Managing employee sickness absence is an essential part of a people manager’s role. When done correctly, it can help support employees while also maintaining productivity and morale within the team. Whether dealing with frequent short-term absences or long-term sickness, managers must ensure they comply with current UK employment legislation and should follow best practice.

Understanding the legal framework

In the UK, employee sickness absence is governed by various employment laws, including the Equality Act 2010, Employment Rights Act 1996, and Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) regulations. Managers must be aware of these legal requirements to avoid potential legal risks and ensure fairness for all employees.

1. Statutory Sick Pay (SSP): Provided they meet the eligibility criteria, employees are entitled to SSP if they are off work for four or more consecutive days due to illness, and it can be paid for up to 28 weeks. Employees must provide evidence of their illness once they have been absent for more than 7 consecutive days, and this is normally done through the provision of a Fit Note from the employee’s GP, or a specialist letter.
2. Sick Leave Policy: Employers should have a clear sick leave policy that outlines the procedures for reporting sickness, providing evidence, the process for returning to work, and how absence will be monitored. This policy should be communicated to all employees to ensure transparency.
3. Disability Discrimination: Under the Equality Act 2010, an employee’s illness may qualify as a disability if it has a long-term and substantial impact on their ability to carry out normal daily activities. In such cases, employers are required to make reasonable adjustments to support the employee, including adjustments to work duties, hours, or the physical work environment.

Managing frequent short-term absence

Frequent short-term sickness absence is one of the most challenging aspects of people management. It can disrupt team performance and lead to higher workloads for colleagues. Here are some ways to manage short-term absences effectively:

Monitor absence patterns

Keep accurate records of all sickness absences. Look for patterns, such as recurring illnesses or specific times of the year, which could indicate underlying health issues or personal problems. A consistent absence pattern can help managers spot potential problems early and take appropriate action.

Maintain open communication

Ensure open lines of communication with the employee. Speak with them regularly, especially after a period of absence, to understand the reasons behind their sickness and to express concern. It’s essential to demonstrate empathy and create a supportive and confidential environment, as this will encourage employees to communicate more openly.

Offer support

Consider whether any adjustments or accommodations could help reduce frequent absences. For example, offering flexible working hours or allowing employees to work from home may help alleviate stress or health issues that contribute to frequent sickness. Be proactive in offering assistance rather than waiting for employees to request it.

Use return-to-work interviews

Return-to-work interviews after short-term absence are a valuable tool for addressing any concerns about patterns of sickness absence. These interviews help to ensure employees are fit to return to work, while also allowing managers to identify any underlying issues and offer additional support or adjustments.

Set clear expectations

Managers should set clear expectations regarding sickness absence, including how many days of absence are acceptable before a sickness absence review is considered. This should be outlined in the employee handbook or sick leave policy to ensure everyone understands the process.

Managing long-term sickness absence

Long-term sickness absence, generally defined as any absence lasting more than four weeks, presents different challenges. Managers must handle these cases with care to ensure compliance with employment laws while supporting the employee’s well-being.

Engage in ongoing communication

For long-term sickness, regular communication is crucial. Ensure that the employee is kept in the loop regarding any changes in the workplace, while also checking in on their condition. It is important to balance support with a clear understanding of when they might be able to return to work. Employees are expected to remain in contact and provide updates about their symptoms and likely return to work, and expectations about this should be contained within the sick leave policy.

Obtain medical evidence

If the sickness is prolonged, you may need to refer the employee to occupational health. An occupational health assessment can provide expert advice on the employee’s fitness to return to work. This will also include what adjustments might be needed, and any potential risks to the employee’s health or safety. Check your contracts to ensure that there is a clause which enables you to do this. Employees should provide medical evidence via Fit Notes or a specialist letter to cover the entire period of absence.

Consider reasonable adjustments

Under the Equality Act 2010, if an employee’s illness qualifies as a disability (as defined above), you must explore reasonable adjustments to support their return to work. This could include modifications to their role, altered working hours, or other adjustments to facilitate their return to work.

Maintain fairness and consistency

It is important to handle all long-term sickness cases fairly and consistently. Managers should avoid making assumptions or discriminating against employees based on their illness. Each case should be assessed individually, but the same policies and procedures should apply to everyone.

Implement a clear return-to-work plan

Once the employee is ready to return to work, create a structured plan for their reintegration. This might include a phased return to work, where the employee works part-time initially and gradually increases their hours. The return-to-work plan should be developed in consultation with the employee, ensuring it’s realistic and tailored to their needs.

Key takeaways

• Keep accurate records of absences and look for patterns
• Ensure open communication and offer support for both short-term and long-term illness
• Be aware of your legal obligations, including SSP and reasonable adjustments for disabilities
• Use return-to-work interviews to address concerns and support employees
• Ensure consistency and fairness in managing sickness absence

By taking a structured and empathetic approach to managing sickness absence, people managers can help create a supportive work environment. This will foster productivity and employee well-being. If you need support in developing a sick leave policy, or need specific advise about an employee’s sickness absence, get in touch.

Due to the change of government in July 2024, it’s easy to be confused about legislation changes this year. We’ve looked at the details for you, so here’s a rundown of the changes.

National Minimum Wage rates

The National Minimum Wage/living rates are going up on 1 April 2025. If your pay is based on minimum wage rates per hour, you will need to implement these changes:

Statutory pay rates – From April 2025

Family friendly leave

The rates of Statutory Maternity, Adoption, Paternity, Shared Parental and Parental Bereavement pay will increase to £187.18 per week.

Statutory Sick pay

The rate of Statutory Sick Pay will increase to £118.75 per week.

Statutory redundancy payments

With effect from 6th April 2025, the statutory redundancy pay cap will increase to £719 per week. It’s important to ensure you get up to date compensation information for anyone who leaves due to redundancy on or after this date. You will need to calculate their redundancy pay on the new rate.  If the redundant employee’s normal weekly rate is under the new figure, you should calculate their redundancy compensation based on their actual weekly pay rate.

Statutory Neonatal Care Leave

This statutory leave will allow parents whose babies need hospital neonatal care to take up to 12 weeks’ paid leave, with one full week available for each full week the baby receives neonatal care. This is in addition to their statutory maternity, shared parental or paternity leave. The right will:

• be available from day one of employment
• apply to parents with babies who are admitted to hospital before they are 28 days old and
• apply to babies who need to stay in hospital for 7 days continuously or more.

