What Are The Top Employee Handbook Updates for 2023?

Employee handbook updates tends to be driven by changes in employment law, social policy, benefit rates etc… which often need to reflected in the employee handbook. Here are the top 10 employee handbook updates for 2022

1. Increase in National Minimum Wage & National Living Wage has come into effect from the 1st April 2022.

The new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates are set out below.

2. The UK Home Office has deferred the end date for Covid-19 adjusted right to work checks to 30 September 2022.

Adjusted checks – which were first introduced in March 2020 – allow employers to confirm candidates’ right to work over videocalls rather than during face-to-face appointments. The extended deadline comes after ministers announced separate plans for employers to use Identification Document Validation Technology (IDVT) from 6 April 2022 over physical documents and they wanted to allow time for employees to implement this. Summary from Pinsent and Mason.

3. Gender Pay Gap Reporting is reverting to the usual deadlines post-pandemic.

The next deadlines are according to the UK government website are

• 30 March 2022 – this is for most public authority employers
• 4 April 2022 – this is for private, voluntary and all other public authority employers

4. Mandatory Vaccination for All Staff

On 31 January 2022 the UK Government announced a change of policy and has abandoned the previous requirement for health and social care staff to have mandatory vaccinations.

Care homes: Between 11 November 2021 and 15 March 2022 vaccination was compulsory for all those working in care homes in England. From 15 March 2022 vaccination remains strongly advised for care home staff but it is not compulsory. This means those working in a Care Quality Commission-registered care home for adults are no longer legally required to have two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine to enter the premises. Residents and their visitors do not have to be vaccinated as a legal requirement, although it remains strongly advised that they all do so.
Other front line health care workers: Proposals for new requirements to make vaccination compulsory for frontline health and social care workers from April 2022 were also reversed. Information sourced from CIPD.

5. Tipping and Gratuities Rule Change

The Government have confirmed that they will be introducing legislative measures to ensure that tips, gratuities and service charges go to workers in full. The only indication of a timescale is the Government explaining that this will be debated and introduced “when Parliamentary time allows”. Information sourced from VWV Lawyers.

The Government have confirmed that these changes will include:

• Requirements for employers in all sectors not to make any deductions from tips received by their staff, including admin charges, other than those required by tax law.
• Requirements for employers to distribute tips in a way that is fair and transparent – this should be supported by documentation including a written policy on tips and record of how tips have been dealt with.
• Time limits as to when tips must be dealt with by employers – this is expected to be no later than the end of the month following the month in which it was paid by the customer.
• A Statutory Code of Practice setting out how tips should be distributed to ensure fairness and transparency –  employers should have regard to this.
• New rights for workers to make a request for information relating to an employer’s tipping record –  such requests should be responded to within four weeks.

6.Carer’s Leave

The government has confirmed its intention to introduce carer’s leave as a new statutory employment right. This will allow employees with caring responsibilities to take time off from work to focus on the person (or people) they care for.

Carer’s leave will be a day one right for all employees, meaning there is no minimum amount of service required before staff can request it. Eligible employees can take up to one week (five working days) of leave per year.

There is no obligation for employers to pay those who are on carer’s leave – the statutory entitlement is unpaid for eligible employees, but organisations have the option of offering contractual pay. Details of this should be outlined in the employer handbook and communicated with staff. It is important that any enhanced payments are offered consistently, ensuring all staff are treated fairly and equally.

The right will only apply to people with employee status, so workers and self-employed individuals will not be included.

There is no set date for the entitlement’s implementation. Legislation will be introduced to make carer’s leave a statutory right as soon as Parliamentary time allows. Information taken from the CIPP.

7.Neonatal Leave

The Government plans to introduce statutory neonatal leave and pay for parents of babies who require neonatal care. Parents will be entitled to an additional week of leave for each week their baby is in neonatal care (maximum of 12 weeks) provided they have 26 weeks’ continuous service with their employer. Information sourced from Ashtons Legal.