Here’s a quick round up of developments we’re likely to see in employment and HR law in 2018.
Data Protection – it’s unlikely you’ve missed mention of GDPR and the Data Protection Bill implementing it in the UK was published in September last year. It’s likely to come into force on 25 May 2018. Fines for breaches of the GDPR are significant so employers should be taking steps now to ensure they’re compliant.
Gender Pay – many businesses have now published their gender pay gaps and it’s clear that some have taken the exercise more seriously than others! What will be interesting is what difference this will make and whether any issues will be addressed. Is it just another exercise that will have no real impact?
Tax / pay in lieu of notice – As of 6 April 2018, payments in lieu of notice will be treated as earnings whether there is a contractual pay in lieu of notice clause or not. Payment will be subject to deductions for income tax and class 1 national insurance contributions. For some employers who opted to pay these payments tax free in certain circumstances, this may make settlements more expensive!
Employment status – high profile cases involving Uber, Deliveroo, City Sprint and Pimlico Plumbers have kept the ‘gig economy’ in the headlines. There’s likely to be more to come! If you engage individuals in your business in ways other than as employees, it’s worth looking at this area and understanding your risks.
Grandparental leave – this was tabled by the Government back in 2015 but has been side tracked by Brexit. We’ve not heard that it’s been dropped, so might 2018 be the year it lands?
If you would like to discuss these issues further please contact a member of our employment team on 0115 9 100 200 or click here to send an email.
Posted on January 15, 2018
