We round up the latest employment news.
Furlough ends on Thursday 30 September
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme ends on Thursday 30 September. For claims relating to August and September 2021, the government will pay 60% of wages up to a maximum cap of £1,875 for the hours the employee is on furlough.
You must submit claims for September by Thursday 14 October 2021, and, if you need to make amendments, submit these by Thursday 28 October 2021.
New report into living longer and the impact of working from home on older workers
The Office for National Statistics has produced a report detailing the impact of working from home on people between the age of 50 and retirement age. The report indicated that working flexibly and working from home may help older workers remain in their jobs for longer. It also found that people who didn’t work from home during the pandemic shared characteristics, such as poorer health, wellbeing, and education.
Physical right to work checks delayed again
The government has pushed back its deadline to reintroduce physical right to work checks to Tuesday 5 April 2022. The Home Office has updated its guidance, which gives employers the option of completing checks via video conference with copies of documents.
One in four employers aren't giving staff paid time off to get COVID vaccinations
Acas has reported that one-in-four employers aren’t giving staff paid time off to receive the coronavirus vaccination. Also, 25% of employers aren’t providing sick pay for those who are off work due to the side effects of the vaccine.
Will menopause be added to the list of ‘protected characteristics’ in the Equality Act?
The Women and Equalities Committee are considering this question as part of its inquiry into how menopausal women are treated at work, and what steps need to be taken to protect them. They’re seeking views to help inform the development of a Women’s Health Strategy and are hearing evidence until Friday 17 September.
Seven destinations added to the green travel list from Monday 30 August 2021
The Department for Transport has updated the green and red travel lists. As of Monday 30 August 2021, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, and the Azores were added to the green list, while Thailand and Montenegro have been added to the red list due to their higher case rates.
Passengers returning from green list countries won’t need to self-isolate on return, but will still have to take a pre-departure and day-two test when they return to the UK.
Survey reveals 17% of parents had to reduce working hours due to childcare issues
A survey of more than 3,000 parents by The Early Years Alliance has found that one-in-six respondents (of which 92% were women) had to reduce their working hours because they couldn’t access suitable childcare. A third of those that didn't access childcare would like to, but 88% of the group cited cost as a barrier. Those who reduced their hours did so by an average 41%, those from deprived areas were 22% more likely to be struggling, and 80% believed the government wasn’t doing enough to help them.
Uptake of paternity pay drops to 12-year low during the pandemic
Data released by HMRC shows that only 27% of those eligible to take paternity leave during the pandemic did so. 176,000 men claimed statutory paternity pay in the 12 months to Wednesday 31 March 2021 compared with 652,000 women taking maternity or shared parental leave over the same period.
Comparatively, 208,000 men took paternity leave in 2019-20 and 203,000 in 2018-19. The 2020 figure is the lowest since 2008. It’s thought to be due to the low rate of statutory paternity pay (£152 per week), combined with financial pressure people were under during the pandemic. In addition, the increase in home and flexible working arrangements means childcare is more easily arranged around people’s jobs.
HMRC publishes list of excuses given for not paying minimum wage
HMRC have revealed some examples of excuses given by employers for not paying the national minimum wage.
The most ridiculous ones included:
• “She does not deserve the National Minimum Wage because she only makes the teas and sweeps the floors.”
• “The employee was not a good worker, so I did not think they deserved to be paid the National Minimum Wage.”
• “My accountant and I speak a different language – he does not understand me, and that is why he does not pay my workers the correct wages.”
Company car fuel rates increases
From Wednesday 1 September, new advisory fuel rates for company car schemes apply. The rates for all petrol cars increase by 1p per mile. The rate for diesel cars depends on engine size and varies between 1p and 2p. Rates for LPG cars reduce by 1p and 2p depending on engine size, and the rate for fully electric cars remains the same.
If the rate paid per mile of business travel is no higher than the advisory rate for the particular engine size and fuel type of the car, HMRC will accept that there i’s no taxable profit and no Class 1 NICs liability.
Read more - September 2021
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