Case studies
Advice on TUPE saves client thousands
Losing a contract is a blow for any business, but when they also face losing thousands in costs linked to employees involved in the lost contract, they could end up paying a very high price for not being aware of employment rules like TUPE.
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Assistance with health and safety issues
Health and safety is an issue no business can afford to ignore. When the HSE signals it is unhappy with time being taken to tackle issues of concern – and warning of the possibility of enforcement action – it becomes a key priority requiring expert intervention, particularly under tight timescales.
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Welcome to this month's newsletter...
Spring is well and truly here, if the glorious sunshine of the last few days is anything to go by!
For many people, March means longer, lighter days, daffodils and getting ready for the Easter holidays, but for HR and H&S professionals this month is also the time to prepare for the regular round of April employment and health and safety legislation changes, as well as the annual increase in rates and thresholds for national insurance and income tax.
Drury clients have the peace of mind of knowing our consultants will handle the updating of policies and procedures on their behalf, but for quick reference, we’ve provided a reminder of some key changes in this newsletter.
Our clients are always welcome to call us on the Drury helpline for any further advice and if you’re not a client already, we’d be delighted to discuss our services with you – just contact us on 01274 626200.
We’re also giving you the opportunity to pre register your interest in a free programme of webinars on HS and HR-related issues that you may find of interest, which our parent company, Alcumus, will be launching soon.
We hope you find this newsletter useful and informative and, as always, would welcome any feedback! |
Coming soon... Alcumus webinars
We are currently developing a free, compliance-focused webinar programme, designed to help you deal with your organisation's HR, health, safety and environmental challenges.
These online seminars will only take an hour of your time and all you need to join in is a laptop or PC with access to the internet.
| We will be launching the webinar programme at the end of April, so to guarantee your invitation, please pre-register your interest here and we will send you more details next month. |
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Health and safety update
Budget launches health and safety shake-up
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Chancellor George Osborne said his 21 March Budget was designed to “unashamedly back business”, with sweeping reforms to health and safety legislation among the measures announced.
Budget documents said that the government would “scrap or improve 84 per cent of health and safety regulation”.
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HSE fees scheme postponed until October 2012
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The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced that the Fee for Intervention (FFI) scheme, due to be introduced in April 2012, will not now be implemented until October 2012.
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Set your sights on safety
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Every year, hundreds of people are affected by workplace eye injuries, ranging in severity from temporary discomfort to permanent blindness.
Read more... |
Storing up trouble? Not if you take the right steps
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According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), work-related accidents in the storage and warehousing industry remain a major issue, with many thousands of RIDDOR reportable incidents recorded each year.
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All change on RIDDOR
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From 6 April 2012, subject to Parliamentary approval, the RIDDOR over three day injury reporting requirement will change.
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HR update
Statutory payments set to increase
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New rates for statutory payments will take effect for the tax year 2012/2013 from April 2012.
Read more... |
Employment tribunal fees come step closer
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Employers of all sizes will be awaiting with interest the outcome of a major government consultation on proposals to charge a fee for bringing a case to an employment tribunal.
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Jubilee holiday? It’s up to you!
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Employees planning to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee this year should not assume they’ll be having the day off on Tuesday, 5 June.
Read more... |
Key date for pensions
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A major change to the UK pensions environment will begin when the phased introduction of auto-enrolment starts on 1 October 2012.
Read more... |
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This month’s reader’s question
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Q: My company has no work available next week for a lot of our employees. Can they be laid off? |
A. An employer can only impose a lay-off if they have the contractual right to do so. There must be a clause in either employee contracts or handbooks that gives the employer the right to lay off employees when there is no work available. Employees would then only be entitled to guarantee pay for the first five workless days in a lay-off period of 13 weeks.
If an employer does not have the contractual right to instigate a period of lay-off with guaranteed pay, it can only be imposed with the employees’ full agreement. The other option, which may, however, defeat any benefit of the lay-off, is to allow the employees to not come into work but they would be entitled to full pay.
To impose lay-off without the contractual right to do so could result in a claim for breach of contract and unlawful deduction of earnings, with the added risk of an employee feeling so aggrieved that they resign and bring a claim of constructive unfair dismissal against an employer.
| If you have a question you’d like us to answer, please email us and we’ll pick one to feature in next month’s eNewsletter! |
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