Commentary and insights

All items: Pay and benefits

  • IR35: What does public-sector HR need to know about the April 2021 changes?

    Date:
    5 February 2021

    HR professionals in public authorities may think that the extension of IR35 reforms to the private sector in April 2021 will not affect them. However, public-sector bodies need to be aware of, and prepare for, some changes to the rules.

  • Employee benefits: no longer one-size-fits-all

    Date:
    4 January 2021

    A benefits scheme is a vital part of HR's recruitment and retention toolkit but employers are starting to realise that traditional off-the-shelf packages are no longer the best way to meet changing employee needs and attract new talent.

  • Employment law: Seven key tasks for HR in 2021

    Date:
    11 November 2020

    2020 was the year that HR was required to react to the unexpected, but it's now time to plan for the known challenges in the coming year. We look at what HR can do to prepare for 2021.

  • Eight steps to consider when changing your DC pension

    Date:
    12 May 2020

    Changing the defined contribution (DC) pension scheme might be something organisations are considering in the context of furlough or simply in the course of your ordinary business. Done well, change exercises can be a great opportunity to educate and engage employees about pension benefits. Helen Rowan identifies eight practical steps that HR teams should consider to make the pension change a success.

  • Holiday pay calculation and back payments

    Date:
    8 August 2019

    Consultant editor Darren Newman looks at the latest rulings in a long line of holiday pay cases, including one with significant back-pay implications for Northern Ireland employers. He also explains why the issue of lengthy back-pay periods may not yet be completely resolved for employers in the rest of the UK.

  • Trauma and stress: Supporting workers' families

    Date:
    19 February 2019

    We explore the potential impact of workers' exposure to traumatic events and other stressful environments on their families and look at some of the measures that employers can take to support those families.

  • Local authority pay and grading structures

    Date:
    5 September 2018

    This article looks at the pay structure for local authority employees, set out in the National Agreement on Pay and Conditions of Service (the Green Book).

  • Sleeping care worker only "available" for work and not actually working for minimum wage purposes

    Date:
    24 July 2018

    Consultant editor Darren Newman looks at a recent case in which the Court of Appeal ruled that a care worker required to sleep on the employer's premises was simply "available" for work rather than actually working, and therefore caught by the sleepover exemption in the minimum wage legislation.

  • Executive pay ratio reporting: Six issues for employers to consider now

    Date:
    17 July 2018

    On 1 January 2019, legislation comes into force requiring UK quoted companies with more than 250 employees to publish the pay ratio between their CEO and "average" employees. Jo Faragher investigates the issues related to mandatory executive pay ratio reports that employers should be thinking about now.

  • Transparency requirements relating to local authority pay

    Date:
    25 July 2017

    This article looks at the various requirements on local authorities to publish information about their pay policies and structures.

About this category

Commentary and insights: HR and legal information and guidance relating to pay and benefits.