wage, and there is of course a lot of water to flow under the bridge before we get to 2020. For instance, there may well be some further changes to minimum wage regulations following the Taylor review of modern workplaces. As some of you will know Matthew Taylor has recommended that consideration be given to introducing a higher rate of minimum wage for hours that are not guaranteed as part of the contract. Whether the national living wage can continue to be increased without impacting unduly on employment will depend on the skill of the Low Pay Commission but I don’t think there is any real chance that we will see an end to statutory minimum wages for no other reason than that it now plays a major role in limiting the burden on the Exchequer of working family support payments and tax credits. In conclusion, there is little doubt that in recent years the issues
of pay and reward and their associated administration has become far more complex. It is not just government interventions in the form of the national minimum wage and national living wage that make it so but also the increasing complexity of case law particularly around the issue of working time and holiday pay. ACAS has long-worked-hard to help people understand this complexity and we have been delighted to work with the CIPP to develop new advice and guidance. For instance, we have recently been working with the Institute on some new guidance around holiday pay. We will continue to do all we can to assist those in the payroll profession to deal with the everyday problems they face and remember – we are only a phone call away.
Plenary 2 - Employment law update
Jade Linton, employment solicitor, Sydney Mitchell LLP
In an engaging and extremely informative session Jade’s update covered: what’s new in employment law; how businesses are affected; headline cases over past twelve months; what’s on the horizon.
Jade first of all looked at the common legal pitfalls facing employers.
Beginning with the probation period, she outlined the best practice for using the probation period to assess the employee’s suitability for the role before discussing: ● Extending probation
● Dismissal before the end of probation ● Claims during the probation period; and ● Probation periods and existing employees
Jade next looked at company policies, their relevance, clarity and accessibility by staff, as well as considering the pros and cons of contractual versus non-contractual terms.
The need to explore underlying issues when managing performance, including the use of performance improvement plans, formed the next thread of Jade’s session, before finishing with a roundup of what changes we can expect to see in the future.
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