On 1st April, six million workers across the UK will benefit from an increase in the National Living Wage. Employers will have to pay employees a minimum hourly rate of £7.20 which equates to a 50p increase on the current minimum level of pay for employees over 25 years old. An employee who is over 25 and currently working a 35 hour week on the minimum wage will see an increase of £910 in their annual pay packet. More...

David Cameron has announced this week that there will be a nationwide focus on mental health after a review by NHS England found that the current level of care is inadequate, the department is underfunded and that 3 in 4 people with mental health problems receive no help at all, something that leads to “thousands of tragic and unnecessary deaths”. 

Improving Treatment and Helping Thousands Back to Work

The PM spoke of the stigma attached to mental health that still exists within the UK and how this, alongside poor care, can mean employees are unable to work. He has already spoken to the CEOs of some of the country’s biggest companies, including Royal Mail, Barclays and BT, implementing plans to make changes over the coming months and years. More...

A ruling from the European Court of Justice last week will have a big impact for businesses, particularly those that have workers with no fixed place of work.

The case of Federacion de Servicios Privados del sindicato Comisiones Obreras v Tyco Integrated Security SL decided that time spent travelling to your first client or customer and from your last should be classed as "working time".

Although our Government in non-statutory guidance has long been of the opinion that time spent travelling during the course of a working day should be considered as "working time", it also states that commuting to and from work outside of an employee's normal working hours is not.

Implications for the workplace

Here we explain the possible implications of this ruling for employers and employees in the UK.

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Amazon UK has been in the spotlight again this month as reports emerged that a large number of their staff have developed physical and mental illnesses as a result of their working ‘regime’.

Whilst most often we associate stress with high-flying executive level positions, studies have shown that monotonous and repetitive jobs can cause similar levels of exhaustion leading to stress and depression.

Employers should be cautious when dealing with such issues, particularly as these conditions can potentially be classed as a disability. Should these issues be approached incorrectly, employers can fall foul of disability legislation, potentially resulting in discrimination claims being lodged against them.

In addition to the monotonous working conditions, Amazon has also been criticised for implementing performance targets. It is claimed that this too increases the pressure that employees are put under as businesses that implement such targets can discipline staff should they fail to hit them. Performance targets are often frowned upon, but it is important that a business can set targets in order to achieve productivity from their staff, but it’s vital that such targets are achievable. More...

A new survey from the Chartered Management Institute has revealed that women in management positions in Wales earn approximately 13% less than males in the same position. This means that female managers are essentially working an hour a day for free.

Equal pay legislation has been around for many years – here in the UK we’ve had laws governing it for more than forty – but the figures revealed by the CMI show that we still have a problem in this country, despite it being the 21st Century. Simply put, one sex should not receive more or less than the other for performing the same or a similar role.

Changes in Equal Pay Legislation

Last month, David Cameron reaffirmed his intention to address the issue, reminding companies of the change in legislation due in 2016. The change will force companies with more than 250 staff to disclose the average pay of their employees, both male and female. Cameron believes the new legislation will “cast sunlight on the discrepancies and create the pressure we need for change, driving women’s wages up”. More...