Leave must be taken within 68 weeks of the baby’s birth, or placement in the case of adoption

Neonatal Care pay will only be available for employees who have 26 weeks of continuous service and who meet the minimum earnings threshold (£125 per week).

This entitlement will be effective from 6^th April 2025.

Employer National Insurance increase

National Insurance Contributions (NIC) rates for employers increase from 13.8% to 15%. In addition, the threshold at which employers start paying NICs will decrease from £9,100 to £5,000 of an employee’s annual salary / wage. This means an additional £4,100 of each employee’s earnings will be subject to Employer NICs. The net result of this will be that more lower paid employees will be subject to Employer NICs.

This change is effective from 6^th April 2025.

Upcoming changes to be confirmed

Pension Scheme Bill

In November 2024, the Government announced it will introduce a new Pension Scheme Bill in 2025. The Bill is expected to include:

• Automatic consolidation of small, deferred pension pots
• A value-for-money framework for Defined Contribution (DC) schemes
• A requirement for occupational DC schemes to offer tailored retirement income solutions
• A commercial Defined Benefit superfund to enhance financial security for its members

It’s expected that a pension dashboard will be introduced in 2025, which will allow people to view all of their pension savings (including state pensions) on one platform. The aim of this is to improve transparency and enable people to have more control of their retirement planning.

Paternity (bereavement) leave

This new right will be a day-one right. The 26-week minimum service requirement for paternity leave will not apply for fathers and partners where the mother has died in the first year after birth or adoption. This also applies to a bereaved parent of an adopted child, or intended parent of a child born through a surrogacy arrangement. In addition:

• These bereaved parents will also be able to take paternity leave
• Where the child also dies (or is returned after adoption) the employee can still take leave

There are also plans for paternity leave to be extended to 52 weeks for these bereaved partners. It is unclear whether the day one right to paternity leave in this situation will extend to paternity pay.

Trade union reforms

Some of the trade union reforms contained in the Employment Rights Bill are expected to come into force in 2025 – removing the following requirements which were introduced by the previous government:

• The minimum service level requirements for certain sectors
• The information and turnout requirements for ballots

The Employment Rights Bill – progress

In line with the plans unveiled in the government’s Employment Rights Bill, future legislation changes have been laid out in general terms and are detailed below. In most cases the date of implementation is to be confirmed, unless stated otherwise.

NB The government have confirmed they do NOT intend to introduce a right to disconnect under the Employment Rights Bill, but it may be implemented under a ‘code of practice’ at some point in the future.

The list of forthcoming legislation changes below includes legislative and non-legislative changes planned.

Unfair dismissal

The two-year unfair dismissal qualifying period will be removed, and be replaced with a new statutory probationary period, referred to as the ‘initial period of employment’ in the bill. The length of this period is yet to be confirmed but is likely to be up to nine months.

Unlikely to be effective before Autumn 2026.

Trade union rights

Consultation has concluded and it’s been confirmed that the process and transparency around trade union recognition will be improved. There will be a new duty on employers to inform workers of their right to join a trade union.

The bill will also simplify information requirements on ballots for industrial action and extend the expiry of a mandate for industrial action from 6 to 12 months.

A further amendment will repeal the 50% industrial action ballot threshold (on a date to be specified in regulations).

Sick pay

There will be a right to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) from day one of illness absence, removing what are referred to as the three ‘waiting days’. The requirement for employees to meet or exceed the Lower Earnings Limit (£125 from 1/6/25) will be removed.

Low earners, including those currently paid under the LEL will be eligible for SSP at a rate of 80% of their normal weekly earnings, if less than the flat rate of SSP.

Fire and rehire

Employers’ ability to use fire and rehire will be restricted due to a change to the laws on unfair dismissal. Where employers fail to agree a change to a contract of employment and a ‘fire and rehire’ process is initiated, the dismissals will be treated as automatically unfair unless the employer can show evidence of financial difficulties, and demonstrate that the need to make the change in contractual terms was unavoidable.

In addition, in January 2025 tribunals were able to apply up to a 25% uplift to compensation where the ‘fire and rehire’ process lead to proven unfair dismissal, IF the employer didn’t follow the Code of practice on dismissal and re-engagement, issued by the Secretary of State.

Redundancy collective consultation

Employers will no longer be able to treat redundancies at different locations as completely separate for the purposes of the thresholds for collective consultations. Collective consultation will be required if there are 20 or more redundancies at one establishment, OR where redundancies are being made across the employer as a whole, if a different threshold (to be confirmed) is reached. This new threshold for across the employer as a whole could be a fixed number, or a percentage of the workforce. This is a change to the original proposal.

The maximum protective award will be increased where an employer has failed to comply with collective consultation requirements. Specifics to be confirmed.

Employees who bring a claim for the protective award will also be able claim interim relief via the employment tribunal, and the government is proposing to increase the cap on Protective Awards in collective redundancy situations to 180 days (increased from 90 days) to encourage employer compliance.

Agency and Zero-hours workers

Agency workers will have the right to a guaranteed hours contract to reflect the hours they regularly work. This is likely to be across a set reference period. In addition, agency workers and zero hours contract workers will be given a right to reasonable notice of changes to shifts or working hours. There will be however the possibility of excluding those rights via a collective agreement.

Workers will also have a right to compensation that is proportionate to the notice given for any shifts that are cancelled or curtailed.

The details will be set out in regulations, and subject to consultation.

Flexible working

Flexible working will be the default day-one right, apart from when it is not reasonably feasible. If the employer believes it’s not reasonably feasible, the current eight reasons for refusing the request for flexibility will remain. Employers must explain the reason for a refusal, or why the refusal is considered reasonable, in writing to the employee.

Family leave returners

Forthcoming legislation will make it unlawful to dismiss a woman, while pregnant, and / or on maternity leave, and within six months of returning to work (with some exceptions to be confirmed).

Existing powers are to be strengthened in relation to dismissal in the period a person returns to work from adoption leave, shared parental leave, neonatal care leave and bereaved partners paternity leave, details to be confirmed.

Paternity and Parental leave

Statutory parental leave (unpaid) allowing parents to take 18 weeks of unpaid leave during the first 18 years of their child’s life) will become a day-one right, removing the requirement for one year’s continuous employment.

