| The National Minimum Wage |
| The National Minimum Wage (NMW) was introduced on 1 April 1999. There have already been a number of instances of employers being penalised for not complying with the legislation. HMRC are the agency that ensures enforcement of the NMW. |
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| Statutory Sick, Statutory Maternity and Statutory Paternity Pay |
| Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP) are important regulations to understand as they enforce minimum legal requirements on employers. Each operates in a different way. This factsheet sets out the main principles of the regulations and what an employer needs to consider. |
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| Dismissal Procedures |
| There have been many changes to employment law and regulations in the last few years. A key area is the freedom or lack of freedom to dismiss an employee. |
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| Recruitment Procedures |
| Most claims for discrimination in recruitment have no maximum limit. Can your business afford compensation of perhaps £20,000 because you made a simple mistake? |
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| Redundancy Procedures |
| There have been many changes to employment law and regulations in the last few years. A key area is the freedom or lack of freedom to make an individual redundant. |
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| Managing Absence |
| Recent surveys indicate that the adverse impact of absence on business profitability today is significant, with thousands of man hours lost every day. Recent statistics show that an average of 7.4 days are lost each year per employee with an average cost of £692 per employee. Approximately two-thirds of working time lost to absence is accounted for by short-term absences of up to seven days. |
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| Health and Safety |
| It is very likely that owners and managers of many smaller businesses are not aware of just how demanding health and safety regulations can be. |
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| Legal Working in the UK |
| In line with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, it is a criminal offence to employ anyone who does not have an entitlement to work in the UK, or undertake the type of work you are offering. Any employer who does not comply with the law may be facing a fine of up to £10,000 per offence. Further, if employers knowingly use illegal migrant labour it could carry a maximum 2 year prison sentence and/or unlimited fine. |
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| Avoiding Charges of Discrimination |
| Both the nature of the workforce and patterns of work have changed dramatically over recent years and there is now in place a host of legislation designed to protect employees from discrimination. As an employer it is vital that you are fully aware of your obligations and that you take action to implement them across your business. |
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| Age Discrimination |
| On 1 October 2006, the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006, one of the most far reaching pieces of legislation this century came into force to prevent discrimination against workers, employees, job seekers and trainees on the basis of their age. |
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| Personal and Stakeholder Pensions |
| Personal and Stakeholder Pensions are common types of ‘registered pension schemes’. A registered pension scheme allows the member to obtain tax relief on contributions into the scheme and tax free growth of the fund. |
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| Occupational Pension Schemes: Trustees' Responsibilities |
| Many employers offer their staff an opportunity to save for their retirement through an occupational (or company) pension scheme. We outline in this factsheet the main responsibilities of occupational pension scheme trustees. |
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| Annual Leave |
| Under the Working Time Regulations 1998 workers are entitled to paid statutory annual leave and prior to 1 October 2007 a worker was entitled to 4 weeks’ statutory paid leave. As a result of new amended regulations statutory paid leave was increased to 4.8 weeks annually (or 24 days for an employee working 5 days per week) from 1 October 2007 and this will increase to 5.6 weeks from 1 April 2009. |
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| Redundancy: What Are My Options? |
| Redundancies usually occur when there are changes in a business, perhaps as a result of a restructure, a loss of a major contract, a site or business closure. In order to be redundant you must have been dismissed and the reason for that dismissal must be redundancy. |
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| Dismissal from Employment |
| Being dismissed from your job can be a very stressful and emotional time. It is therefore important that if you are unsure about your rights you seek the appropriate advice. Legislation is in place to protect employees and gives you the right not to be unfairly dismissed. |
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 (Locked) Gardening Leave |
| Garden leave or “gardening leave” is the name given to a period where an employee has given, or has been given, notice of dismissal and is ordered to serve out the period of notice at home, whilst still receiving their normal salary. |
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