Employment Law Update: Quick fire – February 2018
22 February 2018
Shared parental leave, enhanced workers’ rights, new rules for itemised payslips, are you GDPR ready, new inquiry into sexual harassment and Best Employer Eastern Region 2018 are covered in this month’s Quick fire!
‘Share the joy’ campaign
A new government campaign has been launched to encourage more parents to take up shared parental leave (SPL). Accurate figures for the take up of the right to SPL, introduced in 2015, are not readily available but estimates have been as low as 2% of eligible couples. It is thought that a lack of awareness among prospective parents might be one of the factors behind the low take up.
The campaign – ‘share the joy’ – will raise awareness though advertising and social media, as well as a new website to provide detailed information and guidance.
In addition, a Labour MP, Tracy Brabin (Shadow Education Minister) has tabled a parliamentary motion to extend the right to allow self-employed workers to take SPL.
Government outlines proposals for enhancing workers’ rights
The Government has published its response to the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices, alongside four separate consultation papers expanding on its proposals to take forward the recommendations in the Review.
New rules for itemised payslips
Hot on the heels of the Government’s response to the Taylor Review, a draft Order was laid before Parliament on the same day, implementing one of the minor changes the Government committed to in its response.
The Employment Rights Act (Itemised Pay Statement) (Amendment) Order 2018 will bring into force a requirement for employers to itemise payslips to show the number of hours paid for, where a worker is paid an hourly rate. Currently, under section 8 Employment Rights Act 1996, only the total net and gross amounts of pay, and any applicable deductions, have to be shown on a payslip.
The Order is due to come into force on 6 April 2019.
Are you GDPR ready?
If not, don’t panic. We are not quite on the home straight yet with just over three months still remaining until the GDPR comes into force on 25 May 2018. However, with the deadline getting ever closer it is imperative that you do not delay any further. Our recent article outlines practical actions to help you prepare for compliance.
In addition, we are running two half-day sessions, aimed at HR practitioners, to assist them in preparing for the introduction of the GDPR. The first session is on 14 March at Tattersalls, Newmarket, followed by Chelmsford City Racecourse on 20 March. Full details of all of our events are on our website.
New inquiry into sexual harassment
The cross-party Women and Equalities Committee has launched a new inquiry into sexual harassment in the workplace, and is inviting submissions of written evidence. The inquiry will assess the extent of the problem, consider who the perpetrators are and why it happens, and will focus on what should be done to tackle harassment more effectively.
In particular, the inquiry will look at:
- what action the government and employers can take to change workplace culture, increase confidence to report problems, and make tackling harassment a higher priority,
- how staff can be better protected from sexual harassment by clients, customers and others,
- how effective – and accessible – tribunals and other legal means of redress are, and what improvements can be made to those systems,
- the pros and cons of using non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in sexual harassment cases and what can be done to prevent inappropriate use of NDAs.
The deadline for submissions of written evidence to the committee is 13 March 2018. Further details are available on the Women and Equalities website.
Best Employer Eastern Region 2018
We’re looking forward to seeing lots of you at the Best Employers Eastern Region launch event on Tuesday 27 February in what promises to be a fantastic day.
The event is now fully booked but you can still sign-up your organisation to take part in this free biennial survey when it opens in April by completing the online form. Alternatively, if you haven’t yet made-up your mind that the survey is for you, please visit www.best-employers.co.uk for further information.
You may also be interested in joining the LinkedIn Group for Best Employers 2018 which has been set-up to facilitate sharing best practice in employee engagement.
The content of this article is for general information only. For further information regarding this article, please contact Liz Stevens or a member of Birketts’ Employment Law Team.
This article is from the February 2018 issue of Employment Law, our monthly newsletter on employment legislation and regulation. To download the latest issue, please visit the newsletter section of our website. Law covered as at February 2018.
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The content of this article is for general information only. It is not, and should not be taken as, legal advice. If you require any further information in relation to this article please contact the author in the first instance. Law covered as at February 2018.