Statutory Paternity Leave will be a day-one right, removing the requirement for 26 weeks continuous employment.

Miscarriage bereavement leave

Mothers and their partners will be entitled to two weeks’ bereavement leave if they suffer a pregnancy loss before 24 weeks. This extends the current entitlement which applies only if a child dies or is stillborn after 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Harassment

There will be a new provision requiring employers not to permit harassment of employees by a third party.  In addition, employers must take ALL reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment. This enhances the recent changes in October 2024.

Bereavement

There will be a day-one right to at least one week’s bereavement leave for employees. The circumstances under which this right can be exercised will be confirmed.

Fair Work Agency

A new enforcement body, the Fair Work Agency (FWA) will combine multiple existing agencies, in a single body to enforce employment rights. This will offer a single place where workers can seek help. This body will also be able to bring a claim to an employment tribunal in place of a worker if the worker decides not to pursue a claim. Details of how this would work are to be confirmed.

Tribunals

The time limit for bringing a tribunal claim will increase from three to six months.

Paid carer’s leave

The government confirmed it will review the current statutory Carer’s Leave entitlement, including the benefits of introducing paid carers leave. This review is one of the government’s longer-term delivery reforms.

National Living Wage

The government plan to update the National Living Wage to account for the cost of living, and remove the lower 18-20-year-old age bracket. This is part of a plan to move towards a ‘single adult rate’.

If you’re concerned about what these employment legislation changes from April 2025 mean for your business, please get in touch.

As we move into 2025, UK employers face a shifting economic landscape, alongside new regulations and policies set to shape the workplace. Following the Autumn Statement by Chancellor Rachel Reeves and the upcoming Employment Rights Bill, it’s crucial for businesses to prepare for these changes. Here are the key priorities for UK employers in 2025, and what they should focus on:

Prepare for changes in employment rights

The new Employment Rights Bill will introduce significant changes that affect how businesses manage their workforce. Some key provisions include:

• Stronger protections for workers. Expect changes to enhance job security and workplace conditions, including clearer and more stringent rules around unfair dismissal claims and redundancy.
• Extended sick leave and pay. The bill may introduce more generous sick pay entitlements, so employers should review their current sick leave policies.
• Flexible working. Employers must prepare for increased demand for flexible working options, with new rights potentially making it easier for employees to request remote work or flexible hours.
• Non-compete clauses. New rules could impact the enforceability of restrictive covenants, requiring employers to reassess their contracts and policies.

Address the cost of living crisis

The UK economy is still grappling with the effects of inflation, with many workers facing rising living costs. Employers should:

• Offer competitive wages. The government is under pressure to address wage stagnation. Companies should ensure they are offering competitive salaries, or consider cost-of-living adjustments for employees.
• Support staff wellbeing. Mental health and employee wellbeing are becoming a priority for businesses. Employers can consider offering wellness programs or increasing access to mental health support.
• Consider benefits packages. Reevaluate your benefits offerings, such as bonuses, retirement plans, and other perks, to ensure they remain attractive to current and potential employees.

Be ready for economic uncertainty

The UK economy remains uncertain, with global inflation, energy prices, and post-Brexit changes creating challenges. Employers should:

• Plan for economic fluctuations. Create flexible business plans that can be adapted if the economy worsens. This might include managing cash flow more conservatively, reducing unnecessary overheads, or diversifying your revenue streams.
• Focus on business resilience. Build resilience by strengthening your supply chains, diversifying talent pools, and reducing dependence on any one market or sector.
• Engage in strategic forecasting. Regularly monitor economic trends, political developments, and changes in consumer behavior to stay ahead of potential disruptions.

Prepare for more scrutiny around workplace culture

As public and government expectations evolve, businesses are under greater scrutiny about their workplace cultures. Employers should:

• Promote diversity and inclusion. Demonstrating a commitment to diversity and inclusion isn’t just good for business; it’s becoming a regulatory and ethical necessity. Make sure your company policies reflect these values and are communicated effectively.
• Strengthen employee engagement. Engage with employees to understand their needs, concerns, and aspirations. Companies with strong employee engagement are more likely to thrive during economic challenges.

Workforce optimisation

For many organisations, optimising staffing levels will be top of the agenda in 2025. For some, the focus will centre on attracting new talent to support organisational growth plans and address skills shortages. This will involve improving recruitment processes, methods and channels. Meanwhile, other organisations will focus on recalibrating their workforce through restructures to align with changing business needs or to reduce costs. Whether hiring or resizing, employers need to ensure that workforce planning supports long-term organisational objectives.

Focus on skills and training for the future

The UK’s skills gap is a persistent challenge, and the government has indicated a focus on improving workforce skills. Employers should:

• Invest in training programs. Upskilling your employees will be crucial in 2025. Offering continuous professional development (CPD) opportunities can improve staff retention and fill gaps in essential skills.
• Support apprenticeships. In line with government priorities, consider investing in apprenticeship schemes to build a pipeline of skilled workers while supporting the broader economy.

Ensure fair pay and pay transparency

Pay transparency and fairness are expected to be high on the government’s agenda in 2025. Employers should:

• Review pay structures. Conduct pay audits to ensure equal pay for equal work, especially for gender, ethnicity, and other underrepresented groups.
• Prepare for potential reporting requirements for employers with 250 or more employees. The government may introduce pay transparency measures, be ready to disclose pay gaps and ensure your organisation is ahead of the curve.
• Be proactive on diversity and inclusion. In 2025, businesses will be under increased pressure to ensure their recruitment, promotion, and compensation practices are equitable and transparent.

Adapt to new workplace technologies

The future of work is digital, and the UK government is investing heavily in technology. Employers need to:

• Invest in digital skills. Employees will need new tech skills as automation, AI, and digital platforms become more common in the workplace. Provide upskilling opportunities, especially for employees in roles that could be affected by technology.
• Update IT infrastructure. Ensure your business has the digital tools necessary for remote working, cybersecurity, and effective collaboration. Consider investing in cloud solutions and cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive data.
• Leverage automation. Review areas where technology can automate repetitive tasks, improving efficiency and allowing employees to focus on higher-value activities.

In 2025, UK employers will face a rapidly changing landscape of regulatory and economic challenges. By focusing on these priorities businesses will be better positioned to thrive in the evolving economy. Staying ahead of these trends and taking proactive measures will help you create a strong, resilient, and future-proof business. If you need any support or advice in any of these areas, please get in touch.

