Apprenticeship levy introduced
From 6 April this year, all firms with a pay bill over £3 million each year were obliged to pay the apprenticeship levy. It equates to 0.5% of an employer's annual wage bill and is paid through HMRC.
Kathleen Henehan, research and policy analyst at the Resolution Foundation, warned that focus must be given to the quality of apprenticeships as well as quantity. “As firms are under pressure to reach that three million new apprenticeships target we could see a massive influx into Level 2 standards, and that is something we will need to monitor,” she said.
Gender pay gap reporting launched
From April 2017, firms with over 250 employees were given a year to disclose their gender pay gap, with the deadline April 2018. Employers must publish their gender pay gap information on their own website and must keep the information online for three years. Data must be presented in a way that is accessible to all employees and the public. A written statement confirming that the gender pay gap information is accurate must accompany the statistics and must be signed by an appropriate person, such as a director.
Research from JLT found that more than a quarter (28%) of the public believed gender pay gap reporting will help most in achieving gender equality at work.
The best bits of HR magazine in April:
UK productivity: Rebalancing the regions
In our April cover story, editor Jenny Roper considers London’s role in the UK following the Brexit vote. While the reasons behind the referendum result were complex and nuanced from voter to voter, the result undeniably highlighted a profound difference in satisfaction levels with the status quo – and people’s lived experiences – between the UK’s capital city and its regions. And a profound frustration with ‘Londoner’s’’, or the ‘liberal elites’’, failure to recognise this.
The prevalence of narcissist CEOs
Narcissistic CEOs harm their teams by creating environments where leadership team members fail to co-operate. Patrick Wright, the Thomas C Vandiver bicentennial chair and faculty director of the Center for Executive Succession in the Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina, says narcissism in the CEO role drives a whole host of dysfunctional outcomes.
HRD's pocket guide to... event planning
Whether you are hosting the launch of a new network, welcoming prospective apprentices, facilitating a roundtable discussion, or organising the Christmas party, chances are that at some point in your career you will need to know how to plan an event. Here, HR magazine looks at what you need to know to ensure your event goes off without a hitch.
