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Working from home? How helpful is your town or city? 11 September 2020
At the height of the Covid-19 lockdown 86% of workers were reported to have shifted to homeworking.
Recent research from InstantPrint has resulted in the publication of league tables to show which towns and cities across the UK were the best (or worst) for accommodating home working.
With a combination of desk research and national survey data InstantPrint ranked major cities in the UK on their working from home merits, including information on:
• Average internet download speed • 4G signal strength
• Average property size • Average property price • Average monthly rent • Average cost of living
The top three ‘best of the best’ are:
Belfast The undisputed champion, Northern Ireland’s capital came out on top. With an excellent average internet download speed of 64.1mbps, workers in Belfast are unlikely to experience a choppy connection on their next video call. Birmingham The UK’s ‘second city’ also qualifies as the second-best city in the country for working from home. Blessed with top- notch internet download speeds, Birmingham’s 24.1mbps 4G coverage also ranks amongst the highest in the UK. Nottingham Nottingham slots in at third place with 98 points thanks to a relatively low average living cost of £890 and an average internet download speed of 62mbps.
The top three in the ‘more challenging cities’ are London, Cardiff and Sheffield
To read the full findings of the InstantPrint research visit the blog page of their website.
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Additional reason for payment of SSP – self-isolation prior to surgery 14 September 2020
HMRC has updated guidance on the payment of Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) to confirm that it has now been extended to patients who are told that they must self-isolate prior to surgery, by a doctor or healthcare professional, and are unable to work as a result. SSP will be payable from day one where a period of absence is four days or more. This is in line with payment of SSP to those who are sick or self-isolating due to coronavirus. If an individual is advised to self-isolate for three days prior to surgery, and cannot attend work on the day of the surgery, then they would also be eligible for SSP.
It is the intention that this will support people in adhering to both clinical and public health advice, as it will deliver financial support in the period that they are self-isolating and unable to work. Other SSP eligibility criteria still apply.
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The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals
Payroll: need to know
cipp.org.uk
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