The organisation says that more training for GPs is required to encourage more of them to use the ‘may be fit for work’ option on the note. It is also calling for the government to implement the recommendations of the Frost/Black report, which include tax incentives for employers to invest in rehabilitation measures, and speeding up the shift to an electronic fit note.

Just under a quarter (23 per cent) of employers in the survey had proactively provided information to local GPs on the type of adjustments they could offer sick employees to help them return to work. These proactive employers received more helpful fit notes: while employers in general received fewer than one in ten notes which used the ‘may be fit for work’ option, employers which had provided information received between two and three in ten which fell into this category. Furthermore, there was a reduction in the proportion of employees who cited the attitude of GPs as a ‘barrier’ to rehabilitation of staff – 23 per cent said this, down from 26 per cent last year and 34 per cent in 2008.

While short-term absence rates have continued to improve, long-term absence saw an increase in 2011 with higher rates of stress, anxiety and depression particular concern. The survey, sponsored by Westfield Health, also asked about ‘presenteeism’ for the first time, with 55 per cent of employers expressing some concern about the issue of employees coming to work while sick.

Firms in the survey said that over half (51 per cent) of their employees had no sickness absence at all in 2011, up from 46 per cent in 2010. This finding may indicate increased presenteeism, in addition to positive employer measures such as setting stretching absence targets, training line managers and providing employees with occupational health services. Smaller companies continue to have a lower average rate of absence than larger firms.

For more information regarding sickness and absence and best-practice methods to manage absence levels within your organisation, contact our HR specialists now on 0115 9853199 or e-mail hr@pbs.uk.com .

Alternatively, download our template absence policy now from our HR Document Shop, to ensure legal compliance with all aspects of UK employment law in this area.

They reviewed hundreds of the latest batch of PAYE codes sent to their clients to determine the exact number requiring some form of adjustment. Results showed approximately 25% of codes reviewed from a random sample would have resulted in the taxpayer paying too much, or in some cases too little, tax. In some cases the amount of tax in error was thousands of pounds.

Taxpayers with multiple sources of income – such as pensioners and higher rate taxpayers – are particularly vulnerable to PAYE coding errors. In some cases HMRC automatically tried to collect tax on property or interest income through PAYE when the actual amount owed by taxpayers was zero.

Strong denial

A spokesman for HMRC however strongly contested the figures.

He said: “We don’t recognise any of the numbers cited. Accuracy of PAYE coding notices on the basis of information we hold is 98 per cent. Most people are paying the right tax. If any agent has information about their clients’ changed circumstances they should let us know.”

But UHY says that where taxpayers are earning close to the higher rate tax band, HMRC often assumes that they will be a higher rate taxpayer the following year – even if they have never been a higher rate taxpayer before.

For more information regarding PAYE, and our flexible, confidential, and reliable payroll outsourcing service, contact us now on 0115 9853199 or e-mail info@pbs.uk.com

· Employees get immediate access to their payslip; no need to wait for the post

· Far more secure than sending hard copies through the post; all e-mails are encrypted

· Reduces your carbon footprint; enhancing your company’s green credentials

· Setup of our e-mail payslip service is simple

· Our e-mail payslips can also include your company branding

To begin saving time and money, call us on 0115 9853199 or e-mail info@pbs.uk.com, to begin saving time and money with our Fully Managed UK payroll Service and our e-payslip solution.

In achieving this prestigious accreditation, PBS has confirmed that it operates an Information Security Management System (ISMS) in accordance with the stringent criteria of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). At audit, all aspects of PBS’s data handling procedures were reviewed, including physical infrastructure, site security and access management, personnel capabilities, communications and operations, legal compliance criteria, and back-up and disaster recovery systems.

Marketing and International Payroll Manager at PBS, John Pindar, explains ‘ Due to the nature of our industry, ISO:27001 is of vital importance to us. The fact that we have obtained this prestigious accreditation is proof that PBS follows a very rigorous procedure when it comes to data handling. This is a major endorsement for PBS, and means that our clients can be very confident in the security of any data they send to us, and can remain completely confident that we always seeking to improve our processes and procedures’.

PBS is the East Midlands’ leading provider of outsourced payroll and HR services, and operates on both a national and international basis. PBS provides a complete UK Payroll service that complies fully with UK Payroll legislation. PBS also offers a comprehensive UK and International outsourced Human Resource Service that can ensure that businesses comply with on-going employment law changes and requirements and that staff are managed professionally.

For more information about any of our services, please contact us on 0115 9853199, or e-mail info@pbs.uk.com

If approved, the trigger point from 6th April will change from over three days to over seven days incapacitation, (not counting the actual date of accident). For more information, view the HSE website. http://www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/reporting-change.htm

For more information on our suite of Human Resources Services, including how we can help you avoid the costly penalties that could arise from ‘getting it wrong’, call our team of CIPD-qualified HR consultants on 0115 9853199 or e-mail hr@pbs.uk.com

However for those employed before 6th April 2012, the qualifying period will remain at one year’s employment.

