Slow progress on gender pay gap
Year two figures on the gender pay gap revealed that fewer than half of the UK’s largest employers succeeded in narrowing their gender pay gap since the last reporting deadline. Across 45% of firms the discrepancy in pay increased in favour of men, while at 7% there was no change. Overall 78% of companies had a pay gap in favour of men, 14% favoured women, and the rest (8%) reported no change.
This year organisations were also asked to provide action plans on what they were doing to improve their gender pay gaps, a move that the Equality and Human Rights Commission said should be mandatory.
Employers commit 'wage theft' over holiday pay
The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority told HR magazine that employers that fail to give workers the holiday pay they are entitled to are committing wage theft. “There have been cases where employers have not sent a worker a P45 or not given them the holiday pay they are entitled to […] worse, there are some employers who [...] have an attitude of ‘if they don’t know, don’t tell them'.”
Research from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) also revealed that a high number of employees do not understand their holiday entitlement.
The best bits of HR magazine in April...
There’s no such thing as a black and white ethical dilemma. So how can HRs develop their personal ethics so they can help their organisations tackle the grey areas?
Hot topic: Tackling climate change
As the CBI called for the government to work with firms to reduce carbon emissions, we asked how the HR community can help their organisations go green.
Tax-free childcare scheme raises concerns
Two years in the system intended to replace childcare vouchers is still being criticised as unwieldy and under-publicised, with some calling for reform.
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