Sample 1 - Blog #UK workforceSample 1 - Blog #UK workforcehttps://lololol.zohosites.com/thoughts/tag/UK-workforceSat, 03 Aug 2024 03:15:34 -0700http://zoho.com/sites/<![CDATA[Upcoming changes from April 2020: Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay]]>https://lololol.zohosites.com/thoughts/post/Upcoming-changes-from-April-2020-Parental-Bereavement-Leave-and-Pay
The Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act is due to come into force in April 2020.

Entitlement:

The upcoming changes will entitle employees who lose a child under the age of 18, or suffer a stillbirth from the 24th week of pregnancy, to two weeks’ unpaid leave, as a right from day one of their employment. The period of leave may be taken during 56 weeks after the death or stillbirth. 


Eligibility:

It will be available to only employees and as noted above, it will not require a period of minimum service. The affected employee(s) will need to have suffered the loss of a child under the age of 18, or suffer a stillbirth from the 24th week of pregnancy.


The child’s parent(s) will include:
  • Adoptive parents
  • Perspective adopters
  • Intended parents under a surrogacy arrangementent
Required Notice:

It is key to note that notice does not need to be provided in writing. The employee must give the employer details of the date of death or still-birth, the date on which they seek to start their leave and whether they intend on taking a week or the full 2 week period. 


If an employee seeks to have their leave start within the first 7 weeks of suffering the loss, then they will need to advise their employer before the time they are due to start work on the day they wish for the leave to start. If leave is to be taken between 8 to 56 weeks, then at least 7 days’ notice is required. 

Leave can be cancelled and re-arranged as per the same notice provision above.
Pay:
Only employees or paid office holders with at least 6 months continuous service, and they must also have been employed until at least the day of the death or stillbirth. Pay will be paid at the same rate as statutory paternity pay or shared parental pay. At present it is £148.68, but will increase to £151.20 from April 2020. 


Practical Steps:
  • Best practice would dictate that it is the ideal position to have a policy in place dealing with parental bereavement leave and pay. 
  • Where there are other ancillary polices such as a Compassionate Leave Policy, it would be advisable to check these and ensure that they are updated accordingly in relation to leave and pay arrangements. 

Credits: Paida Dube, Employment Solicitor  - DavidsonMorris

We aim to deliver much needed capital for SME’s and Property Developers.

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]]>Mon, 30 Mar 2020 01:12:51 -0800<![CDATA[Upcoming changes from April 2020: Statement of terms]]>https://lololol.zohosites.com/thoughts/post/Upcoming-changes-from-April-2020-Statement-of-terms
The Employment Rights (Employment Particulars and Paid Annual Leave) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 and the Employment Rights (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019 also come into force.
Currently employers have up to two months to issue the statement to any employee working for them for more than a month, but from 6 April 2020 the right to a statement of written particulars will become a day one right. The statement will now need to include the following details:  
  • how long a job is expected to last, or the end date of a fixed-term contract
  • how much notice the employer and worker are required to give to terminate the agreement
  • details of eligibility for sick leave and pay
  • details of other types of paid leave e.g. maternity leave and paternity leave
  • the duration and conditions of any probationary period
  • all remuneration (not just pay) e.g. vouchers, lunch, health insurance
  • the normal working hours, the days of the week the worker is required to work, and whether or not such hours or days may be variable, and if they may be how they vary or how that variation is to be determined
  • any training entitlement provided by the employer, any part of that training entitlement which the employer requires the worker to complete, and any other training which the employer requires the worker to complete and which the employer will not bear the cost.
Currently employers have up to two months to issue the statement to any employee working for them for more than a month, but from 6 April 2020 the right to a statement of written particulars will become a day one right.

We aim to deliver much needed capital for SME’s and Property Developers.

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​+44 (0) 203 2909019

The above changes apply to employees and workers starting on or after 6 April 2020. Contracts issued prior to this date are not affected by this change. 

Practical action points: 

  • Employers should take early steps to review their current contracts of employment to ensure that they are ready prior to the changes coming into effect. 
  • It would also be advisable for HR undertaking the recruitment processes to ensure that all the required information is included in their contracts.
  • Employers should also consider having procedures as part of the recruitment process to ensure documentation is issued on or before the first day of work. It’s anticipated that most employers do send out contracts prior to a start date

Credits: Paida Dube, Employment Solicitor  - DavidsonMorris
]]>Sat, 14 Mar 2020 08:59:46 -0800<![CDATA[Are construction firms putting too much of an emphasis on immediate financial goals?]]>https://lololol.zohosites.com/thoughts/post/Are-construction-firms-putting-too-much-of-an-emphasis-on-immediate-financial-goals


The collapse of Carillion, a major British multinational facilities management and construction services company, has highlighted some major downfalls within the UK construction industry and has even led to a report being published by Constructing Excellence, revealing that 43% of construction firms prioritise immediate financial goals over organisational resilience.

 

So, what else have these reports revealed about the financial situation of construction firms and what steps can be taken to improve it in terms of building better financial models?

 

The findings

 

The reports revealed that senior business managers and executives within the construction industry highlighted a number of financial issues as being detrimental to their business goals, including inadequate budgets, insufficient senior management focus on resilience and a lack of skills or knowledge related to ensuring business continuity could be achieved.

 

At present, the construction industry is a major player within the UK economy, contributing £138bn in value added to the UK economy and employing 3.1 million people, which equates to 9% of the total UK workforce.

With the uncertainty of the UK economy still a present issue, what can leaders within the construction industry do to remain on top?


Embrace the benefits of new technology

Providing staff with new technology will ensure that the industry remains dynamic and will also help with boosting productivity and efficiency. For example, 3D BIM modelling can help with project planning and also material acquisition.


Listen to your staff’s needs when it comes to training

If you want to improve your company’s credentials, it’s important that you listen to the people that are working for you and adjust your training accordingly.


Manage your client’s expectations 

With large construction projects, it’s inevitable that there are going to be setbacks and areas of tasks that don’t go exactly according to plan. Because of this, it’s important that you set realistic timeframes and expectations with stakeholders before going ahead with a project.


Planning is everything

It might sound fairly obvious and rudimentary, but effective planning is crucial to businesses that are operating within the construction industry. A good place to start with planning improvements would be to look retrospectively at other projects that you have completed and consider what could have gone better in terms of planning. 

We aim to deliver much needed capital to start-ups and SMEs

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