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    24/7 work culture – are you complying with minimum wage?

    The advent of new technology has transformed the way we work and live. This dramatic change has wiped-out the 9-5 office culture, creating endless possibilities and making it far easier to work outside of the workplace. The average working week in the UK has risen to 42.7 hours for full time employees* so, how does this impact on your team and their salary?

     

    What does this mean for employers?

    Recently, a case was highlighted in Ireland where an executive was rewarded €7,500 after arguing that she was required to deal with out-of-hours work emails. This led to the individual working more than the maximum 48 hours a week set out in Ireland’s Organisation of Working Time Act 1997.

    Obviously, enhanced communication can make our lives easier, but we can equally fall victim to constantly being tied to our job. In National Payroll Week our payroll team are encouraging employers to address the necessary policies to ensure that their employees can switch-off entirely.

    No emails out of working hours or during holidays, no staying at the office outside normal hours, unless necessary and no calls to mobiles outside of the employees normal working hours, are just a few suggestions. Other measures include work-sharing and ensuring employees have a healthy and productive work-life balance.

    Our digital mobility and capacity to work for longer periods of time and at differing hours can be very productive but also counter-productive for employee’s well-being and ultimately affect the salary. It is important that organisations work with individuals to produce guidance that is effective for all.

    Julie Mason, who heads up the PM+M payroll team said: “Individual requirements for flexibility can make ‘a one for all policy’ difficult, but what is most imperative is to ensure that everyone can benefit and that a supportive culture is developed which focuses on the well-being of all team members. This in turn will mitigate any risk to the employer on dropping below the minimum wage.”.

    If you would like to discuss any payroll issues with Julie Mason or any member of the payroll team, please get in touch.

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    Julie Mason
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