Across Ovo Energy, our goal is to increase the number of women who work in technology. So far this year we’ve exceeded our target of 15%, with women being 21% of new hires, and the number of women in technology and leadership positions has also increased. We put this result down to the way we’ve checked for gender-biased language within our revamped recruitment process. While these changes may seem small, they’re helping us reach our 20% female tech talent goal by 2025, so they’re really important.”
Back to Contents
There will be no requirement for face masks in offices 16 July 2020
Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, has confirmed that there are no plans to make English employees wear face masks while they are in the office.
Speaking to the media, Mr. Hancock said:
“It’s something we’ve looked at and rejected”, but Mr. Hancock did confirm that masks should be worn by the public in other situations “ for the foreseeable future ."
The questions around face masks being mandatory in office workspaces were prompted by the fact that face coverings must be worn within shops in England from 24 July 2020 onwards.
In Scotland, it is already a requirement for shoppers to utilise face masks, and in Wales and Northern Ireland, they are considering mirroring this rule.
Speaking further on the topic, Mr. Hancock commented:
“When you’re in close proximity with somebody that you have to work closely to, if you’re there for a long time with them, then a mask doesn’t offer that protection.
The same logic applies for schools – we’re not recommending masks for schools because if you’re in a classroom with kids all day then a mask doesn’t give you protection.”
Back to Contents
Jobs fall by 649,000 between March and May 2020 20 July 2020
Data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) indicates that, during lockdown, between March and May 2020 the number of employees on payroll, taken from Pay As You Earn Real Time Information (PAYE RTI), fell by 2.2% - the equivalent of 649,000 job losses . Unemployment has not increased as significantly as it would have done as a result of COVID-19, had the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) not been created to protect jobs by placing employees at risk of redundancy on furlough, but it has been predicted that, as the scheme unwinds, we will begin to witness higher levels of unemployment and a potential recession. Since the start of the outbreak of coronavirus, the ONS has recorded that the total weekly hours worked had fallen by a staggering 175.3 million, or 16.7%, to 877.1 million hours. In addition to this, the number of job vacancies have also sharply declined, falling to 333,000 between April and June. This is approximately two-thirds lower when compared to the same period last year, and concerningly, the lowest level since the ONS began collecting comparable data in 2001. The data also highlights the fact that young people have been affected particularly badly by the pandemic, with 47,000 more young people employed than there were a year ago.
Back to Contents
The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals
Payroll: need to know
cipp.org.uk
Page 288 of 590
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker