A number of companies have announced plans to cut back on staff benefits to cope with the cost of the new national living wage.
But is this legal? Could there be alternative ways to manage the hike in staff salaries?
At one time only musicians looked to get a 'gig'. The rest of us found 'proper jobs' that paid a fixed monthly salary with holidays and let us plan for the future with some legal rights.
Today more of us have left this traditional job model to try to make a living working for ourselves on one-off 'gigs' –as temporary workers, independent contractors or people selling their skills through websites. The 'gig economy' has firmly entered employment vocabulary, becoming a catch-all term for anything from Uber taxi drivers and Airbnb hosts to freelance professionals.
Read more: What does the highly flexible 'gig economy' way of working mean for HR?
Update on apprenticeships
The government has recently confirmed that the apprenticeship levy will be implemented from April 2017 as originally proposed.
House of Commons Justice Committee reports on court and tribunal fees
The House of Commons Justice Committee has recently published its critical review of Court and Tribunal Fees. The review covers the impact of Employment Tribunal Fees and notes there has been a steep decline (a drop of 70%) in the number of claims being brought. The report states that ET fees have had a significant adverse impact on access to justice for meritorious claims.
The report sets out four main recommendations:
It's official! Britain has voted to leave the European Union!
Whether they are cheering or crying into their cornflakes, employers across the country need to start thinking about the implications of Brexit for their business and their workforce. So much of our employment law has originated from Europe so what will happen in practice once we are no longer part of the European Union?
