First published on Tuesday, Apr 09, 2024
Last updated on Tuesday, Apr 09, 2024
Have you heard the latest news?
Welcome to HR Heartbeat, where we give you a rundown of the week's top employment law stories. Stay on the pulse of current trends impacting your business, plus get up-to-the-minute commentaries on all things HR and legal.
TUC “Minimum wage rules unfair for young workers”
On 1 April 2024, the main minimum wage rate, the national living wage, increased to £11.44 per hour. It’s also been extended to those aged 21 and 22 after the government accepted recommendations from the Low Pay Commission (LPC).
However, new analysis produced by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) suggests more than 700,000 workers aged between 18 to 20 risk being left “hugely out of pocket” due to being paid a lower rate of the minimum wage.
Campaigners say there’s no excuse for pay rates based on age and that people should be paid for equal work. The government’s stance is that paying workers based on age will encourage businesses to keep younger employees in employment.
For expert answers on this topic and more, ask BrightLightning: What are the national minimum wage rates for April 2024?
Carer’s leave advice
The new statutory right to carer’s leave is now in full force. This means your employees who have care obligations can now legally take up to five days of unpaid carers leave each year.
The new law has placed unpaid care under HR team’s responsibility. And you need to have the right policies and processes in place to support people who provide unpaid care to dependents.
As with the unpredictable nature of care responsibilities, employers and HR leaders need to be prepared for last-minute leave requests and understand your responsibilities when it comes to addressing carer’s leave in your company.
For fast and reliable carer’s leave advice, just ask BrightLightning:
- Can I ask an employee for evidence that they qualify for carer's leave?
- Can an employee take carer’s leave to deal with a care emergency?
- If an employee cares for both elderly parents, do they get two lots of carer's leave?
Are neurodiversity efforts enough?
A recent study from Birkbeck’s Research Centre for Neurodiversity at Work finds 65% of neurodivergent employees fear discrimination despite UK businesses promoting neurodiverse workplaces.
The UK has a huge neurodiverse population—15-20% of the country. So, if your workplace practices fall short of being fair and accommodating, it could be seriously damaging to your hiring and retention rates.
The study suggests attention to neurodiversity in businesses has shifted from a nice-to-have to an urgent business need. Managers should be upskilled to be able to support their workforce and on how to actively prevent and spot discrimination to protect your business.
Luckily, with BrightHR you can upskill your managers on everything they need to know about neurodiversity and supporting neurodiverse team members in the workplace.
Our learning management system BrightLearn, is packed with helpful e-learning courses, including a managerial course on Neurodiversity with modules on everything you need to know to avoid discrimination under the Equality Act 2010.
And that’s a wrap. Tune in next week for more headlines and make sure you stay ahead of major employment law changes!