Mar 23, 2022 | HR
It’s almost April, and the time for some key changes to Employment Law. Our team have put together the top 4 things you need to know to help ensure your company stays on top of the new rules.
4 Key Employment Law Changes
Increase in Minimum Wage – 1st April
Whilst April brings new minimum wage increases, there are also rises in other statutory rates. There is a focus on improving family friendly leave rates. Maternity, paternity, adoption and parental bereavement leave are all changing. These rates will increase from £152.97 to £156.66 per week.
Sick pay is all rising from £96.35 to £99.35 per week.
National minimum wage rates will be –
- National Living Wage – £9.50
- 21-22 Year Old Rate – £9.18
- 18 – 20 Year Old Rate – £6.83
- 16 – 17 Year Old Rate – £4.81
- Apprentice Rate – £4.81
Gender Pay Gap Reporting
The deadline for publishing your gender pay gap report is imminent! The deadline for private and voluntary sector employers is 4th April 2022. This report will need to be on your website and on the gender pay gap reporting portal on gov.uk
But you don’t just have to provide the figures. The gender pay gap report also give you the opportunity to provide any details around the gender pay gaps, if you have any. You can provide and explanation and can even include what measures you are taking to reduce the gap. As documents such as this are likely to form part of the decision-making process when hiring, it’s important that it shows you in a good light. Whilst candidates will appreciate that gaps do exist, if you are making proactive steps to reduce this, that could help attract a more diverse workforce.
IR35 ‘Grace Period’
IR35 came into force in April 2021. However, HMRC has taken a light touch to any enforcement notices in what is being called a ‘grace period’. The important thing to know is that this comes to an end on 6th April. Under the new rules, it is the responsibility of the organisation employing the contractor to determine their employment status. Therefore, it’s a great time to review your IR35 compliance and get your status determinations updated if necessary.
If you employ contractors and need help to secure the very best IT talent, we can help. We have a fantastic pool of contractors ready for work. Get in touch with our team to find out what we could do for you.
Employment Law Changes to Flexible Working
Just 2 years ago the way we worked changed practically overnight. Most companies required staff to work from home full time. But as we return to normal and the return to the office now fully underway, it’s important to know the changes to flexible working. Although, it’s important to note that there isn’t yet a fixed date for this to happen.
The current government guidance is to ‘work from where you can’. And in a view to modernise the day we work; they have proposed a change that will impact every company. The proposed plan is to make it possible for employees to request a flexible work pattern from day one. There’s also discussion around the number of requests and employee can make, and the time you should take to respond.
About Langley James
Established in 1999 we connect the right people to the right opportunities across all types and sizes of organisations throughout the UK. Our extensive Network of IT Professionals puts us ahead of the competition. Next time you’re recruiting into your IT team, whether contract or permanent, we’d love the opportunity to help you to recruit someone worth recruiting.
Mar 4, 2022 | IT, Tips
The remote interview is here to stay! Despite final restrictions now being lifted, remote interviews are still the first choice for hiring managers and candidates. Not only does it give more flexibility to the candidates, but it also allows you to screen faster and in a more structured way. With the current IT skill shortage, reducing your time to hire can make a big difference when it comes to securing the best IT talent.
So how do you make sure that your remote interview structure is geared for success? Here’s our guide –
Make sure your remote interview has structure
Just as you would in a face-to-face interview, it’s important to have a structure for your remote interview. The advantage of a remote interview is that you can have an out of sight prompt to assist. Decide what’s important and what you would like to discover from each interview stage. Creating a defined structure will not only ensure that you stay on track. It will also help you communicate the process with your recruiter prior to the interview. We’ve created guides on effective interviews before and some of those tips do still apply. However, when it comes to a remote interview, there are some additional things to consider.
It’s all about communication
It’s not just the interview where communication is key. It all starts beforehand. When arranging remote interviews, it’s important to communicate what to expect. You need to share some key information with your recruiter to make sure that the candidate is prepared.
- Who will be in the interview? Will it be a team interview or individual 1-2-1`s?
- What will the candidate need to prepare? What tech will you be using? Are there any tasks to complete?
- Will you be expecting a screen share?
Making sure that the candidate is prepared in advance will allow them to showcase their skills to the best of their ability. Your recruiter should be asking you these questions as a matter of cause.
Be flexible when arranging a remote interview
When arranging remote interviews, it’s important to still be flexible. There are lots of people still working from home. But, whilst that may make you think that they are more freely available, this isn’t always the case. Companies have implemented new remote working practices and monitoring. It’s important to be mindful of this when arranging interviews. However, regardless of this, there’s no doubt that remote interviews are the quickest way to secure the best IT talent.
Test your tech
You’ve no doubt seen this discussed for candidates, but the same applies for companies – probably even more so – and especially in IT! You may be an expert at Zoom or Teams meetings now but testing that everything works before the interview is still good practice. Make sure you are in a quiet area with no interruptions. Check your battery if you are not plugged in. Simple checks can save lots of embarrassment.
Dealing with issues during the remote interview
We’ve probably all been there. We are in a virtual meeting and something really important is being said. And that’s when the connection drops out. But how do you deal with this in an interview? Whilst your connection may be working fine, sometimes you’ll be in a situation where the candidates’ connection is poor. This can be a stressful situation. Not only is the candidate nervous and trying to perform the best – they don’t want to have tech issues to deal with too. If connections are poor, then don’t waste too much time. Suggest that the interview is rescheduled for later in the day. Maybe the candidate can arrange to be somewhere with better connection?
The next steps
If you have stuck to the structured plan for each interview, then you should be able to score the candidates fairly. Identify which areas are more weighted than others. How did each candidate perform? This will help you create a shortlist for a hiring decision or a final interview. But what can you do on the second stage if it’s still a remote interview? Why not assign a task? Something that fits with a key competency for the role. Or maybe even a live task – something they will be required to do if successful.
How Langley James can help
We have been helping companies to recruit the very best IT talent for over 20 years. During this time, we have learnt lots of tips that we can share with you when it comes to interviews, attraction methods and more. If you want to work with a recruiter who really knows their market and can help you recruit someone worth recruiting, get in touch with our team today.
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