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. So, let’s check out this week’s headlines…

Teachers and junior doctors hope to strike up a deal

Teachers are set to strike in England on the 5th and 7th of July 2023 over an ongoing dispute around pay.

Being as supportive as possible to working parents, who might have to take time off work when teachers strike to look after their children, can help minimise disruption to your business. Easy and effective ways to do this include discussing plans ahead of time and negotiating annual leave, parental leave, time off in lieu, or flexible working arrangements.

Junior doctors have also announced further strike action. All participants of the strike in the UK will strike for 5 days in July 2023, from Thursday the 13th of July till Tuesday the 18th of July.

Thousands of planned appointments could be rescheduled. So stay prepared and make sure your absence management process is ready for an increase in cancelled or rearranged medical appointments!

Hundreds of employers named and shamed for…

Failing to pay their workers the minimum wage! A whopping 202 employers have been named and shamed by the government for breaches that were investigated by HMRC between 2017 and 2019.

The list was published on the 21st of June 2023, with over 60,000 workers being underpaid. Breaches included:

• Making deductions from workers’ wages.
• Failing to pay workers correctly for their working time.
• Paying the incorrect apprenticeship rate.

Take this as a cautionary tale and a reminder, there will be consequences if you underpay your staff—even accidentally!

For instant and compliant advice to avoid landing in hot water with HMRC, ask Bright Lightning:

• What is the name and shame scheme for not paying national minimum wage
• Are there any exemptions to paying minimum wage?
• What minimum wage do apprentices have to get from April 2023?

And that’s a wrap. Tune in next week for more headlines and make sure you stay ahead of major employment law changes!