The government has announced this right will be introduced in response to a consultation on carer’s leave. This is intended to give workers greater flexibility and ability to manage their work lives alongside care responsibilities. The consultation stated that there are approximately 5 million people in the UK who have unpaid care responsibilities, with around 50% of those people in employment. These numbers are only set to increase given the aging demographic of the UK. The government has acknowledged that this has become even more necessary given the COVID 19 pandemic.

Recently, there has been a notable increase in the number of Employment Tribunal cases in the UK which specifically revolve around a Claimant’s menopause. There are many preconceptions and much misinformation regarding this topic. However, it is an issue worth understanding as women aged between 45-59 make up a significant percentage of the workforce. A recent survey has shown that 25% of women with menopausal symptoms have considered leaving the workplace.

The working landscape has dramatically shifted since the beginning of the COVID 19 pandemic. While some companies are comfortable with the working from home set up, others are anxious to return to the office. A topic that is proving quite controversial is the issue of pay. Some have suggested that those who will be working from home permanently should have their pay cut. An example of this in the US is that Google has launched a pay calculator which has resulted in some employees being left with a pay cut. Google’s response to this is to say that pay has always been based on location and the expense of living.

The government has recently published the outcome of its Consultation on Sexual Harassment in the Workplace. The key take away from this is a commitment from the government that they will legislate to introduce a duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment and create explicit protections from harassment by third parties.

A new scheme has been launched by the Scottish Government which will remove the need for employees in certain sectors to self-isolate. Under current rules a person who has been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID 19 must isolate for ten days.

All employers in the UK have a duty to prevent illegal working. This involves carrying out right to work checks on all employees before they start work. Since March 2020 the rules for employers carrying out right to work checks have been relaxed to account for the difficulties caused by the COVID 19 pandemic.

The furlough scheme has been extended until the end of September. Rishi Sunak announced this as part of the 2021 budget yesterday. The only change to the scheme is that employers will be expected to contribute a portion of the furlough payments to employees at the rate of 10% in July and 20% in August and September.

In anticipation of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (“CRJS”) finally ending on 30 April 2021, the Government has published a new Treasury Direction with changes and extends the effect of the CJRS. Everything that has been said recently does suggest that 30 April 2021 really will be the end of the scheme.

While the focus over recent months has understandably been on Covid and the Job Retention Scheme, the Government has now announced the latest details of the annual increases in the various rates of the national minimum wage and national living wage.

While the Government has recently tried to help with the ongoing challenges of Covid 19 by extending the Job Retention Scheme until (at least) 31 March 2021, it is worth bearing in mind that there are certain steps that need to be taken to make sure employers get the money they are claiming from HMRC.