NEW DAWN RESOURCES LTD
Issue 5 | Jan 2018
2018
NEW DAWN RESOURCES LTD
HUMAN RESOURCES BY REAL HUMANS
ISSUE 5 – NEW YEAR EDITION
Looking back and looking ahead
Featured in this newsletter Pg 2 – The Biggest Stories in 2017
by Vanessa Scrimshaw Chartered Fellow CIPD
Happy New Year from all at New Dawn Resources. Welcome to the New Year edition of our bi-annual newsletter. The start of the year is always one for reflections, and resolutions. Typically, we all get a chance for some time off over the Christmas and New Year period, and it’s usually a good time to look back at how the year unfolded, what went well, and perhaps, what could have gone better. New Dawn Resources had a good year, keeping us all busy, with lots of opportunities to help and support our business-friends around Yorkshire and beyond. We hope your year was a successful one too.
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Sexual Harassment
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Employment Tribunal Fees
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Brexit
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General Data Protection Regulation
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Auto-enrolment Pension Provisions
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Holiday Pay
Pg 4 – What to expect in 2018 -
Payroll
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Allowances
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Worker Status
Pg 5 – What’s on hold for 2018
After a bit of a lengthy Summer newsletter last time, we’re going to keep this edition brief, and provide you with a review of some of the biggest stories and issues that happened in 2017, and a brief look at various things that might affect your business in 2018.
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Grandparental Leave
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Parental Bereavement Bill
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Health & Safety
Pg 6 – Training Dates in 2018
Vanessa Scrimshaw Chartered Fellow CIPD
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NEW DAWN RESOURCES LTD
Issue 5 | Jan 2018
The Biggest Stories in 2017 Sexual Harassment In 2017 we have seen some massive changes, especially around the perception of sexual harassment, after Harvey Weinstein was accused and then a flurry of Hollywood greats exposed and brought down by their inappropriate behaviour. Kevin Spacey has been dropped from Netflix’s House of Cards after a string of allegations and more people are reporting allegations at workplaces across the world. This fairly constant string of sexual harassment stories in the media, which has brought the subject home to many and helped to diminish some of the fear which often prevents employees from raising complaints in the workplace. Many people believe that as a result of the media attention more people are now reporting it. In time this attention and awareness will hopefully result in a more productive workplace but it will also mean that employers need to become more proactive not only in recognising cultural issues but also in terms of how they handle complaints.
Employment Tribunal Fees In July, the Supreme Court ruled that Employment Tribunal fees are unlawful as they prevent access to justice and are indirectly discriminatory. As expected the biggest story of the year for HR professionals. Until the introduction of fees was removed the UK had seen a steady year on year decrease in Employment Tribunal claims. The introduction of fees in July 2013 meant that until now employees faced costs of up to £1,200 to take their bosses to court, but from now on it will be free again and this has already led to a massive surge in cases, up by two-thirds and this is only expected to continue.
Brexit It will soon be two years since the referendum and we’re still not a lot closer to knowing what Brexit will really mean for the economy and our employees. What we do know now is that the struggles we are starting to see with skills gaps, recruiting and retaining the best staff and maintaining employee confidence is already starting to bite.
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NEW DAWN RESOURCES LTD
Issue 5 | Jan 2018
The General Data Protection Regulation It’s pretty difficult to read any business newsletter at the moment without seeing a mention of the forthcoming GDPR, but it’s so important that we couldn’t possibly write about 2018 without mentioning it. The GDPR comes into force in May, and with fines for non-compliance reaching as high as €20m or 4% of global turnover (whichever is higher), it’s absolutely imperative that you’re prepared for it. Just because you’re a small firm, don’t be fooled into thinking it won’t affect you – if you’re a business trading in the UK, you will be required to comply with the new regulation.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies to all EU Member States from 25 May 2018, even though the UK is leaving the EU (see the Information Commissioner's blog). The new rules give individuals:
easier access to their own data a ‘right to be forgotten’ a right to know when their data has been hacked
Exemptions apply for SMEs for whom data processing is not a core business activity, and these employers may also charge a data access fee where requests are 'manifestly unfounded' or 'excessive.' For more information, see the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)’s 12-step guide.
