Do you need employment Tribunal Insurance?

· by Emma Browning
Because employment law is probably not your area of expertise, it can appear complex and against you as the employer. Unfortunately, the bigger HR providers play on this fear of getting things wrong and that you could end up in costly employment tribunals. In many circumstances, getting into these sorts of situations, can be prevented by good HR advice and support, and nipping things in the bud early. Have a read of our blog to see why you don’t need Employment Tribunal Insurance. Over the last 12 months, many of…

Do we need to update our contracts of employment if people are now working permanently from home?

· by Emma Browning
Yes, you do, but let’s take a look at a few principles first. A contract of employment is an agreement between the employee and the employer that outlines the rights and duties of both sides. At some stage either you as the employer or your employee might want to change the contract of employment. However, neither party can change the employment contract without each others’ agreement. Changes should normally be made after negotiation and agreement and should always be confirmed in writing. Changes to employment contracts could be made by:…

Can we insist on seeing employee’s vaccination records?

· by Emma Browning
The short answer is, not unless you have a good reason to do so! An employer that intends to ask employees if they have been vaccinated against coronavirus (COVID-19) must be clear about its reasons for doing so. To comply with its data protection obligations, it must ensure that it has a legal basis for processing such information and that it complies with the conditions for processing special category data (relating to employees’ health) under the UK GDPR. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published guidance for organisations on when…

Is it my responsibility as the employer to confirm the employees’ settlement status if they are a non UK worker?

· by Emma Browning
As a result of Brexit, all EU nationals currently working and living in the UK must have secured settled or pre-settled status if they want to remain in the UK, as the deadline to do so was 30 June 2021 What is settled status? Securing settled or pre-settled status allows your EU national workers to remain working in the UK and have access to the usual services that any British citizen would have (e.g. free access to the NHS, enrol in education, access public funds to benefits and pensions (where…

My employees are refusing to come back to the office – what should I do?

· by Emma Browning
Employees are required to obey their employer’s reasonable instructions, which would normally include attending work where the employer has put in place safe-working measures in line with government guidance. However, ss.44 and 100 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 protect employees against detriment or dismissal where, in “circumstances of danger” that the employee reasonably believes to be “serious and imminent”, they leave their workplace (or any part of it); refuse to return to their workplace (or any part of it); take appropriate steps to protect themselves or others from the…

Your Top 5 HR Questions answered this month

· by Emma Browning
Here’s our round up of the most frequently asked questions from our clients and our advice for you, which we hope you find helpful. If you have a question you’d like answered next month, then just send it to us at hello@merakihr.com and we may include it in next month’s Top 5! 1.My employees are refusing to come back to the office – what should I do? Employees are required to obey their employer’s reasonable instructions, which would normally include attending work where the employer has put in place safe-working…

It’s time to get back to work – well amost!

· by Emma Browning
As the Government has announced plans to remove the current ‘work from home if you can’ guidance and all legal limits on indoor and outdoor meetings with effect from 19 July 2021, we wanted to send you an update on how this may impact you and your business. Here are some of the key considerations: Talk to your staff. Employers should be aware that mandating a wholesale return to the office carries several legal risks. Although there is no legal right for employees to work from home, employers should take…

Are you a legally compliant employer?

· by Emma Browning
There have been many HR challenges in the last 18 months and significant changes to your working practices can’t be achieved overnight, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t make sure you are legally compliant as an employer. As we quickly roll into the final quarter of 2021, most business owners will be focusing on a couple of things to make sure they meet their business objectives. However, if you still have some big goals that you haven’t quite smashed, now’s the time to pull your socks up and make…

The F word is finally coming to an end . . . . . . .

· by Emma Browning
As the Furlough schemes comes to an end on the 30th September, find out what you need to do if you still have staff that are furloughed. How does furlough work, and how is it changing? Furlough was introduced in spring 2020, to stop people being laid off by their employers during lockdown. The government initially paid 80% of the wages of people who couldn’t work, or whose employers could no longer afford to pay them, up to a monthly limit of £2,500. Employers have to pay pension and National…

It’s time to get back to the office – well almost!

· by Emma Browning
We all thought that as of the 19th July we would be getting back to some form of normality as lockdown restrictions were easing!  However,  as the government seem to be back tracking on their recent advice about getting back to the office, and are now saying that we should “continue to work from home” if we can, and we are being “encouraged” to continue to wear masks, we wanted to send you our thoughts on how you approach getting back to work! Talk to your staff. Employers should be…