HR Updates

Four million drivers asleep at the wheel
Date: Friday 18 June 2021
A staggering four million drivers have fallen asleep behind the wheel, according to new research by IAM RoadSmart. The research also found that one in 10 of those surveyed admitted to closing their ey…

Ben focus on Men's Health Week
Date: Thursday 10 June 2021
Men’s Health Week takes place next week, and this year Ben is focussing on prostate cancer. With 1 in 8 men diagnosed with prostate cancer, they are sharing some information on what prostate cancer is…

HSE COVID-19 spot checks and inspections update
Date: Thursday 27 May 2021
The Variant of Concern first identified in India has been found in small clusters around the UK. In response, the government is working with relevant local councils on surge testing, and to support th…

Updated furlough agreement template from Lawgistics
Date: Thursday 27 May 2021
The requirement from HMRC is that the employer should have had a PAYE payroll scheme in place on or before 2 March 2021 in order to be able to claim from May 2021 onwards. Following on from Lawgistics…

Long COVID can render employees from being unable to work for months
Date: Thursday 27 May 2021
Lawgistics have recently issued guidance information for employers where they are advised to deal with Long COVID issues in the same way as any other medical condition. Concerns have been raised regar…

Online deliveries drive demand for van turbos
Date: Thursday 20 May 2021
Melett, the leading supplier of precision engineered turbochargers and parts, has continued to develop its OE-quality LCV turbocharger range with the introduction of eight new units, suitable for a va…

Ben launches Move4Ben
Date: Thursday 06 May 2021
Following the huge success of Breakout for Ben in February, Ben is excited to launch Move4Ben taking place throughout June - and people can sign up in just a few simple steps! Sign up here Ben is aski…

Ben offers advice on building resilience
Date: Wednesday 21 April 2021
Lockdown has been difficult for many of us, for lots of different reasons. In full lockdown things might have felt more certain or predictable, as the rules were clearer. But now that lockdown restric…

Gender Pay Gap Reporting
Date: Thursday 15 April 2021
The IAAF's legal helpline partner, Lawgistics, have previously given advice about the Gender Pay Gap Reporting. Organisations with 250 or more employees will be required to report annually on their ge…

Advice from Lawgistics: Review your contracts of employment
Date: Thursday 18 March 2021
Legal helpline partner Lawgistics are reminding IAAF members, that the Good Work Plan, which was introduced on 6 April 2020, resulted in changes to employment law affecting all business sectors. With …

Budget 2021: COVID-19 Support
Date: Wednesday 10 March 2021
In his speech last week, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced extensions to a number of current COVID-19 schemes, alongside additional support for individuals and businesses, as the UK continues …

The National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates increases
Date: Monday 08 March 2021
The National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates will increase on 1 April. In addition to the new rates, the age from which workers become eligible for the National Living Wage will be lowered…

Ben: Support for life - depression
Date: Thursday 25 February 2021
Ben has recently seen a rise in the number of people looking for help with depression, which isn’t surprising as it’s been reported that the number of adults experiencing depression has almost doubled…

Update from Lawgistics: Furlough the sixth Direction
Date: Friday 05 February 2021
Lawgistics, the IAAF's legal helpline provider, have advised that the Treasury has produced its sixth Direction on the furlough scheme. Firstly, the direction confirms that furlough has been extended …

New-style driving licences and number plates mark one-year anniversary of Brexit as EU flag is removed
Date: Wednesday 03 February 2021
To mark the UK’s exit from the EU, the EU flag has been removed from all UK driving licences and number plate designs, with the first batches issued from 1 January 2021. While existing licences and nu…

Ben launches fast-track access to digital mental health platform
Date: Thursday 21 January 2021
On Blue Monday, automotive charity Ben are launching fast-track access to its digital mental and wellbeing platform, offering immediate support to those in need. On a day hailed as the most depressing…

Latest advice on Furlough and Support for Business from Lawgistics
Date: Monday 11 January 2021
Furlough scheme remains open The furlough (Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme) has not been changed and remains open until 30 April 2021. The scheme will continue to subsidise 80% of wages to the cap of…

