First published on Monday, February 3, 2025
Last updated on Monday, February 3, 2025
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.
National Sickie Day—record sickness absences, but is it a myth?
While the media hypes up the first Monday as February, colloquially known as ‘National Sickie Day’, as the king of all sickie days; BrightHR absence data tells a different story.
In 2024, February 5th, the first Monday in February 2024, had 5,456 absences. Yet January 22nd actually claimed the “true” sickie day crown, at a whopping 5,871 absences! In fact, February wasn’t even the sickest month! Or the second, or third… February was in fact the fifth sickest month of 2024, proving that the media day darling is little more than a campfire story to keep employers awake at night!
This doesn’t mean it’s all sunshine and roses though, as our data shows that sickness absences are only going up, and at breakneck pace too. January 2024 had 87,708 absences, up +25% from 2023, and that’s not all…
You can find this and other key insights in a snapshot of our upcoming infographic, set to contain insights about the biggest trends of 2024 as well as cheat codes for 2025!
Hairdresser wins £90k for unfair treatment
In a recent tribunal, a hairdresser received almost £90,000 after her employer effectively demoted her following her pregnancy announcement. The hairdresser reported an immediate shift in her employers behaviour after revealing she was expecting, which led to her removal from the salon’s online system.
Instead, she was tasked with less glamorous duties like cleaning and making tea. The tribunal later ruled that she was unfairly dismissed, treated poorly, and even victimised.
The ruling reinforces the need that discrimination, particularly against vulnerable groups such as those in the middle of pregnancy, is not only harmful but highly damaging for your business. Always seek expert advice from qualified professionals when navigating delicate situations. And, while this may seem obvious, never punish or single out an employee for a disability, protected characteristic, or their parental responsibilities—period.
HMRC: More than a million miss tax return deadline
An estimated 1.1 million people have missed the deadline for filing their annual tax returns today, according to the HMRC. That’s a £100 penalty, even if there is no tax to pay, plus daily penalties of £10 after three months, up to a maximum of £900.
It’s never a good idea to fall behind on your obligations to HMRC, that’s why we developed BrightHR Payroll, a way to bridge the gap between your HR and payroll processes and avoid late fines by taking all that legwork out of your payroll process.
For those who didn’t submit their tax returns on time, that would’ve been one less £100 headache to worry about… And for your business, it might just be the tool you need to stay compliant, get answers from CIPP-qualified professionals fast, and reduce risk in your business.
And that’s a wrap. Tune in next week for more headlines to make sure you stay ahead of major employment law changes!
