HR Articles

In this month’s Data Protection Round-Up: a lack of awareness for the Children’s Code, new ICO guidance is in the offing and the Government’s Digital Markets Unit takes shape. 

Employers must keep in mind recent increases to the financial thresholds used for various employment law calculations – including a week’s pay in statutory redundancy payments and pay rates for sickness and family-related absences.

In the recent case of Royal Mencap Society v Tomlinson-Blake & others, the Supreme Court had to decide how sleep in workers’ working time should be calculated for the National Minimum Wage (NMW).

This year many businesses may sadly have to start selecting some employees for redundancy as furlough leave becomes more expensive and finally ends. Alternatively, managers and HR departments may have to pick up those outstanding performance or conduct issues as furloughed employees return to work.  

The Supreme Court in their judgment this morning have ruled that Asda shop workers, who are predominantly female, can compare themselves to their colleagues who work in Asda distribution centres, who are predominantly male, in their equal pay claim. For equal pay claims, the comparator the claimant relies on must be employed by the same employer either at the same establishment, or at a different establishment with ‘common terms’.  

Gig economy delivery companies: after the Uber case, reputational risk and investor concerns  may be more of a brake on Deliveroo than formal findings on worker rights. Uber’s announcement about how it will pay its drivers following the Supreme Court decision last month has produced much discussion. 

The Minister for Women & Equalities, Liz Truss, has called on employers to make flexible working the standard as the UK recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 17 March, the Government wrote to those who are categorised as clinically extremely vulnerable to advise them that from 1 April 2021 they no longer needed shield. 

Employees working from home regularly may be able to benefit from certain tax exemptions, although this cannot be where they are working informally, HMRC guidance has confirmed that if an employee is working from home due to COVID-19, the definition of a homeworking arrangement for tax purposes, will be met for this period.  

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is #ChoosetoChallenge. This  is a call not just to women, but to people of any gender to challenge the barriers to gender equality in society, wherever they exist, and to use any privilege or influence they may have to further the cause of gender equality.