New employment rights raise another red flag for employers

Dispute Resolution Solicitors Surrey

New payslip requirements are set to come into force, requiring itemised calculations for variable rates of pay and hours worked. Alongside, the requirement for payslips will be extended to include workers, not just employees.  

The two amendments to the 1996 Employment Rights Act 1,2 will come into force on April 6 2019. From that date, employees and workers, including those under casual or zero hours contracts, must receive correctly detailed written, printed or electronic payslips.

The greater transparency is designed to help employees understand their pay and see if they are being paid correctly. Also, it is hoped that it will make it easier to identify if employers are meeting their obligations under the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage and that holiday entitlements are correctly applied.

But while the change itself is straightforward, new payroll procedures and alternative software may be needed to satisfy the new requirements.

Alongside, a more complex question for many companies when it comes to implementing the new requirements will be whether someone is an employee, a worker or a self-employed contractor.

Many organisations do not recognise that even where someone is not an employee, they may still be categorised as a ‘worker’ and be entitled to certain rights such as the national living wage, paid holiday and sick leave. An employee may also be a ‘worker’, but with extra employment rights and responsibilities.

And the boundaries as to who is a worker and who is self-employed are increasingly difficult to pin down following high-profile cases involving Uber and other so-called gig economy companies, with individuals winning the right to be treated as a worker, rather than a self-employed contractor.

Many employers are not meeting legal minimum requirements because they do not understand their employment law obligations when it comes to workers. It’s hoped that this new process will be one step towards improved awareness.

The distinctions between an employee, a worker and a self-employed contractor may not be clear cut for some organisations, so it’s important to keep abreast of what’s going on in employment law and what legislative changes are coming up. That way you can keep ahead of the deadlines and make sure you’re facing up to issues that may otherwise pose difficulties later.

What needs to be included in the written statement of wages?

  • The amount of gross wages or salary
  • For any part that varies according to time worked, the total number of hours worked and the rate of pay, either as a single aggregate figure or separately for each type of work or rate of pay
  • The amounts of any deductions and what they relate to
  • The net amount of wages or salary payable
  • If paid in parts, the amount and payment method for each part

This is not legal advice; it is intended to provide information of general interest about current legal issues.

[1] The Employment Rights Act 1996 (Itemised Pay Statement) (Amendment) Order 2018

[2] The Employment Rights Act 1996 (Itemised Pay Statement) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2018

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Jane Crosby

Partner, Head of Dispute Resolution & Accredited Mediator

Jane is a Partner based in the Guildford office and she is also Head of the Dispute Resolution team here at Hart Brown. Jane specialises...

Jane Crosby -Head of Dispute Resolution

Partner, Head of Dispute Resolution & Accredited Mediator

Jane Crosby

Jane is a Partner based in the Guildford office and she is also Head of the Dispute Resolution team here at Hart Brown. Jane specialises in employment Law and commercial litigation and brings more than 15 years' experience to her role.

Prior to entering the legal profession, Jane was employed in the aviation industry. This experience is appreciated by many of Jane's clients who note that she is able to take a commercial and pragmatic approach to any legal issue that they face.

Jane acts for a wide range of individuals and businesses and her areas of specialism include aviation, property related industries and IT. Jane regularly advises on aspects of employment law, such as settlement agreements, employment contracts, policies and procedures, redundancies, equal pay, data protection, issues arising from TUPE and reorganisations, the calculation of holiday pay, bonus and commission payments, disciplinary and grievance issues, dismissal and termination issues, the protection of confidential information and the enforcement of restrictive covenants. Jane gets involved in GDPR training for her clients and she is able to deliver tailored employment law training sessions upon request.

As a commercial litigation lawyer, Jane also deals in shareholder and directors disputes, commercial contract disputes and the enforcement of restrictive covenants.

Jane has been involved in successful high value commercial litigation for clients in the High Courts, she is an accredited mediator and she is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association.

Jane is often asked to write for a number of well known publications, including The Daily Mail, The Telegraph and The Week and she has been interviewed on BBC Radio 4.

Here is small selection of the feedback that Jane has received:

“Jane, I cannot sincerely thank you enough for your wise counsel and am delighted to have made your acquaintance. If I am blessed with a new position somewhere I will hand over my contract in the first instance to you. Likewise, any of my friends, peers, romans and countrymen wanting advice, I will point them in your direction.”

“Jane, you have been most resilient on my behalf for which I sincerely thank you for all your endeavours. I have a tremendous working relationship with Hart Brown and you have undoubtedly compounded this further."

“I appreciated the clarity of advice given at a stressful time”.

“A sensitive and highly professional approach and efficient work in the interests of the client”.

“Your advice, conduct and assistance have been indeed outstanding and very professional but also – and most importantly – very humane”.