Employment law changes frequently, so it’s advisable to remain completely up to date with the latest legislation for compliance purposes. Read on to learn more about the latest amendments to employment law.
Gender pay gap reports
One of the latest changes to the law is that large employers now have deadlines for reporting gender pay gaps. Large employers are counted as those with at least 250 members of staff. The deadline for private and voluntary sector employers is the 4th April, with public sectors meeting a 30th March deadline. Pay gap reports must feature on employer websites, be easily accessible to the public and must stay on sites for a minimum of three years. Employers are also being instructed to upload their results to the relevant Government site. Some employers are voluntarily adding extra information in the form of notes to contextualise their figures, particularly those with substantial gender pay gaps.
Living and minimum wage changes
Employer national insurance contributions on termination payments over £30,000 take effect from 6th April 2019. Payments in lieu are to be treated as non-taxable. The national living wage for workers aged 25 or over is now £7.83. Workers aged 21 to 24 must now be paid at least £7.38 an hour, with those aged 18 to 20 requiring £5.90. Workers aged under 18 that are no longer of compulsory school age are to be paid at least £4.20 per hour. Human resources departments are obliged to keep accurate payment records to show they have adhered to minimum wage legislation.
Sick and redundancy pay
The weekly rate of statutory sick pay has risen to £92.05. Statutory maternity, shared parental pay, adoption and paternity pay is now £145.18 per week. The maximum award for unfair dismissal has now risen to
£83, 682 for dismissals occurring from 6th April 2018. Those made redundant with two years’ service can receive a maximum of £508 per week.
GDPR compliance
GDPR is now in place, and there has been an inevitable rise on employees and candidates wishing to see which information companies hold about them. HR departments have a big role to play when it comes to ensuring data about their employees is being processed fairly and legally. Employers have been producing privacy statements for job applicants to tell them how their information is to be processed. The statement can be incorporated into web-based application statements, though the confusion about GDPR has led to a substantial number of organisations seeking legal advice about complying with the new legislation.
Why Mark Reynolds?
At Mark Reynolds Solicitors, we can come to your assistance if you need any help and advice on adhering to the latest employment laws. We offer a range of services for employees and employers and can provide clear, understandable and useful advice on various matters related to employment law. To get in touch with us today, simply call 0800 002 9577. We can provide the first-class legal assistance you deserve.