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Advice for employers ahead of 2019 general election 14 November 2019
2019 has certainly been an eventful year for politics in the UK and with the upcoming general election on 12 December, there is more scope for political conversation and debate than ever.
Naturally, discussions of this nature will spill over into the office, so PA Life has offered some useful tips for organisations, as discussions regarding political persuasion and beliefs can often escalate and become confrontational and unpleasant. The advice is that, whilst political conversations cannot be stopped, employers should remind their staff of the requirement to respect each other’s views and must also clearly state what behaviour is acceptable and what is not. Special attention must be placed on preventing harassment against employees via political beliefs, particularly on the grounds of race, gender, sexual orientation, and religion. Expressing political allegiance through visible means, for example, clothing, should be prohibited in the workplace. This may be particularly relevant if staff are customer-facing. Similarly, restrictions should be imposed on the use of workplace social media and IT equipment, which will work to prevent employees from expressing their personal political viewpoints in a way which will then directly reflect on their employer. In terms of allowing staff to take time off to vote, there is currently no statutory obligation for organisations to offer this. If a company does decide to grant any leave for this reason, the same rules should apply to all staff, or only offered in individual cases where more flexibility is required. Employers need to be careful to ensure that they are not discriminating against anybody when allowing time off to vote.
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Scottish budget postponed until after Christmas 19 November 2019
Finance secretary, Derek Mackay has confirmed that the Scottish budget that was scheduled for 12 December 2019 will be delayed until after Christmas due to the impending general election.
Speaking to the Finance and Consultation committee, Mackay stated, “The Scottish Budget should be published after the UK Budget, a view the Finance Committee have indicated they share. Without a UK budget we would not know the final details of any Barnett consequentials from UK spending, or the impact of UK tax decisions. It would also be better to consider any new UK Government tax policy announcements and the OBR’s new tax, social security and economic forecasts before a new Scottish Budget is brought forward. For these reasons, I have proposed that the Scottish Budget is not published until after Christmas, and I will work with the Committee to agree a new Budget date as soon as possible.A post-Christmas Scottish Budget will mean a shortened overall timescale in which to deliver and approve the Budget, and this will require flexibility on the part of the Parliament, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Fiscal Commission.” News of the postponement follows the fact that the budget that was originally scheduled for 6 November will not go ahead prior to the election that will be held in December. It is highly unlikely that a budget will be held this year, and It will most likely take place in 2020.
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BACS publish processing dates for the festive period 2019 20 November 2019
The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals
Payroll: need to know
cipp.org.uk
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