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Employers need to prepare

THERE are some important changes in the law for employers to watch out for in 2018. In April, there will be increases to the national minimum wage rates including the National Living Wage which will rise from £7.50 to £7.83 for workers aged 25 and over. Statutory Maternity/Paternity/Adoption and Shared Parental Pay all increase to £145.18 per week. SSP increases to £92.05. Payroll will need to make sure these April changes are implemented as well as a requirement for all payments in lieu of notice to be subject to normal deductions for tax and NI. This means employers will no longer have the option of paying tax free damages in lieu of notice where there is no contractual right to pay in lieu.

Employers with 250 or more employees will have to produce and publish their ‘gender pay gap reports’ by 4 April (30 March for public sector employers). These reports will include the percentage differences in average hourly pay between men and women across their workforce based on a snapshot date of 5 April 2017 (31 March for public sector). Aside from the key figures, employers should consider whether to publish any narrative to explain any gap or to show what action will be taken to address it.

The General Data Protection Regulation comes into force on 25 May. With fines of up to ?20 million or four per cent of global turnover, it’s critical that employers are compliant, especially as the GDPR introduces a duty of ‘accountability’. To prepare employers should establish a compliance timeline, carry out a data audit, determine the basis upon which data will be processed, update key policies and processes and make sure everything they do is documented.

For more information contact Graham Irons, partner at Howes Percival on 01604 258003 or

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