Auto-enrolment pension provisions Under auto-enrolment, minimum pension contributions must increase over time. In 2018, employers may be required to increase the amount of their contributions into their automatic enrolment pension – currently, the minimum employer contribution stands at 1%, but this will increase to 2% from 6 April 2018. The increase in minimum contributions should be simple to do, but you will need to make sure that you’re sufficiently prepared – pension scheme trustees and providers, and payroll providers, all have a key role in making sure the process runs smoothly.
Holiday pay The Working Time Regulations 1998 entitle all workers and employees to a minimum 28 days paid holiday every year. This can include bank holidays, of which there are usually eight per year. In 2018, Good Friday falls on 30 March while in 2019 it falls on 19 April, meaning that there is no Good Friday bank holiday within a holiday year running from 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019. As such, some employers will find themselves in breach of the regulations unless they provide an extra day’s annual leave. If the employment contract states an employee is entitled to ‘20 days plus bank holidays’ in the holiday year, then the employer would have to grant an additional day in this current holiday year ending March 2018. You should check your employment contracts and if in doubt contact your HR advisor.
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NEW DAWN RESOURCES LTD
Issue 5 | Jan 2018
What does 2018 have in store for HR?
Payroll The national living wage is set to rise by 4.4% in April, 1.4% above the current rate of inflation. The NMW rates will also increase following the 2017 autumn budget to:
£3.70 per hour for apprentices; £4.20 per hour for 16-17 year olds; £5.90 per hour for 18-20 year olds; £7.38 per hour for 21-24 year olds; and £7.83 per hour for 25+ year olds.
Statutory Maternity Pay, Statutory Paternity Pay, Statutory Shared Parental Pay – ALL currently £140.98 (or 90% of the employee’s average weekly earnings if this figure is less than the statutory rate) will rise to £145.18. Statutory Adoption Pay rate will also increase by the same amount. This means that, from 1 April 2018, statutory adoption pay is payable at 90% of the employee’s average weekly earnings for the first six weeks, with the remainder of the adoption pay period at the rate of £145.18, or 90% of average weekly earnings if this is less than £145.18. The rate of Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) will also rise from £89.35 to £92.05. To be entitled to these statutory payments, the employee’s average earnings must be equal to or more than the lower earnings limit. The Lower Earnings Limit is increasing from £113 to £116 in April 2018.
Allowances
The tax free personal allowance will increase from £11,500 to £11,850 and the higher rate tax threshold will increase to £46,350. The government is committed to increasing the personal allowance to £12,500 and the higher rate tax threshold to £50,000 by 2020 so we should expect a similar increase in April 2019 and 2020. The government plans to make changes to the taxation of termination payments as well this year, removing the distinction between contractual and non-contractual PILONs (payments in lieu of notice) so that all PILONs are taxable and subject to Class 1 NICs. The taxation on termination payments is due to change with effect from April. This will inevitably mean greater scrutiny of taxation of termination payments made to an employee that would have been paid to them during their notice period. Where employers have previously made tax free payments to employees in lieu of their notice without fear employers are urged to take advice on this in the future. In addition, where a termination payment exceeds £30,000 the excess will be subject to both income tax and employer’s National Insurance contributions.
Worker status A few big court cases in 2017 have brought the issue of who is a worker back into the limelight. A recent blow to Uber with their appeal rejected – and their drivers are categorised as workers and should be entitled to holiday pay and worker’s rights. 2018 may be a defining year for the gig economy and workers’ rights with the appeal cases of Pimlico Plumbers and Uber, both of whom use self-employed workers, being determined.
