Forrest Scene - June 2023

Carers Leave to become law

On 19 May 2023, the Carer’s Leave Bill had its third reading in the House of Lords, and upon receiving Royal Assent, will become law. There is not yet a date for the implementation of this bill, however it is likely that this will happen relatively quickly upon receiving Royal Assent, so it is certainly something to prepare for.

What does the bill propose?

The bill proposes to give all eligible employees one week of unpaid statutory leave every 12 months, to provide or arrange care for dependents with a long-term care need. This leave will be available to eligible employees from day one of employment.

The full details as to how this leave will be implemented are yet to be released, however it is intended that employees will be able to take the leave flexibly to suit the employee’s caring responsibilities, and the bill stipulates that the employee will not need to provide any evidence of how the leave is used or who it will be used for.

The bill also sets out that as with other family-related leave, employees making use of this statutory leave will be protected from dismissal or any detriment as a result of having taken time off.

Who can the leave be used to care for?

• A dependent in the bill is defined as a person who is a spouse, civil partner, child or parent of the employee;
• lives in the same household as the employee (except for those who are the employee’s
• boarder, employee, lodger or tenant); or
• reasonably relies on the employee to provide or arrange care.

The dependent is considered to have a long-term care need if:

• they have an illness or injury (whether physical or mental) that requires, or is likely to
• require, care for more than three months;
• they have a disability for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010; or
• they require care for a reason connected with their old age.

Impact of the Bill

It is clear that this bill will provide support and protection for those employees with caring needs, and should allow those employees to remain employed without having to explore giving up working.

For some employers, this bill may not make a huge difference as they already have similar policies in place.

However, for those employers who do not already have such a policy in place, the implementation of this bill may also be causing concerns around the administrative aspect of further statutory leave and the potential for misuse where no evidence needs to be provided by the employee.

If you are an employer and are concerned about the implications of this leave, get in touch and ForrestHR can work with you to put a Carers Policy in place that works for your requirements.

Reasonable adjustments for mental health in the workplace

Acas has recently released guidance for employers and employees on reasonable adjustments for?mental health in the workplace.

An employer must make reasonable adjustments when they are aware, or could reasonably be expected to be aware, that one of their employees is disabled and they are at a substantial disadvantage because of their disability. They should make reasonable adjustments when it becomes clear that a disabled employee is having difficulty with an aspect of their job, or if the employee requests adjustments.

Read more here.

National Minimum Wage mistakes

There are several traps employers can fall into which results in employees not receiving the national minimum wage. ?We have explored some of these below:

1.??????Salary sacrifice

Many employers operate salary sacrifice schemes for pensions, childcare vouchers or cycle-to-work schemes. ?Employers need to prevent staff from sacrificing too much pay that they then drop below NMW.

2.?????Insufficient records

Workers are entitled to be paid at least the NMW for?all?time they actually spend working. Rotas often record the number of shifts allocated, but not actual hours worked.

3.?????Not uplifting pay

Apprentices aged under 19, or who are 19 and over and in the first year of their apprenticeship, are only entitled to the apprenticeship rate for NMW. Once the apprentice is aged 19 and in the second year of their apprenticeship, they move onto the normal rates of NMW. This can result in a significant underpayment, however, many employers forget this or age-related uplifts because their systems don’t always issue reminders.

Forrest Payroll can support you with these and more, ensuring you get it right.

What are the benefits of training?

There are many benefits to providing training for your employees.?From increasing employee morale to growing the company’s output, organisations that invest in their workforce are likely to reap significant rewards.?

1.?????Reduce employee turnover

Offering employee training is a straightforward and effective way to reduce turnover.?According to LinkedIn Learning,?94% of employees?say they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their development.

2.?????Reduce lay-offs

Business priorities can change fast in today’s world, as we have seen in the recent Covid pandemic. Unfortunately, that can lead to layoffs when an employee’s skills no longer align with their employer’s needs. Layoffs can significantly impact morale among the employees left behind, and this also comes with the costs of severance payments and rehiring.?

There may be ways to avoid lay-offs, including upskilling and reskilling employees for new or expanded roles that allows companies to shift existing talent rather than start from scratch.

3.?????Improve employee engagement

LinkedIn Learning reports that employees who feel they have room to learn and grow at their companies are?3.5 times more likely to be engaged, so employee training opportunities present an ideal tool for increasing both engagement and profit.

4.?????Increase productivity

Productivity is essential for profitability. Learning how to use new technologies or tools can significantly cut the time it takes to perform everyday tasks. The?benefits of training employees?on soft skills such as time management and delegation also include streamlined processes and reduced time wastage.?

These are just some benefits that training can provide your business.?To discuss what type of bespoke training could benefit your business, get in touch today.?Also check out our training calendar for our people skills training workshops for the rest of 2023.

Did you know Forrest Health and Safety offer monthly retainers?

A monthly retainer covers everything from full access to Health and Safety assistance and advice, document preparation, document review and checking, advice on accident and incident reporting and the investigation processes plus more.?

We also provide advice and practical support across the following areas:

???Health & Safety in the Workplace

????Food Hygiene Standards

???Fire Safety

???ISO

???SSIP Accreditations

???Risk Assessments

Forrest Health & Safety is able to support your business in any way that suits you. Depending on the service you require, we will be able to quote you hourly rates, monthly retainers or fixed fees for a one-off service, so get in touch today.

Check out the article provided to Times of Tunbridge Wells by our CEO - Prioritising Mental Health in the Workplace: A Path to Success.

Client Testimonials

"Thank you to ForrestHR for dealing with our employment documents, contracts and GDPR guidance. As a small business owner you always want to get on with what you know, so using experts in the field to manage this side really helps you to concentrate on your business."