HMRC COVID-19 Support: extension of CJRS
Date: Friday 18 December 2020
The UK Government has reviewed the terms of the scheme, and has now announced that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) will remain at the current level of 80% of usual wages for the hours not …

Making sense of the pandemic - some thoughts from Ben
Date: Thursday 17 December 2020
This has been a very unsettling year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has played havoc with everyone’s lives. That’s why Ben wanted to take a look at how the pandemic has affected people's physical…

4 Tips to Protect Your Business from Fraud: advice from FinCred IS
Date: Thursday 17 December 2020
Fraud is estimated to cost the global economy £3.89 trillion a year, and over £193 billion a year in the UK. In the last 10 years fraud losses have increased by 56%.[1] Furthermore, with only a fracti…

Take action now to ensure personal data flows freely from the EU/EEA to the UK
Date: Friday 11 December 2020
With just three weeks to go until the end of the transition period on 31 December, there is still time to prepare. You can find out what actions you may need to take by using the checker tool at gov.u…

Furlough is not just for Christmas: advice from Lawgistics
Date: Thursday 10 December 2020
Lawgistics have advised that the government has again updated their guidance with regard to furloughing employees. Furlough is only in place for companies which are being affected by coronavirus (Covi…

COVID-19: Employer support – live HMRC webinars
Date: Thursday 10 December 2020
Claims under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) are currently open for pay periods in November and December 2020. You have until 11.59pm Monday 14 December to submit claims for November. Make…

Do we have to shut our workplace after a confirmed case of COVID-19 among our workforce?
Date: Thursday 03 December 2020
Our colleagues at Xecutivesearch have brought to our attention the following article, put together by Mondaq, which outlines what is recommended should an employee be confirmed as having COVID-19. The…

MOT testing in Scotland: update
Date: Wednesday 25 November 2020
The Scottish Government has announced that 11 areas in Scotland moved into protection Level 4 from 18:00 on Friday 20 November until Friday 11 December.You can read more about the measures and which a…

Lawgistics: Furlough Claim Time Limit
Date: Wednesday 25 November 2020
If you have employees on either furlough or flexible furlough you should be aware of the new timescales for making a claim with HMRC. The claim needs to be submitted within roughly 14 days after the e…

HMRC COVID-19 Support: CJRS extension
Date: Thursday 12 November 2020
HMRC has now made the new Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) guidance available on GOV.UK. To check if you’re eligible and to get ready to claim from this week, go to GOV.UK and search 'Coronavir…

Furlough updates from Lawgistics
Date: Thursday 12 November 2020
Following the recent announcement regarding the extension of the Coronavirus furlough scheme, Lawgistics have received confirmation that neither the employer nor the employee had to have claimed under…

Extended Furlough - Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
Date: Thursday 05 November 2020
With the country going into the second lockdown on 5 November 2020, and with the suspension of non-essential retail including vehicle showrooms, the government has pushed back the Job Support Scheme a…

Tips from Ben on how to deal with stress
Date: Thursday 05 November 2020
With the new lockdown having just started, it’s not surprising that many of us are feeling unsettled and worried about the future. We’ve all been experiencing lots of continual change in our daily liv…

The second lockdown and accrual of leave
Date: Thursday 05 November 2020
Under the previous furlough rules, annual leave was accruing throughout the furlough duration and could be taken during the furlough. It is extremely unlikely that the detailed guidance and regulation…

Urgent message from the Business Secretary: The way you hire from the EU is changing
Date: Friday 30 October 2020
The transition period is ending on 31 December and there will be no extension. The current rules for hiring workers from the EU will change. Time is running out and I urge you to act now to prepare fo…

Advice from Lawgistics: Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) for employees who are self-isolating
Date: Thursday 29 October 2020
Lawgistics have recently had enquiries regarding Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) with particular interest relating to employees who are self-isolating. To qualify for SSP an employee must: Earn an average o…

HMRC COVID-19 Support: JRS closes and Job Support Scheme opens
Date: Thursday 29 October 2020
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme closes on 31 October and businesses will need to make any final claims on or before 30 November. The Job Support Scheme will open on 1 November, with claims openin…

