How can BrightPay Connect benefit your payroll bureau?

BrightPay Connect our latest cloud add-on works alongside BrightPay Payroll. Payroll information is stored in the cloud and can be accessed online by you and your clients anywhere. BrightPay Connect offers additional innovative payroll and HR features that will enhance client relationships and increase revenue for your bureau.

Secure online Backup

Don't worry about manually backing up or losing your client payroll data again. Simply link an employer to BrightPay Connect, then the payroll data will be automatically synchronised to the cloud as you run your payroll or make any changes. Payroll files are automatically backed up every 15 minutes when open and again when closed down, offering cloud security against ransomware and cyber attacks. A chronological history of backups will be maintained which can be restored at any time.

Bureau Dashboard

Access your online multi-company dashboard which gives an overview of clients’ payroll information in one place. BrightPay Payroll and BrightPay Connect are automatically synced to capture annual leave and changes to employee details.

Client / Employer Access

Invite clients to their own company dashboard where they have online access to an overview of their employer details, employee requests, employee contact details, employee payslips and any outstanding amounts due to HMRC. Payroll reports that have been set up and saved in the payroll are automatically available on BrightPay Connect.

Employee Online Access

Employees can access their own personal self service portal from any computer, tablet or smartphone. They can view and retrieve their historic payslips and other payroll documents such as a P60, P45, or P11d which can be exported to PDF and printed. Employees can easily submit holiday requests, view leave taken and leave remaining as well as amend personal contact details.

Annual Leave Management

Your client can view a company leave calendar allowing them to effectively manage their staffing resources and plan ahead to ensure there is sufficient staff cover at all times. Once an employee requests leave, clients can authorise or reject the request which then flows back to the payroll. Clients will have full visibility of how much leave an employee has taken, the number of annual leave days remaining and how frequently an employee is on sick leave. 

HR Solution

BrightPay Connect has built-in features giving your clients a ready-to-go HR solution. HR documents can be uploaded including employee handbooks and contracts, disciplinary documents, company newsletters, training material and more. Clients can also manage all leave for their employees including sick leave, annual leave, maternity leave and paternity leave.

Benefits for Payroll Bureaus

BrightPay Connect introduces powerful new online features that offers a range of benefits for your bureau, your clients and your clients’ employees.

• Add your own bureau or firm logo to boost the visibility of your brand and enhance client relationships.
• Clients get 24/7 access to their employees’ payslips and other payroll reports which will improve transparency for your client and their employees.
• Never worry about losing your client’s payroll data again as your data is now securely stored in the cloud.
• Make significant savings when bulk purchasing multiple BrightPay Connect licences. With savings of up to 75%, the more clients you sign up to BrightPay Connect, the more profits you can make.
• Increase revenue by adding a new payroll service offering to clients.
• Save time and reduce admin by automating and streamlining many internal payroll and HR administrative processes.
• Eliminate the administrative work and time it takes to send payroll documents to clients and their employees each pay period.

The two things that our bureau customers really rave about are (1) you are up and running in seconds, as this is all the time it takes to sync all of your client data to the cloud and and (2) you, your clients and their employees can access their payroll information from anywhere, from any device.

Read: Benefits of BrightPay Connect for Bureaus

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Posted in Employee Records, Employee Self Service, Payroll, Sick Leave/Absence Management

Ditch the suit....

Firms are being urged to relax workplace dress codes to help staff cope with the heatwave, the TUC has urged firms to temporarily relax their dress codes and leave work all together if it gets too hot.

The advice will come as a particular relief for male office workers who are often expected to wear shirts, suits and ties to work.

Heatwaves are generally easier for female workers to dress for, as they are able to switch to smart short-sleeved dresses.

It comes as Sunday saw a high of 32C, the hottest day of the year so far and emergency services are on standby after the Government issued a level three amber heat alert as temperatures are set to increase further this week.

Temperatures are due to peak at 34C in certain parts of the UK – hotter than the Bahamas – before cooling down at least a few degrees by next weekend.

As well as allowing comfortable clothes, the TUC has suggested that any outside work is done in the morning or afternoon to avoid the searing heat of the mid-day sun.

The union organisation again called for a change in the law to let workers go home if the temperature reaches 30C or 27C for people carrying out physical work. At present there is no upper temperature limit at which workers have a right to leave work.

