbeing...
Further updates containing more detail regarding this scheme continue to be published on a regular basis. Please note some of the following headline points that are addressed, with more detail on the following points than previously communicated, within these updates....
When the government first launched the furlough scheme eligible employees had to be on the employer’s PAYE payroll on 28 February 2020. This payroll date has now been extended to 19 March 2020. As a result we have tried to answer some questions that you may have...
So, as we start another week, that looks so very different to our lives just a couple of weeks ago, the purpose of this guide is to provide a roundup of furloughing and all the associated questions that arise. Whilst it is a non-exhaustive list we hope that it will...
We understand that the Claims for Furlough mechanism will be open from 20 April 2020 but you need to be ready! The government’s initial announcement implied that the claim mechanism would be a simple online form. This may still be the case. However, the form can...
Although many employees have now been placed on furlough, many remain working in these difficult times. It is not always possible, given the diverse nature of roles and businesses for many employees to work from home. Therefore, we have collated a few key points to...
The Treasury Select Committee met remotely on Wednesday 8 April to take evidence from HMRC on the economic impact of coronavirus. The witnesses were Jim Harra, First Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive of HMRC, and Cerys McDonald, Director of HMRC’s COVID-19...
As we approach the Easter weekend and a further two bank holidays in May, all during the period of the job retention scheme, we have collated a few points for you to consider. Does Holiday continue to accrue during furlough? Yes, as employees remain employed during...
The Chancellor announced that “a new Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme” would be set up to help pay people’s wages. Employers will be able to contact HMRC for a grant to cover most of the wages of their workforce who are on the payroll but temporarily not working due...
Unsurprisingly, changes caused to employment law and the employment relationship as a result of Coronavirus have dominated the news this month. However, there are also other changes due to take place in April. We have summarised below some of the key issues that...
During these unprecedented times Clover HR want to provide you with as much support and advice as we possibly can. This is an ever evolving situation for employers. Therefore please ensure that you keep up to date with Government Guidelines or seek direct advice from...
During these unprecedented times Clover HR want to provide you with as much support and advice as we possibly can. As such we have put together a Frequently Asked Questions and Answers sheet, which we will be adding to on a regular basis. Rest assured we are here to...
The Chancellor announced that “a new Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme” would be set up to help pay people’s wages. Employers will be able to contact HMRC for a grant to cover most of the wages of their workforce who are on the payroll but temporarily not working due...
Short-time Working The impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is placing businesses of all sizes under unprecedented strain and pressure. The rapid and drastic reduction in demand or lost business is forcing employers to consider drastic action to reduce...
As of 1st February 2020 the UK is no longer a member of the European Union (EU), and is now in an implementation period (also referred to as a transitional period) as part of the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement. What does this mean? During the implementation period the UK...
Coronavirus is a new illness that can affect your lungs and airways. The government advise the risk to individuals in the UK remains low. To date (18th February), nine patients in England have tested positive for coronavirus. Worldwide the coronavirus has infected...
For many years there has been confusion over IR35 and the associated in or out status. The upcoming changes in April 2020, should give greater clarity over responsibilities. IR35, the Intermediaries Legislation, came into effect in 2000. It was an attempt to...
The Court of Appeal recently ruled in the Brazel v The Harpur Trust case that holiday pay for ‘term time’ workers should be calculated using their average earnings over a 12 week period and not-pro-rated. Mrs Brazel was a visiting music teacher employed by The Harpur...
Last week our HR Director Sara Hope had the pleasure of judging an 'art competition' that was kindly sponsored by Heartbeat Manufacturing Ltd in Redditch for a local school. The children were asked to produce a World War II portrait and Katie Butler (P.A to the MD)...
Earlier this year the Court of appeal upheld a decision from the Employment Appeal Tribunal which will allow Asda store workers to compare themselves to warehouse workers in their on-going long running equal pay dispute. This will enable over 5,000 employees, both...
Who knows what will have happened by the time you may be reading this? The lack of certainty puts the whole transition period in question after the 29th March. As we detailed previously on our recent Brexit blog if any deal is struck on or before the 29th March this...
As we approach the month of April, let’s give some reminders of employment law changes that are shortly to come into effect and might have an impact on your business, briefly; Be aware of second gender pay gap reporting deadlines that apply if you employ 250 or more...
An inquiry into sexual harassment in the workplace by the Women and Equalities Committee concludes that sexual harassment at work is widespread and commonplace but there has been a failure to tackle unlawful behaviours. The report published on the 25th July,...
A handbook should be available for every member of staff. It is often the only literature given to personnel. Whether in a book format, or as a set of documents, this information can prove vital in protecting your business. Is it a legal requirement to issue a...
Any business going into liquidation, no matter how large or small is bound to have consequences for staff and suppliers alike. Some 20,000 employees will be directly affected by the collapse of Carillion yesterday. The snowball effect on companies that supplied...
It seems particularly apt to talk today about the 'gender pay gap' as it was Equal Pay Day last Friday! And ironically, back in 1959, a suitably titled play, 'The Girls Against The Boys' closed its doors for the last time. With cast members including Dick Van Dyke,...
If you haven't already heard, next May there is going to be a big change in the way personal data is retained and used and equally how it is regulated and protected. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will officially replace the UK's Data Protection Act on...
HR departments across the country will need to familiarise themselves with the details of the new regime – and compare the government’s scheme with the childcare vouchers that are currently on offer – in order to ensure that their employees are getting the best deal...
Without a doubt Brexit is going to have an impact on employment. Here is Teresa May's speech with reaction business groups, employment lawyers and unions. Via Personnel Today. What will Brexit mean for employment?
Do you employ staff? Are you aware of all the latest news and legislation? There are significant Significant employment law changes are anticipated for 2017, amid the ongoing uncertainty resulting from the brexit referendum which you need to be aware of. Check out the...