To find out more go to; http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/RedundancyAndLeavingYourJob/Dismissal/DG_10026692

For more information on our suite of Human Resources Services, including how we can help you avoid the costly penalties that could arise from ‘getting it wrong’, call our team of CIPD-qualified HR consultants on 0115 9853199 or e-mail hr@pbs.uk.com

Employers may be  required to pay over a security (either a cash deposit from the business or a director, or a bond from an approved financial institution), where there is a risk that PAYE or NI will not be paid over.

HMRC will calculate the security required on a case by case basis, ultimately depending upon the perceived risk involved based upon the employer’s and directors’ previous record.

Any business that fails to provide the required security could face a fine of up to £5,000 which will be enforceable by the courts.

More information is available at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/thelibrary/tax-paye/paye-securities.htm

For more information regarding our flexible, reliable, and confidential UK payroll service, contact us now on 0115 9853199, or e-mail info@pbs.uk.com

Contracts of employment

You must ensure that all your employees have a signed contract of employment – if not, issue one now! A contract is an important document that governs the working relationship between you and your employees, and may prove vital in the event of a dispute!  It is a legal requirement that an employee should be provided with a contract within 8 weeks of starting their employment with you.

Employee handbooks

Employee or Staff Handbooks are an essential tool to assist you in managing your employees. They give employees a codified document explaining all aspects of company policy and procedure in one easy to reach document, (usually a hard copy in reception, or an electronic copy on the company network). This document should be up to date and fully compliant with all aspects of UK Employment Law.  If you do not have one then you could face problems in attempting to deal with difficult or wayward employees.

Absence policy

An effective and clear Absence Management Policy means that you can tackle persistent lateness or absenteeism, and lets both employee and employer know where they stand from the outset.

Appraisals

A great many companies undertake appraisals in January, but they can be done at any time of the year. Just make sure that you set out in detail what is expected of your employees and highlight any areas of improvement but do remember to let them know when they are doing well!

Performance Issues

Do you have an employee who is simply not pulling their weight? You need to deal with it before it becomes a real problem. This is where the Company Handbook and your policy on performance issues becomes a useful tool. It is important if not essential, that you get the best out of your staff, it also sends a message to your other staff that performance issues are dealt with before they become a problem.

Redundancies 

Not an easy decision to make, but may be crucial if the company is to remain profitable. Why not download our Free Redundancy Checklist from our HR Document Shop before you make any decisions? It may well be that existing employees make want to work part-time or perhaps a restructure may help to improve efficiencies and at the same time reduce overheads?

Management training 

You need your Managers to have good people skills if they are to manage your most important asset – your employees. It may be time to invest in their career development. Training & Development skills are considered as important to employees as a salary increase so by investing in your employees you are investing in the future of your business.

Changes to Terms and Conditions 

Are some of your employees working under old and somewhat onerous terms and conditions – do they need to be updated? Do you want to remove or even add in some new ones – this can be done – there is a process to be followed but with our assistance we can guide you through it.

Grievances 

Don’t let them fester. Deal with them head on and avoid costly Tribunal claims of bullying and harassment. Remember you are liable for the actions of your employees and managers, failure to deal with such issues at the outset can cause problems. Listen to your employee’s grievance, investigate it and provide an outcome. Do all you can to avoid conflict in the workplace as you do not want the outcome to be a trip to the Tribunal?

Stress

This is becoming an ever increasing problem facing employers. How you deal with it can come back and bite you if you are not careful! Look out for signs of stress and employees who are not coping. Once you have identified it, deal with it either through managing an employee’s workload or giving them the opportunity of speaking to someone about it. Dealing with it at the first signs can prevent long term sickness and potential claims.

We can help and advise you with any or all of the above, either on our fixed fee retainer or on an ad hoc basis. We are on your side and are here to provide you with the HR support that you need, when you need it. PBS UK Ltd provides an HR Advice and Guidance service either on an ad hoc basis or via our Monthly HR Retainer Service. Our HR advice service is provided by fully qualified CIPD professionals during working hours so that your HR issues can be dealt with speedily and efficiently. Our HR staff understand that  talking through HR issues can often result in an immediate solution.

Please feel free to give us a call on 0115 8853199 to have a chat or for more details of our monthly HR Retainer support package check out our website www.pbs.uk.com

Employers need to understand their rights and obligation where employees:

• are unable to get into work due to the bad weather
• they may be able to get into work but have to take the day off due to school/nursery closure

The position will very much depend on the circumstances of each case and in particular the terms and conditions of the relevant employee’s contract of employment.

Do I have to pay employees who don’t come in to work?

The general arrangement between any employer and employee is that the employee is obliged to turn up and work and the employer is obliged to provide work and pay the employee for the work they do.

Therefore, if an employee is ready and willing to work, but the employer is not in a position to provide work, for example, because the workplace is closed, then the employer should not be making any deductions from the employee’s pay.

Conversely, where an employee does not fulfil their side of the employment bargain due to an unauthorised absence from work, then the starting position would be that the employer’s obligation to pay them also falls away.