It also called for a change in the law to introduce a maximum indoor temperature, with employers obliged to adopt cooling measures when a workplace temperature reaches 24C.

Companies should supply workers with cool drinks and allow them to take regular breaks, advised the TUC.

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Posted in Payroll

Holiday Leave Entitlements

The launch of Labour’s manifesto came with a surprise proposal to increase the public holidays to 12.

If elected, Labour would introduce 4 new public holidays – bringing England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland together to mark all 4 national patron saints’ days. These would be additional to the current statutory holiday entitlement so that “workers in Britain get the same proper breaks as in other countries”. This would mean the statutory holiday entitlement for a full-time worker would increase from 5.6 weeks per year to 6.4.

This proposal along with the time of year we’re heading into makes holidays in general a very topical issue at the moment, so let’s take a look at holiday entitlement and pay:

Entitlement

Employees’ holiday rights start on the first day of their employment.

Under the Working Time Regulations 1998, workers (including part-timers and most agency and freelance workers) have the right to:

• 5.6 Weeks’ paid leave each year, this equates to 28 days for full-time employees
• Payment for untaken statutory leave entitlement on termination of employment

Part-time employees are entitled to the same holidays as full-time workers, calculated on a pro-rata basis.

In addition, employers may choose to include bank holidays as part of a worker’s statutory annual leave.

Pay

The EU Court of Justice has ruled that holiday pay should not be based on basic pay alone - there must be no financial disincentive for an employee to take annual leave. Holiday pay must be the employee’s normal rate of pay and should include;

• Any regular shift allowance should be included.
• Commission: if there is a regular commission structure in place this should be included in holiday pay calculations.
• Overtime: If the employment contract stipulates that an employee must work a set amount of overtime each week then this is included in pay calculations. Regularly worked overtime, although not necessarily included in the contract of employment, should also be included. Irregular overtime should not be included. 

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Employing Under 18's - What you need to know

With the summer season upon us many employers will be looking at their summer rosters. Many will start to consider recruiting teenagers for the summer months, others will look to increase the hours of young students currently working weekends and/or evenings. In doing so, employers need to be mindful that specific legislation is in place to protect younger workers which must be fully adhered to.

It is unlawful to employ anyone under the age of 13 at all, except in limited circumstances, e.g child actors, but a permit is required from the local authority. Other restrictions in place in relation to the employment of children are listed below.

Hours of Work

Young workers are entitled to:

• Two days off per week
• A daily rest break of 12 consecutive hours (the break between finishing work on one day and starting work the next)
• A rest break of at least 30 minutes if the working day lasts more than 4.5 hours

Children are not allowed to work:

• Before 7 am or after 7 pm (some exceptions may apply)
• For more than one hour before school
• More than 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week
• Without a 2-week break from any work during the school holidays in each year. 

Location of Work

Children are not allowed to work:

• In factories or industrial sites
• In pubs or betting shops
• In any work that may be harmful to their health, well-being or education

Minimum Wage Rates

Workers aged between 16 and 17 are entitled to at least £4.05 per hour. School-aged workers are not entitled to minimum wage. 

Annual leave

Annual leave accrues in the normal manner for young workers.

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Stress is the main cause of long-term sick leave

Stress is the cause of 53% of UK employees on long-term sick, making it the number one reason for employees to be out of work on long-term sick leave. This can be a massive concern for employers as stressed out employees are less focused and motivated which will lead to a big drop in morale and productivity which in turn will lead to employees on long-term sick leave and possibly an increase in staff turnover.

How can I tell if my employees are stressed?

When people are stressed, they can become irritable, tired and suffer from low self-esteem. It is important for employers to be aware of the tell-tale signs if someone is stressed. Things to look out for in employees are:

• Turning up to work late, not meeting deadlines or taking more time off than usual.

• Failing to cope with the volume of work, making mistakes and having poor concentration.

• Deteriorating work relationships and not participating in conversation or staff events.

• Becoming moody, over reacting to something or losing their temper easily.

• Frequently tired and run down, rapid weight loss or gain, looking tired and unkempt.

What can I do to combat stress in the workplace?

The longer stress is left undetected and without positive change the worse it will get. Employees who are stressed need the support of their employer; however, it can be a sensitive subject to broach. If you suspect someone is feeling stressed you can try:

• In private, ask the employee if everything is ok and if they would like to talk to someone. Remind them of the support the company can offer them.

