By Andy Willis on Small Business – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs
With so many graduates and young people out of work and recruitment slow to pick up, internships and work experience are a popular route for those looking for a foot in the door to their chosen career.
There are also significant benefits for smaller employers. Internships offer them a pool of talented new faces at a time when budgetary constraints mean they may be struggling to take on permanent staff.
However, while the benefits are clear, SMEs must be aware that from a legal standpoint interns can be considered either workers or employees. This means that they are often covered by the same employment legislation as the rest of the workforce, including the right to be paid National Minimum Wage (NMW). As failure to comply with NMW laws can lead to costly employment tribunal claims and hefty fines, it is crucial that businesses know where they stand before offering work experience or internships.
Is an intern a worker or an employee?
“Internship” is a general term that can result in varying employment relationships and, as a result, varying employment statuses. Depending on the way that an intern is treated,
Tag Archive for Employing & managing staff
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Can I sack my employee for a racist tweet?
by Katie Maguire • • 0 Comments
By Katie Maguire on Small Business – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs
The recent online racist tweet abuse targeted at a trio of England players after their Euro 2020 final defeat brought into sharp focus the issue of whether an employee’s actions on social media can result in them being sacked.
While online racist bullies may claim they can say and do what they like in their own private lives, this isn’t necessarily the case. Where the online abuser can publicly be linked to working at a company, it will put that company under huge pressure to take disciplinary action against them.
This was the case when an employee from estate agency Savills levelled racist tweets at Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka. Savills suspended the employee and launched a swift investigation into the tweet. The employee has subsequently claimed his account was hacked and the matter is being investigated by the police.
>See also: Do I have to pay staff who are self-isolating?
But can the employee be sacked as a result of posting a racist tweet online? The simple answer is yes, but it is of course not that simple.
‘Sack an employee on the spot – even for
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How can leaders get the best out of their team when the pressure is on?
by Clive Woodward • • 0 Comments
By Clive Woodward on Small Business – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs
It’s safe to assume anyone in a management or leadership position has felt the extra pressure over the last 18 months. In a constantly changing and uncertain environment, tasks such as motivating teams, running training sessions or just keeping a clear overview of projects came with their own set of unique challenges. What’s more, working remotely means it’s even harder to ensure team members, and leaders themselves, are working collaboratively and performing to the best of their ability, especially when the pressure is on.
Boris Johnson’s latest announcement means that employees are now able to return to offices across the country, yet three quarters (73 per cent) of Brits are set to continue working from home. It’s more important than ever before for leaders to be prepared to handle pressure, as well as have the ability to coach their team to perform in challenging circumstances too.
At a recent event hosted by the Executive Development Network (EDN), Sir Clive Woodward, England’s Rugby World Cup winning Head Coach, and Team GB Director of Sport for London 2012 provided his own unique perspective on vital strategies for leading and
Hot Business News Today
How can leaders get the best out of their team when the pressure is on?
by Clive Woodward • • 0 Comments
By Clive Woodward on Small Business – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs
It’s safe to assume anyone in a management or leadership position has felt the extra pressure over the last 18 months. In a constantly changing and uncertain environment, tasks such as motivating teams, running training sessions or just keeping a clear overview of projects came with their own set of unique challenges. What’s more, working remotely means it’s even harder to ensure team members, and leaders themselves, are working collaboratively and performing to the best of their ability, especially when the pressure is on.
Boris Johnson’s latest announcement means that employees are now able to return to offices across the country, yet three quarters (73 per cent) of Brits are set to continue working from home. It’s more important than ever before for leaders to be prepared to handle pressure, as well as have the ability to coach their team to perform in challenging circumstances too.
At a recent event hosted by the Executive Development Network (EDN), Sir Clive Woodward, England’s Rugby World Cup winning Head Coach, and Team GB Director of Sport for London 2012 provided his own unique perspective on vital strategies for leading and
Hot Business News Today
Do I have to pay staff who are self-isolating?
by Calum Covell • • 0 Comments
By Calum Covell on Small Business – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs
With the lifting of lockdown restrictions from July 19, there is likely to be an increase in Covid-19 positive test results, increasing the number of staff who are self-isolating.
Between July 19 2021 and August 16 2021, it is a legal requirement to have your staff self-isolating if they test positive for Covid-19 or have been notified by Track and Trace to self-isolate.
This all means that employers are likely to encounter self-isolation of employees, if they have not already, so being aware of the options for you and your employees will help.
It will depend on the circumstances as to why staff are self-isolating as to whether you must pay them, the amount you will have to pay them and what you are able to claim back.
>See also: Small business owners face increased national insurance contributions
Can an employee work from home if they have tested positive for Covid-19 or have been told to self-isolate?