Labour’s Employment Rights Bill was published on 10^th October, the first stage of their Plan to Make Work Pay, in what’s been hailed by CEO of the CIPD as ”the greatest shift in employment legislation in decades”.

The Bill is the headline plan, there is still lots of detail missing, and some changes that were predicted, have not been included in this stage. The government plans to consult on the reforms next year, and any new legislation will not be implemented until 2026, at the earliest.

Here are the key things you need to be aware of:

Right to claim unfair dismissal will be a day one right, but with a caveat

Currently those dismissed with less than 2 years continuous service can’t claim unfair dismissal at an employment tribunal.  This requirement for 2 years service will disappear, and any employee would in theory have the right to make a claim.

However, there will be consultation on the use of a statutory probation period to allow for an initial judgement about a new joiner’s suitability for the role. Indications are this will either be a 6 or 9 month statutory probation period. The suggestion is that there will be a simplified process for dismissal during the statutory probation period, but there is still much detail to be provided prior to 2026 about how it will work in practice.

Employers will be thinking about how they can make their recruitment processes more stringent, so the right hiring decisions are made at the start, with some employers saying that they are less likely to take risks at the appointment stage, for example offering a role to a candidate who lacks experience but shows enthusiasm.

Flexible working will be the default, but with a caveat

Flexibility will be the default, unless the employer can prove it’s unreasonable, for a potentially valid reason, including the burden of additional costs, a detrimental effect on ability to meet customer demand, an inability to re-organise work among existing staff or recruit additional staff, and a detrimental effect on quality or performance; all of which are currently justifiable reasons for rejecting a flexible working request.

Currently employees with any length of service can request to work flexibly, and this request can only be refused on specific grounds – which are similar if not the same as those included as a valid reason for disallowing default flexibility. There is a change of emphasis and there will be a greater requirement for the employer to demonstrate why the role can’t be done flexibly as requested.

Employers will be thinking about how they manage the selection and onboarding processes so there is transparency about the employee’s requirement or desire for flexibility and what is reasonable, from the start.

Zero-hours contracts will stop, but with a caveat

Workers will have the right to be offered a contract with guaranteed hours, based on their regular hours worked over a defined period, expected to be the previous 12 weeks.  However, workers can opt to remain on a zero hours contract if they prefer.

This replaces previous legislation due to be implemented where workers could request a predictable working pattern if they had 26 weeks’ service.

Employers will be considering how they currently use zero hours contracts, if there’s an alternative contract (for example a fixed term contract), and review the hours their zero hours workers currently work to see how they may be impacted.

Parental rights will be strengthened with expanded leave entitlements

Employees will have a day one right to paternity, parental, and bereavement leave. Currently employees need 26 weeks of continuous service to qualify for statutory paternity and ordinary parental leave.

Bereavement leave will extend beyond the existing entitlement for parents who lose a child. Broader compassionate leave rights are expected but the details of how long and whether it will be paid remain uncertain.

Employers will be considering what the financial and practical impact of this change might be, looking at the demographics of their workforce, allowing for planning and mitigating risk.

Employees will get sick pay from their first day of illness

There will no longer be any ‘waiting days’ before an employee who is off work due to sickness will be eligible for SSP.  This pay will now be available from the first day of their absence, provided the employee meets the eligibility criteria. The criteria are also likely to be changed to make it more accessible for all employees, regardless of their earnings level.

Employers will be looking at their current sickness absence figures, and planning for the increase in costs of the additional 3 days SSP applicable.

There will be a ban on ‘fire and rehire’ practices, but with a caveat

The government will shut down the ‘loopholes’ that allow ‘fire and rehire’ and ‘fire and replace’ to continue. The practice of terminating an employee’s contract and rehiring them on different terms will be restricted, and these dismissals will be treated as ‘automatically unfair’, unless employers can evidence financial hardship as the reason for the change to terms and it was unavoidable. Employers will need to show such a change was a ‘last resort’ after thorough consultation and consideration of alternatives.

Employers will be considering what other changes they could make should there be a need to reduce costs across the business, before looking at forcing through changes to worker terms and conditions, so they can demonstrate it is a last resort.

Collective redundancy consultation and notification requirements will change

When an employer proposes making 20 or more redundancies at one establishment, there is a requirement to notify the DBIS and collectively consult.  The changes proposed mean there will be a requirement to collectively consult if the Company intends to make more than 20 redundancies, regardless of which establishment in the UK the losses will apply.

Employers will need to review their policies and internal procedures for establishing the need for collective consultation processes and plan accordingly should redundancies be necessary.

Requirement to prevent sexual harassment of workers will be extended

On 26 October, the Worker Protection Act 2023 came into force, introducing a new duty for employers to take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment of their employees.  The Labour government has set out its intention to require employers to take ‘all reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment, rather than just ‘reasonable steps’. It will also make employers vicariously responsible for protecting workers against harassment by third parties, a measure which was removed from the Worker Protection Act during the parliamentary process.

Employers will need to go ‘belt and braces’ with the preventative steps they can take in their business to prevent sexual harassment and tighten up how they can reasonably prevent harassment by a third party, as well as how they should respond to a complaint in light of this new liability.

Firms will be required to publish their intentions around improving equality

Large organisations (250+ employees) will have to develop and publish an equality action plan to show the steps they are taking in relation to gender equality.

 A new Fair Work Agency will crack down on unscrupulous employers

The government has announced it will establish the Fair Work Agency, combining existing enforcement functions around minimum wage, statutory sick pay, the employment tribunal penalty scheme, labour exploitation and modern slavery, to create a “strong, recognisable single brand” that will make it easier for individuals to know where to go for help. The Fair Work Agency will also cover a new area of enforcement – the holiday pay policy.

The Strikes Act and Trade Union Act 2016 will be repealed

The Bill will repeal the minimum service levels legislation introduced in 2023, and will repeal all but two parts of the Trade Union Act 2016.

The new government has set out plans to introduce new rights of workplace access for trade union officials and employer obligation to inform employees of their right to join a union.  The bill also brought forward measures to modernise trade union laws, including a reduction in the threshold for a recognition application from 10 per cent of the workforce.

Employers may want to introduce a ‘staff forum’ as a preventative measure to minimise the likelihood of union presence or recognition, or how they could engage proactively with unions in a positive way to build good employee relations. Contracts will need to be revised to include employee’s rights to join a union, and a communications plan to ensure the need to remind them will need to be devised.

