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Category: hr advice and guidance

Employment Law Changes in 2022

Posted on by Blue Tree HR

As the new year kicks off, employers must be aware of upcoming changes to the employment law and adjust their policies and procedures. These are some of the employment law changes in 2022.

National Minimum Wage

The rate of the National Minimum Wage will increase to £9.18 for workers aged between 21 and 22. The rates for workers aged 18-20 will increase to £6.38 and £4.81 for those aged 16-17. Statutory sick pay will also increase to £99.35 per week. The National Living Wage is also set to rise to £9.50.

Parental Leave

There will also be an increase in the rate for statutory maternity, shared parental pay, adoption, paternity, and maternity allowance to £156.66 per week.

Right to Work

Full right to work checks will return from 5th April 2022. During the pandemic, employers had the right to carry these out remotely.

Holidays

The bank holiday, which would typically fall on 30th May, will now be on Thursday 2nd June 2022, in line with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. There will be another bank holiday on the 3rd of June 2022. Employers will need to check contracts to understand if their employees will be entitled to this day.

National Insurance Contributions

The National Insurance Contribution will increase by 1.25% from April 2022, and this will apply to all employed adults in the UK. Tax rates on shared dividends will also increase by the same.

Family Friendly Rights

The Employment Bill announced in 2019 is expected to be passed in 2022. In this Bill, there will be the introduction of statutory neonatal leave and pay for the parents of babies that require neonatal care. It will also include the extension of the redundancy protection period for employees on maternity leave. The period will increase for up to six months after returning to work. Carer’s leave will become a statutory right. Employees with caring responsibilities will be entitled to take one week of unpaid leave per year from the day they start employment.

Third-Party Harassment

Third-party harassment laws are also expected to change in 2022. It will include an extension to the period for raising tribunal claims and enhanced protection against third-party harassment. Third-party includes clients, customers, and members of the public.

There are some changes to the Flexible Working Regulations 2014 expected, with the Government currently consulting on the reforms. Some areas the Government are looking at include:

  • The right to request flexible working to be available to employees from the day they start.
  • Assessing the business reasons for rejecting flexible working requests and whether these are still applicable.
  • Understanding whether employers are looking into alternative working arrangements if they reject flexible working requests. 
  • Increasing awareness of flexible working and the benefits it offers.

If you would like to discuss the changes to the employment law and what these mean for you or if you need assistance with contracts, or any other HR advice and guidance, you can call us at 01787 695084 or email info@bluetreehr.uk.

How to Ensure Your Culture is Supporting Mental Health

Posted on by Blue Tree HR

The average person spends over 13 years at work. Let that sink in.

With the time we spend at work and our lives constantly moving at a staggering pace, it is no wonder that mental health is such a problem in society these days. We spend our time at work trying to juggle phone calls, emails, meetings, and that’s before we sit down and do some work. It is no wonder that many people end up feeling stressed and find that their mental health is suffering. That’s why it is so important to ensure that you are creating a culture that supports mental health. According to a report from Benenden, only 23.8% of employees said their employer speaks to them about mental health.

Listen to your Employees

If employees are telling you that they are overworked or struggling to cope – listen to them and take it on board. There is no point in piling work on someone if they are unable to get through it, as instead of increasing productivity, it will have the opposite impact and you will be dealing with employee burnout. If employees have any concerns, don’t just dismiss them, make sure you take them on board and try to deal with them positively.

Lose the Stigma

There is a lot of stigmas attached to mental health. If someone breaks their leg, they’ll get all the sympathy in the world. However, if someone says they feel anxious, depressed, or generally low, they will either be avoided or met with disbelief. As an invisible illness, it can be difficult for people to comprehend unless they have suffered from it themselves. It is important to lose the stigma attached to mental health. Make mental health a part of your culture, and actively use the words and introduce training so people are familiar with it. If an employee is off with these types of problems, make sure you speak to them on their return and find out what you can do to support them. If an employee says they are staying off with mental health issues, the chances are that this is true. Even if it is mental health problems relating to feeling anxious about going to work.

Recognise Employees

You should always show your appreciation for your employees, even a simple ‘thank you’ can go a long way to helping mental health. Your employees are people, they are not robots, and they need to feel that they are valued in some way. Employee recognition is key in any organisation. Employees don’t want to feel that they are just making up numbers, they want to feel appreciated. This is even more important if your employees are working remotely.

Provide Development Opportunities

Employees need to feel that there is a clear development plan in place. A structure that can help them meet their goals. If they don’t have anything to aim for, their mental health may suffer. For SME’s this can be more challenging, but there is no harm in setting out the potential areas of growth.

Awareness of Negativity

One negative employee can have a hugely detrimental impact on other employees, and it is important to be aware of this so you can deal with it quickly. Regular check-ins can help you identify any issues with negativity or poor morale within the company.

Mental health should be at the forefront of everything you do. An awareness of your employees and their mental health should always be a priority. If you would like to discuss changing or improving your workplace culture, or have any questioning regards to HR support for business then you can contact us on 07516 335419 or email info@bluetreehr.uk