This Employment Law Update will cover how best to support employees during pride month, possible upcoming changes to the working time regulations, holiday pay, and the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE), and how to engage employees in meaningful activities during World Wellbeing Week 2023!
If you would like to discuss any of the points raised in this email, please get in touch. Pride Month As you may already know, every year June is globally recognised as pride month. It is a time to celebrate and raise awareness on the LGBTQ+ community and promote inclusivity in the workplace. Everyone is responsible for creating a supportive environment where all employees feel respected, valued, and comfortable expressing their authentic selves. 1. Educate and Raise Awareness Educate your workforce, think about different learning and development opportunities you could provide, encourage open dialogue such as workshops or spaces for LGBTQ+ employees to share their experiences if they feel comfortable, provide resources for employees to broaden their knowledge on pride month and what it stands for, and/or encourage employees to provide feedback on ways they think your work environment could be more inclusive. 2. Ensure your Policies and Benefits are Inclusive Now is the perfect time to review your existing policies and benefits to ensure that they are inclusive and non-discriminatory. For example, ensuring that your healthcare benefit covers transgender-specific needs and support. Another example could be ensuring your policies include 'they' as opposed to 'he/she' pronouns. If it’s been a while since your contracts, policies, or handbook have been reviewed, we’re here to help! Get in touch and we can assist with a comprehensive review of your employment documents. 3. Donate to an LGBTQ+ Charity There are few better ways to demonstrate your support than to donate to charities that are actively supporting the community and need your help. This could also be a great opportunity to fundraise as a team! 4. Additional Ways to Show Support Other ways you can celebrate and raise awareness during pride month include supporting employee resource groups, visibly demonstrating support by displaying pride flag or promoting pride month on social media and encouraging employees to display their pronouns if they feel comfortable to encourage inclusivity for trans and non-binary employees. Retained EU Law Reforms
The government are currently consulting on reforms to the working time regulations, holiday pay, and the TUPE regulations. The consultation is due to close on 7th July 2023 and we expect to see changes to:
record keeping requirements under the working time regulations,
simplifying annual leave and holiday pay calculations in the working time regulations,
consultation requirements under the TUPE regulations.
This is something we will be keeping a close eye on over the next few months, and will provide further information on once it becomes available. World Wellbeing Week 2023 - How to Engage Employees Next week, from 26th to 30th June, is World Wellbeing Week and is a great opportunity for employers to foster a culture of well-being in the workplace and promote holistic health. It is not just a week-long event, it is an opportunity to enhance personal and professional growth and prioritise health and happiness for the future. 1. Encourage Communication and Awareness World Wellbeing Week can be a time to share resources, tips, and information on various aspects of wellbeing, including mental, physical, and emotional health. It can also be a great time to encourage employees to speak out on their struggles with wellbeing if they feel comfortable, encourage open and honest communication and encourage employees to actively participate in wellbeing activities and initiatives throughout the week. 2. Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) Consider implementing an EAP for your employees or, if you already have one in place, promote the use of your EAP and it's availability and benefits. Alternatively, ensure employees are aware of confidential counseling services, mental health resources, and other support systems they can use. 3. Organisational Wellness Challenges and Activities Organise interactive wellness activities that cover each area of wellbeing. These activities could include fitness challenges, meditation or mindfulness sessions, team-building exercises, healthy cooking classes, or lunchtime walking groups. If a remote or hybrid working model is in place, these could take place over Teams or Zoom. Involve employees in the decision-making process to improve inclusivity and engagement. 4. Other Ways to Engage Employees Other ways you can help include evaluating the flexible working arrangements that you offer, encouraging the importance of regular and appropriate breaks or time-off and recognising and appreciating employees' efforts to improving their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of the overall team. If you have any HR queries please give a member of the team a call today, on 01926 853388, or email angela.roberts@arhrconsult.com.