Other plans outside of the Employment Rights Bill

The government has stated some of its commitments will be delivered outside of legislation, and they believe they can deliver more reform and therefore do not need all the commitments to be included in the bill.

This includes:

• Introducing the ‘right to switch off’, to prevent employers from contacting staff outside of their working hours.
• expanding the Equality (Race and Disability) Bill making it mandatory for large employers to report their ethnicity and disability pay gap.
• consulting on single worker status, aiming to transition towards a simpler two-part framework for employment status
• reviewing parental leave and carers’ leave systems

As a reminder, Labour’s Employment Rights Bill is subject to consultation as well as the usual passage through the House of Commons and the House of Lords, before it will become law in 2026, so there is plenty of time to prepare. More information is available here.

If you need help preparing, please get in touch.

From 26^th October 2024, businesses will have to fulfil a new requirement to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. This is due to the introduction of the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023. The EHRC guidance suggests this preventative duty extends to harassment of this kind by a third-party. This includes customers, clients, suppliers, visitors, members of the public – anyone who interacts with your staff at work. Essentially, employers potentially have vicarious liability for the acts of colleagues and third-parties in the workplace. That said the situation with regard to third parties is still relatively unclear from a legal perspective. The new Labour government have indicated that they intend to strengthen this new protection, so employers would do well to be on the front foot now, as there may be more to come.

What are employers expected to do?

Employers are expected to take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment at work, although there is no definition of what those reasonable steps might be. The expectation is that they include actions that are practical, proportionate and tailored to the specific workplace. If employers can demonstrate that they took these reasonable steps, they might be able to successfully defend a claim of sexual harassment at work at a tribunal. Failure to do so could not only result in an uncapped compensation payment to the claimant, but also up to 25% uplift on compensation if an employer has breached the specific duty to prevent sexual harassment.

10 Reasonable steps to consider

1. Ensure your anti-harassment policies are up to date and reflect the new requirements. Make it clear what the Company’s expectations about behaviour in the workplace are. Consider creating a specific anti-sexual harassment policy and ensure this is regularly communicated to all staff, and third-parties.
2. Ensure that the ‘workplace’ is correctly defined in line with the Equality Act.  This extends to workplace social and off-site events, and interactions (both in person, in writing and on social media) that are connected to work.
3. Conduct a risk assessment of your workplace to identify where there is a risk of harassment. Ensure you include third-party risk, review the number of complaints received and the outcomes of those investigations.
4. Conduct regular anonymous staff surveys to get feedback on workplace culture including this specific area.  Or create an anonymous reporting system through the use of QR codes, publicised in discrete areas.
5. Ensure the process for raising a complaint is straightforward, that it’s clearly explained and easy to access.
6. Put up notices in staff areas, and anywhere your staff come in to contact with third parties.
7. Invest in up-to-date regular mandatory anti-harassment training. Use this to educate employees about acceptable behaviour, and what to do if they witness sexual harassment.
8. Invest in up-to-date regular mandatory manager training. Use this to educate your people managers about how to address issues and spot the early signs of harassment.
9. Ensure those who are responsible for investigating any complaints are trained and capable of doing so.
10. Ensure the senior team are aligned in taking a zero-tolerance approach to harassment. Make sure they are committed to creating and maintaining a culture that values diversity, inclusion and respect.

Consequences

If your employees do experience sexual harassment in the workplace, there are a number of different negative consequences.

As well as putting the business at risk of an employment tribunal claim (which is both costly and time-consuming), the consequences of sexual harassment in the ‘post #metoo era’ extend wider than this:

• Your reputation as a business may come under scrutiny. This may lead to potential lost business opportunities if investors, stakeholders, or potential customers or clients decide they don’t want to be associated with a business that has a problem with sexual harassment. Publicly listed companies have lost share value when issues of sexual harassment have been present.
• Your reputation as an employer will be detrimentally affected – not many people would seek to be employed by a company that has issues with sexual harassment in the workplace, and those already working for you will undoubtedly look for other opportunities. You are likely to find it hard to find and hang on to talent.
• The mental health of your employees is likely to be detrimentally affected, affecting productivity, absence and performance.
• The EHRC also have the ability to investigate and enforce the new requirements if an employer fails to comply with the requirement to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. This process would also be extremely involved and time-consuming and further damage your reputation.

This change takes effect on 26^th October 2024, which means you need to have the ‘reasonable steps’ in place by this date in order to avoid a breach of the new duty to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace.

If you are concerned about what these changes mean for your business, Helpful HR can help, so get in touch.

In 2019 a Supreme Court ruling (Harpur Trust v Brazel) meant that permanent part-year workers, and irregular hours workers were entitled to 5.6 weeks’ holiday pay, based on their average weekly pay during the weeks they worked (disregarding any periods where no work was done). This meant that in theory, part-year workers would be disproportionately advantaged, when compared with their full-time colleagues.

Before the Conservatives left government in July 2024, they changed the statutory regulations, to allow for irregular hours or part-year workers to have their holiday paid to them on the basis of a 12.07% calculation of their pay received during the pay period. This calculation can be used during any holiday year which starts after 1st April 2024.

The 12.07% calculation is based on the statutory minimum amount of holiday. If contracts provide a more generous holiday allowance, then the percentage must be amended accordingly.

What qualifies as an ‘irregular hours worker’?

The new regulations define irregular hours workers as ‘wholly or mostly variable’ paid hours under the terms of their contract in each pay period. This could mean a casual or zero hours contract, or a contract which states their hours are variable, provided that the reality is that their working hours vary week to week.

What qualifies as a ‘part-year worker’?

A part-year worker is defined as a worker who is only required to work for part of the year, and there must be periods in the year of at least a week during which they are not required to work, and for which they are not paid. These workers may have fixed hours for the times they are working (unlike irregular hours workers).

Practicalities

The changes mean that in one pay period (for example a month, if paid monthly; a week if paid weekly) you can calculate holiday pay based on the relevant percentage calculation (12.07% for statutory minimum holiday) and pay this directly to the worker, provided it’s listed separately as ‘Holiday Pay’ in their payslip.  This is now referred to as ‘rolled-up holiday pay’, even though it’s not incorporated in to the worker’s hourly rate.

