One of the benefits for being a member of My People Partner is that you receive an in-depth Employment Law Update at the start of every month. What follows is a summary of the June 2022 report.
Go to My People Partner for more information on the programme or for advice on employment law and HR matters.
End Salary History guide: a guide for recruiters
The End Salary History guide End Salary History: a guide for recruiters :: The REC has been published by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and gender equality campaign group the Fawcett Society, says organisations will need to end the practice of asking salary history or expectations questions if they want to tackle gender, ethnicity and disability pay gaps. The guide explains that basing salary offers on previous income “bakes in” inequality and perpetuates existing pay gaps.
The guide says those involved in sourcing, interviewing, and hiring candidates should:
- avoid any questions that may solicit current salary information from prospective candidates, including on application forms, in job interviews and on online portals
- review all background and candidate screening software to ensure they do not ask for previous salary information
- avoid sharing salary information volunteered by candidates and encourage employers to make salary offers based on different criteria
- get clear salary brackets for roles from hiring managers, with clear information about what skills are needed to reach those salaries.
Ukraine workers
On 6th May 2022, the government published guidance for businesses offering work to people from Ukraine Guidance for businesses offering work to people coming from Ukraine – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The guidance provides that:
- Businesses offering employment opportunities to people arriving in the UK from Ukraine should complete a vacancy information questionnaire and return the completed questionnaire to the Home Office by emailing it to offerwork@homeoffice.gov.uk. After completion of the questionnaire, a business will be contacted by the National Employer and Partnership Team at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) within five working days. Job opportunities will then be shared across the DWP Jobcentre Plus network and with the Refugee Employment Network (REN).
- Ukrainians who hold professional qualifications may need those qualifications to be recognised in the UK, if they work in a regulated profession. The UK Centre for Professional Qualifications provides a free service which explains whether a profession is regulated and any entry requirements.
There is an FAQ section at the end of the guidance which provides information on immigration status and additional support available to businesses.
Members of the My People Partner programme also received information relating to:
- High Potential Individual visa route – A new High Potential Individual visa route opened on 30 May 2022 to help attract the world’s top graduates into the UK to work.
- Exclusivity clauses in employment contracts for low-income workers – On 9 May 2022, the government published a response to its consultation on measures to extend the ban on exclusivity clauses in employment contracts to cover low paid workers whose earnings are on or under the Lower Earnings Limit (LEL) (the use of exclusivity clauses in employment contracts was banned in zero hours contracts in 2015).
- Disabled taxi and private hire vehicles passengers – On 28 April 2022, the Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Disabled Persons) Bill was granted Royal Assent, becoming the Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Disabled Persons) Act 2022. The Act amends the Equality Act 2010 provisions relating to carriage by taxis and private hire vehicles to address inconsistencies and expand the protections afforded to wheelchair and assistance dog users to all disabled people.
- Covid
- Vaccinations – A new survey from Acas has found that more than 1 in 5 employers plan to implement a ‘no jab no job’ policy in the year ahead for both new and existing staff. There is currently no law in England, Scotland or Wales that says employees must have the vaccine.
- Long Covid – Long COVID symptoms adversely affect the day-to-day activities of 1.8 million people in the UK, according to the Office of National Statistics.
- Breaches of health & safety rules at work – information relating to a HSE fine to an education institution during Covid restrictions.
- Case Law
To discuss any of the information within this document or to find out more about My People Partner, contact us at KCA