• Making sure all staff take their full holiday quota, take proper lunch breaks and if it is possible to allow employees to work from home when needed.

• When an employee goes on holiday, make sure other staff are available to cover their work so they can relax and not worry about work when they are off.

• Keep an eye on working relationships - try to spot any potentially unreasonable demands placed on an employee or any bullying/harassment that may be going on.

• Be respectful to all employees and remember to say thank you for a job well done.

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Return to Work Interviews: What do they involve?

Managing employee sick leave is one of the biggest challenges for many managers. Return to work interviews are consistently rated as one of the most effective methods of managing absenteeism levels.

So what are they?

A return to work interview is an informal meeting between a line manager and an employee on the first day the employee returns to work. To ensure all employees are aware of what they are, it is recommended that it should be included in all sickness absence policies.

Return to Work Interviews:

• Take place on the employees first day back at work

• Are one-to-one meetings between a manager and an employee

• Should mostly be fast, simple and informal

• Welcome employees back and check they are fit to come back to work

• Allow managers to offer support to their employees

• Update the employee on any news or changes during their absence

• Offer an opportunity to remind staff that absence levels are monitored

• Highlight if an absence is work-related and if further investigations are required by the company

When conducting a return to work interview, managers should remember that the employee should feel you are supporting them by holding the meeting but they don't need to be overly aware of the structure of the meeting. Managers should also avoid being judgmental and are advised not to make any assumptions about the employee's absence.

95% of short-term absence is due to minor illness such as cold, flu and stomach upsets. Stress is the main cause for long-term leave with 53% of employees absent is due to stress. Over the next two weeks we will focus on how employers can manage sick leave in the lead up to our online webinar: “Sickness Absence: All you need to know about SSP and managing Sick Leave effectively” on Thursday 25th May 11 am. To register click here.

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Can you dismiss an employee on long-term sick leave?

It can be frustrating if an employee on long-term sick leave keeps their employer in the dark about their recovery during that time. One of the more common questions is: What are my options if an employee is on long-term sick leave with an unclear indication if they will return to work?

O’Brien v Bolton St Catherine’s Academy

Ms. O’Brien was a teacher at Bolton St Catherine’s Academy who went on long-term sick leave after she was assaulted by one of her pupils. O’Brien claimed to be suffering from anxiety and depression due to the assault and said that she felt unsafe in the school. Following the first occupational health report, she was uncooperative in rescheduling the second one and after 14 months on leave and numerous attempts to get a position on her condition, the school decided to proceed with their medical incapacity meetings procedure, which led to her dismissal.

At the appeals meeting for O'Brien, a letter was produced from her GP. Although lacking detail about her absence, it claimed that due to a new course of treatment she was on, she was now fit to return to work. Frustrated by O'Brien's lack of cooperation up to this point, the Academy rejected her appeal and upheld the dismissal.

Findings

 Although the Tribunal agreed that the GP letter was full of scepticism and that the Academy had a legitimate reason for dismissing O'Brien, they found that the Academy had failed during the appeal to make further inquiries into the GP letter. They found that there was a lack of evidence that O'Brien's absence during that time was causing damage to the Academy; therefore they agreed that she had been unfairly dismissed.

In 2016 UK businesses lost an estimated £137 million due to sickness absence, so it is reasonable to see why employers are now taking sick leave more seriously. Over the next two weeks we will focus on how employers can manage sick leave in the lead up to our online webinar: "Sickness Absence: All you need to know about SSP and managing Sick Leave effectively" on Thursday 25th May 11 am. To register click here.

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Managing employees sick leave

This week, 8th - 15th May, is Mental Health Week and with 47% of employees on short-term sick leave due to stress and 34% of employees on short-term sick leave due to mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, we take a look at what you should include in your company’s sick leave policies and procedures.

•  Sick pay

An employee will only qualify for the statutory sick pay (SSP) of £89.35 per week if they are absent from work for 4 or more consecutive days (including non-working days) and this must be paid by the employer for up to 28 weeks. If an employer wishes to pay an employee more than the SSP for sick leave or if they would like to pay employees for the 4 days before their SSP kicks in they must include this in writing in their sick leave policy.

• Who to contact

Every industry and business will have different requirements as to how much notice an employee is required to give when sick. Details of this should be recorded in the employee’s contract and staff handbook to ensure they are aware of your sick leave policy. The policy should also include: who to contact, how much notice they must give and what method of contact is acceptable (e.g. a message on social media or a phone call from their parents would not be sufficient.)