This means that those workers would not request and take their paid annual leave, as this payment covers their statutory entitlement to holiday, and is on record as having been paid in this way.

Employers can continue to use the current 52-week reference period to calculate holiday entitlement and pay, if the worker takes paid holiday, and the government have provided further guidance on this here.

Here are 2 worked examples:

Employee A is entitled to statutory holiday (5.6 weeks holiday per full year), and they are an irregular hours worker. The company holiday year started on 1st April 2024. Employee A is paid monthly.

In July, Employee A worked a total of 50 hours, on a normal pay rate of £15 per hour.  They also worked 8 hours of overtime on x1.5 their hourly rate. Therefore their pay for July is calculated as follows:

50 x £15 = £750

8 x £15 x 1.5 = £180

Employee A’s total pay for July is £930.

In order to calculate Employee A’s holiday pay, this would be 12.07% of their pay for that month. As they are entitled to statutory holiday, you would do the following calculation:

£930 x 12.07% = £112.21

The holiday pay that can therefore be processed for July 2024, with the employee’s normal pay would be £112.21

Employee B is entitled to contractual holiday which totals 6.4 weeks for a full year, based on a full-time entitlement. They are a part-year worker, and the holiday year started on 1st July 2024. Employee B is paid monthly.

In July the employee didn’t work at all. However they worked full-time hours during August, which totalled 165 hours, at a normal pay rate of £20 per hour.

Employee B’s pay for July is zero, therefore they would not be entitled to holiday pay for that month.

However in August their total pay was 165 x £20 = £3,300.

In order to calculate Employee B’s holiday pay, you first need to establish the correct percentage to use.  This is calculated as follows:

52 weeks – 6.4 weeks = 45.6.

6.4/45.6 = 14.04

Therefore the correct percentage holiday pay accrual for Employee B is 14.04%

To calculate their holiday pay for August you would therefore do the following calculation:

£3300 x 14.04% = £463.32

The holiday pay that can therefore be processed for August 2024, with the employee’s normal pay would be £463.32

Employers however should be mindful of the details of their worker’s contracts.  If they stipulate that the worker is entitled to paid leave, in order to change to rolled-up holiday pay, employers would need to seek the written agreement of the worker in order to make this change to their terms of employment.

If you’re not sure what the changes and new rules means for your staff, get in touch.

In April 2020, it became a requirement for all employees to receive a ‘Written Statement of Employment Particulars’. This is a document which needs to be provided on or before their start date with their employer.  In addition, employees who joined their employer before 6^th April 2020 can ask for a Written Statement at any time. On receipt of a request, employers must provide it to the employee within one month of their request.

The legal requirement

With this change it became a requirement that the Written Statement included certain terms and conditions. It is no longer sufficient to rely on a basic offer letter confirming job title, salary and start date.  The terms and conditions that must be included in a written statement are as follows:

• the employer’s name
• the employee or worker’s name
• the start date
• the date that ‘continuous employment’ started
• job title, or a brief description of the job
• the employer’s address
• the normal places or addresses of work
• pay, including how often and when
• working hours and days, or if it’s variable
• holiday entitlement, including an explanation of how its calculated if the employee or worker leaves the employer
• the amount of sick leave and pay applicable
• any other paid leave
• any contractual benefits
• any non-contractual benefits
• the notice period either side must give when employment ends
• how long a temporary job will last
• any probation period, including its conditions and how long it is
• if the employee will work abroad, and any terms that apply
• what training that must be completed by the employee or worker, including training the employer does not pay for

As an employer, you need to have all these terms detailed in Written Statements you issue to new joiners. You need to quickly define your current practices and policies.  That way you will be ready for requests for a written statement from existing employees who started prior to 6^th April 2020, as well as new hires.

In addition, the law allows for other terms to be provided at a later date, within 2 months of the employee starting. These other terms relate to pension arrangements, collective agreements, non-compulsory training (if provided), and disciplinary rules.

Benefits of providing a Written Statement

As well as the legal requirement to provide details of these specific terms of employment, there are benefits for both parties in having these points clearly written down.  Both parties will know and understand what to expect from the other, and what their obligations are.  This avoids ambiguity and inconsistency, which helps to prevent unnecessary problems or employment issues.  Doing this may also prevent potential allegations of discrimination if employees are treated differently (whether inadvertently or not).  Employees will feel secure in their relationship with their employer, which is more likely to develop trust and loyalty.

If you fail to provide the relevant documentation to your employees within the timelines specified by law, the potential penalty would be between two and four weeks’ pay.

Benefits of a Contract of Employment

The requirement under law is for a Written Statement of Employment Particulars, as detailed above, however many employers opt for a full contract of employment for their employees.  This is because in a full employment contract you can include terms which protect the business interests, for example clauses around confidentiality, post-termination restrictions, intellectual property and conflict of interests.  Having everything included in one comprehensive document also reduces administration time for the business, and provides clarity for the employee.

It’s important that employers are on the front foot when it comes to providing employees with details of their terms and conditions of employment as there are clear timelines to meet and clear advantages to providing this information.

If you would like to ensure that you’re protecting your business interests, and are meeting your legal requirements to provide employees with details of their terms of their employment, get in touch.

It’s that time of year when we consider forthcoming employment legislation changes from April 2024. Being aware of the changes ensures you can prepare for them and protect your business from any legal claims. Here’s a rundown of the changes.

Payroll costs – National Minimum Wage rates

Inflation continues to be a key issue for many employers who are facing pressure to increase wages.  Whilst there is no legal requirement to increase pay to address issues with high inflation rates, the National Minimum Wage/living rates are going up on 1 April 2024, therefore if your pay is based on minimum wage rates per hour, you will need to implement these changes:

Statutory pay rates – From April 2024

Family friendly leave

The rates of Statutory Maternity, Adoption, Paternity, Shared Parental and Parental Bereavement pay will increase to £184.03 per week.

Statutory Sick pay

The rate of Statutory Sick Pay will increase to £116.75 per week.

Statutory redundancy payments

With effect from 6th April 2024, the statutory redundancy pay cap will increase to £700 per week. It’s important to ensure you get up to date compensation information for anyone who leaves due to redundancy on or after this date. You will need to calculate their redundancy pay on the new rate.  If the redundant employee’s normal weekly rate is under the new figure, you should calculate their redundancy compensation based on their actual weekly pay rate.