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NEW DAWN RESOURCES LTD
Issue 5 | Jan 2018
What’s on hold for 2018? Grandparental Leave In March 2016, the government confirmed its plans to extend shared parental leave and pay to working grandparents by 2018. However, to date, no consultations have been issued on this subject so we can be confident that this will not come in, in 2018.
Parental Bereavement (Pay and Leave) Bill Having had its successful second reading in Parliament in October 2017, it’s anticipated the Parental Bereavement Bill will become law by 2020, following long-running calls from campaigners. Under current law, working parents are not entitled to paid leave when a child dies. Although employees have the right to unpaid leave in crisis situations involving a close family member, it’s up to individual bosses and companies to determine what a ‘reasonable’ amount of time off, is. The new law is expected to give employed parents the right to two weeks’ paid leave if they lose a child under 18.
Health & Safety HSE announced 2nd January 2018 their plans to target the food manufacturing sector The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) programme of proactive inspections will review health and safety standards in food manufacturing businesses across the country, and the sector is being warned that a programme of unannounced inspections has begun this month. The inspections will focus on two of the main causes of ill-health in the sector which are currently occupational asthma from exposure to flour dust in bakeries, cake and biscuit manufacturers and grain mills and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) – predominantly lower back pain and upper limb disorders from manual handling activities and repetitive tasks.
Keep connected and up to date with New Dawn Resources On Twitter
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NEW DAWN RESOURCES LTD
Issue 5 | Jan 2018
New Dawn Training Courses for 2018 KNOWLEDGE vs RISK Once again we’re offering the chance to take our Knowledge vs Risk course again this year. The three-day programme will be delivered by Vanessa Scrimshaw and offers a broad guide to common HR practices and situations in the workplace, in a clear and logical way, with the aim of empowering participants to be able to take control and manage issues in their own organisations. Employees at a management or Director level will benefit most from Knowledge Vs Risk. The course is a 3 day program and will be held on three non-consecutive dates. These are:
Tuesday May 15th
Tuesday June 12th
Tuesday July 10th
Price £399.00 per delegate + VAT, Venue Holmfirth (5% discount when you book 2 or more places)
SUPERVISOR/TEAM LEADER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM Cheryl Evans will also be delivering our Supervisor Development Program. The three-day programme offers lively, interactive sessions specifically designed to help new or in-experienced supervisors and team leaders understand their role and responsibilities, whilst helping develop and hone their skills. The course specifically looks at: The role of an effective Team Leader, Communication styles & the need for assertiveness, Time Management & Prioritisation, Understanding Assertive Behaviour, Transactional Analysis, Avoiding & Managing Conflict and their role in protecting the employee and the Company The course is a 3 day program and will be held on three non-consecutive dates. These are:
Thursday 12th April
Thursday 17th May
Thursday 14th June
Price £295.00 per delegate + VAT, Venue Holmfirth (5% Discount when you book 2 or more places) Course Booking: To book your place please contact Jo on 01484 680098, email Joanne@newdawnresources.co.uk or speak to your HR Advisor for more information. A 5% discount will be applied to bookings of two delegates or more. Delegates are required to complete pre-registration forms and documentation for all courses and payment in full is required prior to confirmation of your booking. Certification: All courses delivered through New Dawn Resources are certified, assuming delegates attend the full sessions and take an active part in the course. 6
NEW DAWN RESOURCES LTD
Issue 5 | Jan 2018
A PERSONAL SERVICE THE SERVICE OFFERED BY NEW DAWN RESOURCES IS PERSONAL, TO BOTH YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS. OFFERING SUPPORT, ADVICE AND PROTECTION WHEN YOU NEED IT MOST. TAKING ADVICE FROM US WILL HELP YOUR BUSINESS REDUCE COSTS AND KEEP YOUR STANDARDS HIGH.
CONTACT NEW DAWN RESOURCES TEL: 01484 680098 EMAIL: INFO@NEWDAWNRESOURCES.CO.UK BRIDGE MILLS, HOLMFIRTH, HD9 3TW
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