Yes. If an employee is well enough to work from home and can perform their role at home, there is no reason why they cannot do this and be paid as usual for their
Hot Business News Today
Do I have to pay staff who are self-isolating?
by Calum Covell • • 0 Comments
By Calum Covell on Small Business – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs
With the lifting of lockdown restrictions from July 19, there is likely to be an increase in Covid-19 positive test results, increasing the number of staff who are self-isolating.
Between July 19 2021 and August 16 2021, it is a legal requirement to have your staff self-isolating if they test positive for Covid-19 or have been notified by Track and Trace to self-isolate.
This all means that employers are likely to encounter self-isolation of employees, if they have not already, so being aware of the options for you and your employees will help.
It will depend on the circumstances as to why staff are self-isolating as to whether you must pay them, the amount you will have to pay them and what you are able to claim back.
>See also: Small business owners face increased national insurance contributions
Can an employee work from home if they have tested positive for Covid-19 or have been told to self-isolate?
Yes. If an employee is well enough to work from home and can perform their role at home, there is no reason why they cannot do this and be paid as usual for their
Hot Business News Today
Can I force my staff to come back to the office after July 19?
by Anna Jordan • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
Staff may have to return to their offices and workplaces after July 19 after an extended period working from home.
We’ll be asking if you can force staff to come back to the workplace and what risks you need to be aware of.
Why are staff expected to return to work?
As part of his announcement yesterday (July 5), Boris Johnson said that the ‘work from home wherever possible’ advice would be lifted. From July 19, it’ll be up to employer whether they ask their staff to come back into the workplace.
Aside from that, the PM also outlined from this date that:
Masks will no longer be a legal requirement
Social distancing rules will end
All businesses that are closed will reopen
Covid-19 certificates will not be a legal requirement
Travellers who are double jabbed won’t have to quarantine after returning from amber-list countries
An announcement may follow that those who are double jabbed won’t have to self-isolate if one of their colleagues contracts the virus. Self-isolation is expected to be replaced by a regular testing regime.
What’s more, the government has no plans to introduce a legal right to work from home. There are also no plans to introduce labour laws that
Hot Business News Today
Can I force my staff to come back to the office after July 19?
by Anna Jordan • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
Staff may have to return to their offices and workplaces after July 19 after an extended period working from home.
We’ll be asking if you can force staff to come back to the workplace and what risks you need to be aware of.
Why are staff expected to return to work?
As part of his announcement yesterday (July 5), Boris Johnson said that the ‘work from home wherever possible’ advice would be lifted. From July 19, it’ll be up to employer whether they ask their staff to come back into the workplace.
Aside from that, the PM also outlined from this date that:
Masks will no longer be a legal requirement
Social distancing rules will end
All businesses that are closed will reopen
Covid-19 certificates will not be a legal requirement
Travellers who are double jabbed won’t have to quarantine after returning from amber-list countries
An announcement may follow that those who are double jabbed won’t have to self-isolate if one of their colleagues contracts the virus. Self-isolation is expected to be replaced by a regular testing regime.
What’s more, the government has no plans to introduce a legal right to work from home. There are also no plans to introduce labour laws that
Hot Business News Today
Holiday entitlement for new employees
by Jane Mason • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Jane Mason on Small Business
As a small business owner, calculating holiday entitlement for new starters can feel like a daunting task – especially if you have staff who work part-time or have irregular hours.
But don’t worry, once you get your head around the calculations it’s much easier than you think. Here’s everything you need to know.
What does the law say?
UK law states that employees are entitled to 5.6 weeks’ annual leave per leave year, which equals 28 days for full-time employees.
This is made up of:
A minimum of four weeks’ annual leave as required by EU law
An additional 1.6 week’s annual leave which represents the number of UK bank holidays
Part-time workers are also entitled to the same leave as full-time workers proportionate to their hours worked, this is often referred to as ‘pro-rata’.
Regardless of working hours, all workers are entitled to holiday from their first day of employment.
So, how does this work?
There are two parts to holiday which are calculated separately.
Calculate how much holiday someone is entitled to take
Work out how much someone is entitled to be paid whilst on holiday
However, there are various types of employees, so you need to use different calculations for each.
Here’s how to
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Terminating a contract – what if your worker is only part-time?
by Peter Done • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Peter Done on Small Business
We use a self-employed cleaner who comes in three-four hours during office hours on a Friday. This is no longer suitable and we have an alternative company ready to deal with it. What, if anything, do we need to be aware of before terminating the existing cleaner’s services?
Status of employment: There are a number of issues raised by your question. The first is whether the cleaner is actually self-employed (working under a “contract for services”) or in fact your employee (working under an “employment contract”).
There is no detailed definition of who is an employee incorporated into the legislation and even if the employer pays the PAYE and NI they may still be able to establish that there was no employment relationship but this is more common in the construction industry. Some guidelines for the purpose of determining employment status have now been laid down in various cases over the years. The factors which have emerged from those cases are summarised below and are based on whether the individual is in business on their own account, which requires a determination of who controls the work done particularly with respect to the right to delegate,