Rolled-up holiday pay

With effect from the holiday year starting in April 2024 and thereafter, workers who work irregular or part year hours can have their holiday pay rolled in to their pay, rather than accruing actual holiday which has to be taken as leave.  The method of calculating the holiday pay will be 12.07%. Employers should note this only applies to those employees who work irregular or part-year hours. Other employees with set hours (either part or full-time) will accrue paid holiday which must be taken as paid time off.

Flexible Working Requests

With effect from 6th April 2024, employees will be able to make a flexible working request from day one of their employment, removing the current 26 weeks’ service requirement.  Employees will be able to make two requests a year (currently only one request is possible) and they will no longer be required to set out the likely effects on the business of the change.  Employers will be compelled to consult with the employee before rejecting a request and the time allowed for the whole process, including appeal, will be reduced from three to two months.

Statutory Carer’s Leave

Statutory Carer’s Leave will give carers a minimum of one week’s unpaid leave per year to care for a dependant with a long-term care needs, from day one of their employment.

This will be a day one right for employees and is flexible, however it’s likely advance notice will need to be provided, and it may be possible to postpone requests in a similar way to Unpaid Parental Leave.

This right will be in place from 6th April 2024.

Paternity Leave

An amendment to the entitlement for fathers and partners to take Paternity Leave has recently been proposed.  If approved fathers and partners will be able to take their Paternity Leave in two split weeks, should they wish, and the timeframe for taking the leave will be extended from 56 days after the birth, to 12 months after the birth, offering more flexibility to new parents.

This amendment will be effective for babies born or children adopted on or after 6th April 2024.

Redundancy Protection for Pregnancy and Family Leave

This protection extends the right to be redeployed during pregnancy (including if a miscarriage is suffered), maternity and family leave for 18 months after the start of that leave. These are important considerations during an employee’s family/maternity leave and in restructuring or redundancy exercises.  Employers who breach this protection will risk claims for unfair dismissal and sex discrimination (with uncapped compensation).

This new protection will be in place from April 2024.

Upcoming changes to be confirmed

2024 is potentially going to be another busy year for changes in employment law.  This is a summary of what may be in the pipeline when it comes to employment legislation changes from April 2024.  In some cases there are no firm dates for implementation however, it pays to be ahead of the changes and consider how they may affect you and your business in advance of the bills being passed in to law.

Employment Allocation of Tips Act

This ban will make it unlawful for employers to withhold tips from staff.  In addition, employers must also have a written policy related to tip allocation in place.  This will apply to tips, gratuities and service charges given during the previous month.

This is expected to be in place from July 2024.

Statutory Neonatal Care Leave

This statutory leave will allow parents whose babies need hospital neonatal care to take 12 weeks’ paid leave. This is in addition to their statutory maternity, shared parental or paternity leave. The right will:

• be available from day one of employment;
• apply to parents with babies who are admitted to hospital before they are 28 days old;
• apply to babies who need to stay in hospital for 7 days continuously or more.

This is expected to be in place from April 2025.

Right to request more predictable working patterns

Employees and workers (including agency and zero hours workers) will have the right to formally request a more stable working pattern.  In addition, this right will also be available to those on fixed-term contracts of less than a year.  This right will apply after 26 weeks of continuous employment.

Employers will only be able to refuse requests  if there is a legal reason for refusing the request.

This is expected to be in place ‘in due course’.

Proactive duty to prevent sexual harassment

This will require employers to have proactive measures in place to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace.  As a result employers will be legally responsible if no measures are in place.  And that responsibility applies, regardless of whether or not an incident has occurred. Failure to comply with this requirement could result in increased compensation of up to 25%.

This is expected to be in place from October 2024.

Pensions (Extension of Automatic Enrolment) Act 2023

This Act brings in changes to the Automatic Enrolment populations and employers who use Qualifying Earnings to calculate contributions:

• Lowering the age criteria for auto-enrolment from 22 to 18 years of age
• Removing the Lower Earnings Limit of £6,240 if you’re using qualifying earnings

There is no indication at this point when this change will come in to effect.

If you’re concerned about what these employment legislation changes from April 2024 mean for your business and need help reviewing your policies, please get in touch with Helpful HR.

What is unconscious bias?

Unconscious bias is a term which is commonly used in relation to equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace.  In this blog post we try to demystify unconscious bias and explain what it really means.

Unconscious bias is an unconscious inclination or prejudice.  It can be referred to in the context of a ‘gut’ feeling, or instinct feeling people have. These feelings will be informed by experiences and influences during their lives.  There is usually no ill will, but it is nevertheless seen as an issue in workplaces.  This bias can influence business decisions, and can compromise an employer’s ability to be an inclusive and equal workplace.

From a legal perspective, the areas to be aware of are around certain criteria, which could be covered under the description of a ‘protected characteristic’ most commonly related to age, gender, race, religion/belief, disability, sexuality and marital/partnership status.

Unconscious bias around gender, for example is the way someone might assume that a pink clothing item is appropriate for a little girl, or that little boys play with trucks while girls will want a dolly to play with.  Or age bias might be that an older person is overqualified for a junior role they’ve applied for.

We’re all human, and our decisions are informed by our own experiences.  So if it’s just about being human, why is it a problem?

What’s the problem?

Put simply, not tackling unconscious bias, means that those experiences and influences informing our decisions will continue to harm certain groups or individuals, unchecked.  Being aware of our natural bias, means that we are more likely to look beyond the assumptions we may instinctively make about an individual or group, and prevent us from treating those people differently.   Ultimately if they are treated differently, or they suffer a detriment as a result, they may have a claim for (indirect or direct) discrimination.

Over time, employees who think they are treated differently due to unconscious bias, develop feelings of isolation and alienation, and feel uncomfortable being themselves. This would take its toll on anyone, and may also affect the organisation’s performance overall.  Employees who experience bias and prejudice often actively disengage and reduce their contributions, and ultimately seek a role elsewhere.

What are the benefits of tackling unconscious bias?

Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is seen as an increasingly important part of what a business has to offer.  To be an inclusive employer means that employees feel welcome, valued and included. This in turn means team members will stay longer and be more engaged and productive.

Diversity in the workplace is a serious competitive advantage with immediate and tangible benefits. It ensures a variety of different perspectives and a variety of different skills and experiences.  It gives organisations access to a greater range of talent, potentially increasing creativity and innovation.

