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Focus will be on pay

By Graham Irons

Partner

Howes Percival LLP

EMPLOYMENT law is always fast moving and provides traps for the unwary employer. Apart from expecting the usual raft of employment tribunal decisions that impact on how employers manage their staff, the focus in 2019 will be on pay.

Pay gap reporting

On 1 January, new laws come into force requiring UK-listed companies with more than 250 UK employees to report annually on the pay gap between their chief executive and their average UK worker with the first reports to be published in 2020. This is on top of gender pay gap reporting for employers with 250 or more employees. Last year saw the first gender pay gap reports. Employers will need to do it all again in 2019 with reports being published by 4 April (30 March for public sector employers). For employers who identified a pay gap last year and set out an action plan to tackle it, your employees will be keen to see if the plan has been implemented and if it’s worked. If you identified a large pay gap last year and took no action now is the time to start thinking about it!

National Minimum Wage

On 1 April, there will be increases to the national minimum wage rates including the National Living Wage which will rise from £7.83 to £8.21 for workers aged 25 and over. The standard rate will rise from £7.38 to £7.70.

Payslip Information

From 6 April, employers must include, in payslips, details of the total number of hours worked where pay is variable depending on hours worked (e.g. zero hours contracts).

Payslips will also need to be provided to ‘workers’ as well as employees.

#MeToo

The last year has seen the phenomenal march of the #MeToo campaign which has encouraged people to talk about sexual harassment. This has resulted in three independent reports which have all made consistent recommendations calling on the Government to place a legal duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace and provide more support to victims of harassment in raising concerns and bringing tribunal claims. In view of this, changes to the law are likely if the Government can find any spare time outside of dealing with Brexit!

For more information contact Graham Irons on 01604 258003 or

 

* The Howes Percival employment team were again rated top tier by the Legal 500 this year with Northampton-based partner Graham Irons again being identified as a ‘leading individual’ in his field.

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