April 2021 update – Rates of Pay and Working From Home Directive

]New rates of pay

Each year, the National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates are reviewed and updated. The NMW applies to all workers with separate rates for apprentices and the National Living Wage (NLW) applies to workers aged 23 and over.

Rates from 1 April 2021 are as follows:

Age	Rate from 1 April 2021
Workers aged 23 and over (NLW)	£8.91
Workers aged 21-22	£8.36
Development rate for workers aged 18-20	£6.56
Young workers rate for workers aged 16-17	£4.62
Apprentices under 19, or over 19 and in the first year of the apprenticeship	£4.30

The Living Wage Foundation

The Living Wage Foundation offer accreditation to employers who pay the ‘real’ living wage, based on actual living costs, to workers.

The Voluntary Living Wage rates for 2020-2021 for those organisations signed up to the Foundation will need to pay their employees the new rate by 9^th May 2021.

The new rate for those in London is £10.85 per hour and in the rest of the UK is £9.50 per hour.

The Foundation reports significant business benefits to paying the real Living Wage and offers a sliding scale of fees depending on the size of organisation.

For more information see What is the real Living Wage? | Living Wage Foundation.

Sleep-ins

The judgement in the Royal Mencap Society v Tomlinson-Blake case confirmed there is no entitlement to NMW for time spent asleep during a care worker’s sleep-in shift.

Statutory Rates

Statutory rates from 6 April 2021 are now as follows:

Payment	Rate from 6 April 2021
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)	£96.35 per week
Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) First six weeks – 90% of employee’s average weekly earnings. Remaining weeks at the statutory rate or 90% of employee’s weekly earnings if this is lower.	£151.97 per week
Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) Statutory rate or 90% of employee’s weekly earnings if this is lower.	£151.97 per week
Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP) First six weeks – 90% of employee’s average weekly earnings. Remaining weeks at the statutory rate or 90% of employee’s weekly earnings if this is lower.	£151.97 per week
Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP) Statutory rate or 90% of employee’s weekly earnings if this is lower.	£151.97 per week
Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay (SPBP)	£151.97 per week

The Lower Earnings Limit (LEL) remains at £120 per week.

Working from home: new Health & Safety Executive guidelines for employers

As we move out of lockdown, many offices, shops and hospitality venues are reopening. However, if your team are still home-based, please remember you have a duty of care to ensure your employees are properly equipped.

Display Screen Assessments: new rules

Earlier in 2021, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) changed their guidance about working from home. Employers now have a responsibility to check how their team members are working at home and ensure their home environment is as safe as their office.

One of the key requirements is to ensure a Display Screen Equipment (DSE) Assessment is completed by each home-working employee, and any issues are resolved. The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations apply to workers who use DSE daily, for an hour or more at a time – described as ‘DSE Users’.

The HSE provide a handy checklist to use for assessments which covers the minimum requirements.

The minimum requirements for suitable equipment for DSE purposes is a height adjustable chair with a five-star base. Your staff must also have access to a suitable desk space and use a separate keyboard and mouse to their screen. Although it is possible to work at kitchen or dining table, there must be a laptop stand, separate keyboard and mouse.

Anyone unwilling or unable to implement the requirements must be prioritised to return to the office. It is your responsibility as an employer to ensure your staff are working in a safe environment, without causing unnecessary back or neck injuries.

For more advice on implementing any of the above recommendations or to arrange a full Health and Safety audit, please contact Joanne Moss on 07789 038409.