The best way to overcome unconscious bias, is to ensure people become more self-aware (and self-critical) about their decisions and behaviours.  This can be done via training in a variety of formats. Alternatively, you could develop some supporting systems and processes, to ensure decision makers at all levels are challenged in a safe setting.

You can find out more about the benefits of tackling unconscious bias and what approach works here.  And if you’d like some advice about EDI issues in your business, please do get in touch.

The topic of bullying at work was in the mainstream media in April 2023 after the resignation of the then deputy prime minister, Dominic Raab after an investigation in to claims of bullying made against him; especially after his underwhelming acceptance of the allegations against him, famously stating that “in setting the threshold for bullying so low, this inquiry has set a dangerous precedent” in his resignation letter.

Dominic Saab’s resignation came less than two years after Priti Patel (then Home Secretary) was accused of bullying and was found to have been in breach of the ministerial code.

What is Bullying?

When it comes to dealing with bullying at work, as a business you need to identify or define what ‘bullying’ is, so you can ensure your employees have a clear understanding of what it actually means.

In guidance from ACAS they say that there is no legal definition of ‘bullying’ but it is described as unwanted behaviour from a person or group that is either:

• Offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting
• An abuse or misuse of power that undermines, humiliates, or causes physical or emotional harm to someone.

This behaviour could be a pattern or a one off, face to face, on social media, emails, phonecalls, outside of work or in work, and it can go unnoticed by others. It could be among peers, or in a senior/junior relationship (and despite what you might think, a senior person can be bullied by a junior person).

The union Unison also has some clear guidelines and defines bullying as persistant offensive, intimidating, humiliating behaviour, which attempts to undermine an individual or a group of employees.

Likewise Indeed.com has some advice about bullying, describing a workplace bully as someone who repeatedly harms or mistreats employees by causing them pain or engaging in other forms of physical or verbal harassment.

Legal firms often describe bullying as offensive, intimidating, malicious, insulting or humiliating behaviour, or an abuse of power or authority which attempts to undermine an individual or group of employees, and which may cause them to suffer work-related stress.

There is no shortage of information about what bullying may involve, leaving organisations with no room to claim ignorance on the subject.

Examples of bullying

Bullying takes different forms, so to illustrate the breadth of possibilities, it’s helpful to outline some examples to bring the topic to life.  Examples could include:

• Setting someone up to fail / setting impossible targets
• Spreading malicious rumours about someone
• Making humiliating comments about someone online
• Undermining someone’s authority
• Undermining someone’s competence with constant criticism
• Ridiculing someone openly, by blaming or criticising them in front of others
• Making threats about the security of someone’s employment if they exercise a right, or make a reasonable request

At work, it’s unlikely the bullying will take a physical form, and it will be more verbal and emotionally challenging behaviour.

Reality

If someone expresses upset about another person’s behaviour towards them does that automatically make them a bully?  Unfortunately, there are shades of grey when it comes to this issue.  The investigation into a complaint will be key in identifying if it was a reasonable response to someone’s behaviour.

If a someone says, “Your shoes are an interesting colour!” and the recipient of the comment states they are offended or feel belittled, does that mean they’re being bullied?  The question is whether it was reasonable to expect someone to be offended or feel belittled by a comment.

However, if someone says, “Come on, old man, do you need a sit-down?!” even as a joke, the question of whether it was reasonable to be offended by that comment may be easier to answer.  But it’s rarely that easy, so the investigation into the behaviour and the context needs to be done with an open mind, and with the definition of bullying and the relevant complaints procedure front and centre.

Direct financial risks to your business

The most obvious risk employers will be concerned about is the risk of a legal claim.  So what does that actually mean, and what is the risk?

Under the Equality Act 2010, if the bullying is due to a ‘protected characteristic’ then it is classed as harassment.  Protected characteristics are:

• Age
• Disability
• Gender reassignment
• Race
• Religion or belief
• Sex
• Sexual orientation
• Pregnancy (also covered under direct discrimination legislation)

Any harassment claim at an employment tribunal under the Equality Act 2010 has an uncapped potential award. This means it’s difficult to quantify the potential financial risk, but the cost of defending a claim will be substantial (by current estimates, upwards of £15k), without including the compensation the Tribunal panel may award, if the claim is successful.

The other risk of a bullying claim is for constructive dismissal (Unfair Dismissal). This would arise if the employee feels the bullying is so bad they have no option but to leave.  Awards for Unfair Dismissal are capped at around a year’s salary, or c.£90k, so still represents significant financial risk.

Indirect financial risks to your business

The impact of having a workplace which tolerates (or fails to address) bullying could be serious.  Your workforce will operate in a state of fear,  afraid to make mistakes or put forward new ideas.  This does not engender creativity or engagement at work, both of which will affect your productivity.

Your attrition rates will increase as employees leave what they feel is a ‘toxic’ culture. As a result your recruitment costs will go up, and you will lose talent.

In addition, do not underestimate the power of reputational damage.  Social media platforms provide an opportunity for unhappy employees to share their experiences. With the advent of websites like Glassdoor, employers who fail to deal with bullying will quickly be exposed, making it even harder to attract and retain talent. It may also affect the success of the business. Potential customers may choose a competitor due to the reputation you have as an employer, directly hitting your bottom line.

Practicalities of dealing with it

The first thing to do is make sure you have an anti-bullying and harassment policy place. You should ensure it’s shared with all your workers, and that it is followed. This is a communication and training piece, AND a leadership one.  Leaders must lead by example, otherwise the policy ‘isn’t worth the paper it’s written on’ (to coin a phrase).

Best practice is for employers to create an inclusive culture.  Peter Cheese, CEO of the CIPD states workplaces should have a “safe culture where people can speak up, where differences are respected and celebrated.” Research by the CIPD shows that employees are looking for an inclusive and supportive culture.

As well as having a policy and communicating it to everyone, leaders and managers need to ‘walk the walk’. Managers need training to recognise bullying, encourage people to flag concerns to them, and ensure they investigate and address it.  There should be a consistent approach, therefore following policy and procedure is key.  The investigation must have integrity and confidentiality so any subsequent decisions are fair and reasonable, and are seen as such.

Dealing with bullying is never easy, undoubtedly, but it needs to be done reduce risk to your business. If you have concerns about culture in your business and you don’t know where to start, get in touch here.