Advice from Lawgistics: making redundancies during the pandemic
Date: Thursday 29 October 2020
A recent ACAS survey commissioned by YouGov has reported that 1 in 3 employers are likely to make redundancies over the next 3 months. Of the key points: 6 out of 10 large businesses said they were l…

Advice from Lawgistics: Job Support Scheme changes and template agreement
Date: Thursday 29 October 2020
On Thursday 22nd October the Chancellor made two important announcements in respect of the furlough successor, the Job Support Scheme. To qualify for a grant under this scheme, an eligible employee is…

When is a van a car?
Date: Thursday 29 October 2020
Our colleagues at Xecutive Search have forwarded details of a ruling issued by the Court of Appeal which means that some crewcab vans are to be treated as cars for benefit-in-kind purposes. Court. In …

Ben extends its services to support automotive people who face job losses
Date: Tuesday 20 October 2020
Automotive charity, Ben, is now providing support to industry people who have lost their jobs and who are at risk of losing their jobs. Ben has seen a 52% increase in requests for support from April-S…

Job Retention Bonus: clarification of the scheme from Lawgistics
Date: Tuesday 13 October 2020
Back in July 2020 the government announced that, for every employee who was on furlough at some point and was in continuous employment until the end of January 2021, a bonus of £1,000 would be paid. T…

Job Support Scheme: Lawgistics explain the sheme
Date: Tuesday 13 October 2020
A successor to the furlough scheme was much anticipated by many. It has been announced that the Job Support Scheme will come into effect immediately after the current flexible furlough scheme ends. Th…

Advice from Ben on mental health
Date: Friday 09 October 2020
Health is made up of two parts, physical health (our body) and mental health (our mind - how we think and feel). They’re linked, so if something changes in one, it affects the other. Our wellbeing - h…

ICO: Responding to the challenges of COVID-19
Date: Friday 09 October 2020
Throughout COVID-19, the ICO has been offering practical support on new data protection questions that the pandemic has asked of organisations. Whether you are a local business or a government departm…

What to do if an employee has symptoms or a confirmed case of Covid-19: advice from Lawgistics
Date: Thursday 01 October 2020
With the Test and Trace service having been heavily criticised, and large numbers of people self isolating for different reasons, Lawgistics have received many enquiries on how to keep the workplace s…

HMRC COVID-19 Support
Date: Thursday 01 October 2020
Changes to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme that came into effect on 1 October mean that employers will need to fund 20% of furloughed employees’ usual wages for the hours they do not work and con…

COVID-19 Protective Measures: Automotive Aftermarket Sector Industry Guidance and Best Practice
Date: Friday 25 September 2020
The third edition of this guidance has just been issued with updates on the wearing of face coverings in customer-facing settings. During this unprecedented time, companies of all sizes are being chal…

HMRC webinars: Changes to the Job Retention Scheme
Date: Wednesday 16 September 2020
Changes to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme from 1 September mean that employers will need to fund 10% of furloughed employees’ usual wages for the hours they do not work and continue to pay their…

Preparing for retirement: advice from Ben
Date: Wednesday 16 September 2020
More people in the UK are saving into a pension scheme than ever before, thanks to the introduction of auto enrolment in 2012. But, did you know that up to 35% of UK adults still don’t have a pension?…

Coping with grief: Support available from Ben
Date: Thursday 27 August 2020
In the lead up to National Grief Awareness Day this coming Sunday, Ben is sharing advice on how people can look after themselves and others during a bereavement, which, whether expected or a complete …

New type approval legislation gets go ahead in UK
Date: Thursday 20 August 2020
One of the key pieces of legislation that the Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation (IAAF) has lobbied for over the past few years has been Type Approval Regulation (EU) 2018/858. This key pie…

Lateness in the workplace - advice from Lawgistics
Date: Wednesday 12 August 2020
Employers are within their rights to expect all employees to be punctual, but as we are all aware, there are times when arriving late for work cannot be avoided. However, for those employees with a te…