• Record and monitor sick leave

It is important for employers to record and monitor all employee sick leave as it will enable them to identify trends and recognise points at which absence levels need to be investigated further. All records of employee sick leave will need to be kept, to keep your business compliant and for evidence of correct SSP reporting.

• Getting a second opinion

If you have an employee on sick leave, with their consent, you may ask for a medical report from their doctor to obtain information in regards to the employee’s fitness to work and their expected return to work date. You may also seek a medical report from your own occupational health advisor to get a second opinion, although under the Data Protection Act 1998, you will also need to obtain the employee’s express consent for doing so. To assist you in obtaining this consent from the employee, be sure to include it in your sick leave policy.

• What is a return to work interview?

A return to work interview is usually a brief and informal meeting between a line manager and an employee on the first day the employee returns to work, to check in with the employee as to how they are feeling and fill them in on business in their absence. Return to work interviews are consistently rated as one of the most effective methods of managing absenteeism levels and it is recommended that they should be included in all sickness absence policies.

With the average employee in the UK missing 6.3 days of work a year due to sickness, sick leave is an important issue that every employer will face at some point. Over the next two weeks we will focus on how employers can manage sick leave in the lead up to our online webinar: “Sickness Absence: All you need to know about SSP and managing Sick Leave effectively” on Thursday 25th May 11 am. To register click here.

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Misuse of social media in the workplace

In 2016, 82% of adults in the UK accessed the internet daily, with 67% of employees admitting to checking social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram during work. Statistics like this highlights the importance for employers to have a clear social media policy in place that includes the responsible use of social media in the workplace.

Preece vs. Wetherspoons

Miss Preece was working as a shift manager for JD Wetherspoons plc. when she and a colleague were subjected to “a shocking torrent of verbal abuse and physical threats” by some customers, particularly two who threatened her with a cane. The incident resulted in her asking them to leave. She later received phone calls shouting abusive and threatening comments and telling her to “get her P45 ready”.

Preece was still on duty when she set up a group discussion on Facebook about the incident in which she named the two customers. A complaint was made to the company and a full investigation was made into the incident. Preece claimed that the privacy settings on her Facebook page ensured only close friends could see the post. A disciplinary hearing found that Miss Preece’s failure to comply with company policy had lowered the reputation of the organisation and led to a breakdown in trust. She was dismissed for gross misconduct.

Findings

She appealed on the basis she had been under “severe pressure and provocation” and that the company had not been mentioned in her posts. The appeals officer found that Preece was aware of the company’s policies which said that employees should not write or contribute to online content that lowers the company’s reputation or its customers and that her page wasn’t as private as she thought, as customers could see the post. In the policy the company had also reserved the right to take disciplinary action where this occurred and so the original decision was upheld.

Conclusion

This case highlights the importance for an employer to have a robust social media policy in place and how it can also safeguard an employer’s position over misuse of social networks.

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Premium rate for zero-hour contracts?

The Governments employment practice adviser, Matthew Taylor, has suggested that companies in Britain could soon be forced to pay a premium rate for short-notice work.

Employers would be incentivised to guarantee work in advance if they were made to pay more for every non-guaranteed hour, says Mr. Taylor, who is leading a review into labour rights. 

In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Taylor said,"The problem with the labour market is not the security of work; it’s the security of income. A higher rate on zero-hours contracts could stop “lazy” employers from offloading risks onto workers and stop them from demanding “one-sided flexibility”.

According to figures from the Office of National Statistics, the number of people employed on zero-hours contracts in Britain has grown by 101,000 over the past year alone – and now represents 2.8% of all people in employment. This is leading to concerns that these types of non-guaranteed work practices are giving the employer the upper hand and has led unions to call for the government to tackle the rise in these contracts.

Mr. Taylor said, after he was appointed by PM Theresa May to lead the review on modern employment practices, which he hopes to “promote a national conversation and explore how we can all contribute to work that provides opportunity, fairness and dignity”.

“We can encourage employers to be less lazy about the transferring of risk. Even if it means an employer offers 15 hours a week rather than just one at least that is 15 hours that I can know I’m going to be able to pay my mortgage”.

The review will consider the implications of new forms of work on workers’ rights and responsibilities, as well as on employer freedoms and obligations.

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