However, this general contractual position needs to be considered alongside the following:

• the statutory right not to suffer unlawful deductions from wages
• discrimination issues
• the statutory right to unpaid time off to deal with family emergencies

An employer will only have the right to withhold pay if an employee’s absence is unauthorised. An employer therefore needs to consider carefully whether the terms of their employment contracts make it clear that absence due to bad weather is not an authorised absence or whether the absence has been authorized in some other way for example, expressly by a manager?

While an obviously unauthorised absence may be grounds for disciplinary action it must be remembered that employees have statutory protection against any unauthorised deduction being made from their wages.

A deduction from wages will be unauthorised unless the employer has a power under the contract to deduct pay in these circumstances (or the employee consents to such a deduction) which is probably unlikely).

What about childcare commitments?

The reason for an employee’s absence when the weather is bad may not be related to their physical inability to attend their place of work, but because schools and nurseries are shut and they cannot make alternative childcare arrangements at short notice.

Employees have the right to take unpaid time off for family emergencies to do with their dependants. However, it should be noted that this time is intended to allow alternative arrangements to be made – it is not a right to allow employees to stay away from work in order to care for their dependants indefinitely themselves.

However, employers also need to be aware that there could be potential sex discrimination issues if employees who are absent due to childcare issues are treated less favourably than those who are absent for other reasons. For example, if an employer decided to discipline all those who stayed at home to look after their children, but not others.

Discretion

Notwithstanding the strict legal position set out above, an employer can always decide to exercise its discretion and pay employees for some or all of the days they cannot make it into work because of adverse weather conditions.

Clearly, there may be good employment relations reasons for doing so. However, it is very important that all employees are treated consistently in these circumstances in order to avoid discrimination claims.

Usage of holidays

In many instances a more practical way around the issue of absence due to adverse weather will be for an employer to consider alternatives to docking pay, such as:

• agreeing with the employee that they will take the time off as paid holiday
• allowing the employee to make up time within a specified time scale
• where the facilities exist, requiring the employee to work from home

It is arguable whether an employer has a right to compel the use of holiday entitlement after the event – again the position will depend on the contractual terms. Therefore, if an employer wishes to deduct days off due to adverse weather from an employee’s annual leave entitlement, this should be communicated to staff at the earliest opportunity.

To avoid conflicts it is important that any such alternatives are communicated clearly and applied consistently to all staff.

Adverse weather policy

Good employment practice would be to make it clear to all employees what policy will be adopted regarding payment to non-attending employees and the use of holiday entitlement in the event of adverse weather.

Employers should consider introducing an adverse weather policy and ensuring that this is adequately communicated to all employees ahead of any further adverse weather conditions. Such a policy should clearly set out the employer’s position and explain how it will handle absence related to bad weather.

Download an adverse weather policy here

Health and safety

Finally, it is absolutely essential that employers have a duty of care concerning the health and safety of their employees, so they should avoid putting undue pressure on employees to attend work if this could result in them taking unnecessary risks to get in.

If the official advice is to stay at home unless the journey is essential, employers should not be asking individuals to get in regardless. There could be a potential liability for the employer if an employee suffered an injury after being pressurised into travelling by car or foot in dangerous conditions.

A balanced approach between encouraging employees to make all reasonable efforts to get to work and not requiring them to take undue risks with their safety is required. Forcing employees into a situation where they feel they have no alternative but to travel to work or risk facing a deduction from pay and/or possible disciplinary action should be avoided.

Working from home

Where possible, it may be beneficial to set up some arrangement where employees are able to work from home if the demands of the business and the type of work allow. With this arrangement, employees will be able to work as normal (albeit remotely from a different location), whilst taking the necessary precautions from a health & safety perspective. Download a remote working policy from our site.

PBS provides full HR guidance services throughout the UK, providing you with all you need to ensure you remain compliant with all aspects of UK employment law. Our e-commerce UK HR service ensures you have all the template documents you need for immediate download. PBS also offers UK & International Payroll Services, Direct Debit collection and BACS Payment Services.

In a report on welfare reform plans the PAC says HMRC needs to consider the impact RTI will have on small businesses. RTI will be mandatory for all companies by October 2013.

“DWP and HMRC are designing a real-time information system for Universal Credit to reduce the risk of overpayments, with benefits being recalculated as soon as circumstances change,” said the Committee.

“Both DWP and HMRC need to understand how the introduction of this system will impact on small businesses and the self-employed who may not have the necessary IT to administer it.”

The report has identified that approximately 94% of employees received earnings electronically, but small businesses without electronic payroll systems and the self-employed do not currently have the capability to submit monthly data to HMRC.

“HMRC told us that it is currently identifying how best to include the last 6% of employees (about 1.5m people) and the self-employed in the RTI system, but the detail of how this is to be achieved remains to be worked through,” the report said.

To avoid the hassle of complying with RTI, outsource your payroll to PBS. For more information on our payroll services, contact us on 0115 9853199, or e-mail info@pbs.uk.com