On your bike!

If saving the environment or shedding a few pounds isn't reason enough to start pedalling, The Department for Transport is now promoting what it calls the "Cycle to Work Guarantee". Employers who sign up will enjoy certain tax exemptions, so long as they guarantee to provide, amongst other things, safe bike parking facilities and changing and locker facilities.

It seems that currently, more than 30 per cent of the staff of large urban employers live within a half an hour bike ride of their place of work, but only about 3 per cent currently cycle to work. The government aim is to double or treble that figure.

Since most of the employers currently participating are public sector, the tax benefits may need to be improved if private sector employers are to be persuaded to take part in significant numbers.

To qualify for the tax exemption, cycles and cyclists' safety equipment are loaned to staff by the employer. Details can be found on the website http://www.cycletoworkguarantee.org.uk/

It's worth considering that an employer's responsibility extends to include those employees required to cycle as part of their job. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents reminds us how important it is that adult cyclists are trained and that an employer has a duty of care.

This is precisely the thinking behind The Police Cycle Training Doctrine, a draft 93-page, two volume booklet which includes a diagram on "deployment into a junction" and advises constables to wear padded shorts for "in-saddle comfort". However, growing opposition to the manual from the Taxpayers' Alliance mean that Police chiefs will not be going ahead with the training booklet since it is estimated that it would cost thousands of pounds to produce.

Lying in a tribunal - not a good idea

We always say to all of our clients that paperwork is so important when dealing with employee issues, having the right piece of paper and ensuring you have a paper trail could mean you being able to defend what ever is thrown at you by an disgruntled employee..

However trying to 'invent' documents is not recommended as a Scottish employer found out recently. By trying to produce forged documents to get out of paying the worker some compensation they were due and by inventing a contract of employment and further letters in regards to their case, the employer ended up with a £29k award and for his ignorance a four month jail term...

Not recommended...

An employee should receive a written statement of their employment terms and conditions within 8 weeks from their start date...

Paper trail is vital in HR...

Childcare Vouchers

From an equality point of view this seems to a bit of a bad idea...

From April 2011, employees who join a Company supported childcare voucher scheme will not get tax or NICs relief exemptions. Parents who are on existing voucher schemes (those who joined their employer scheme prior to April 2011) will continue to receive both tax and NICs relief and are not affected until April 2015 – when the voucher exemptions will be withdrawn completely. Instead of this, the Labour Party has announced plans to provide 10 hours of free childcare a week for 250,000 two-year olds for families who are on modest or middle incomes. Already, the proposed changes have caused public outrage, resulting in over 52,000 people having currently signed the official Downing Street petition.

The voucher scheme is both benefical for the employee and the employer so we genuinely believe this is going to meet quite a bit of opposition, expect the petition the grow..