Purple HR Ltd

BUDGET TAKEAWAYS: What are we to make of this week’s Budget, the first to be introduced by a female Chancellor, for businesses from an HR perspective. NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE: Rising from rise from £11.44 to £12.21 an hour for overs-21s and from £8.60 to £10 for 18 to 20-year-olds from April. BUSINESS TAX: Restriction of 100% business property relief (100% protection from Inheritance Tax) to only the first £1 million of qualifying agricultural and business assets. NATIONAL INSURANCE: Companies to pay NI at 15% on salaries above £5,000 from April, increasing from 13.8% on salaries above £9,100. APPRENTICESHIP LEVY: £40m investment to reform it into a Growth & Skills Levy allowing wider training and growth options. CORPORATION TAX ROADMAP: Corporation Tax rate capped at 25% for this Parliament, maintaining the likes of Annual Investment Allowance, R&D tax credits and the Patent Box and encouraging long-term investment. BUSINESS RATES: 40 per cent business rates relief for retail, hospitality and leisure business, capped at up to £110,000 per business for next year and 2026. Our Director Mandy Fitzmaurice says: “These are just some of the headlines. The Budget document runs to a whopping 170 pages and will take a lot of unpicking. “From a business point of view, there will be a great many changes necessary – particularly in payroll – and a host of questions from employees about what the future holds.”  Our specialists at Purple HR are here to help. Contact us today: ✔ https://lnkd.in/e99Mmq2f ✔ hello@purplehr.co.uk ✔ 01202 801047

UNLIMITED ADVICE: Often, what you need is a friendly HR expert that you can call or email when you have a problem. For an affordable monthly fee, Purple HR will be your friendly ear, there to provide you with an invaluable source of help and advice whenever you need it. You will be safe knowledge that you’re getting first class advice and guidance from people who really know what they are talking about. ☎️ Purple HR’s Advice Line works well for busy owners and HR Practitioners who are looking to have a quick and responsive source of HR & Employment Law advice when dealing with the endless scenarios that employees present us with every day. There’s no limit to how much you can call or email – the amazing team here are very well qualified with many, many years’ hands-on experience as well as holding Advanced Diplomas in Employment Law, so we know our stuff. 💻 Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eMRy9xur 🟪 Purple HR: ✔ https://lnkd.in/e99Mmq2f ✔ hello@purplehr.co.uk ✔ 01202 801047

IMPORTANT MATTER: Flexible working set to be one of the major talking points in the Employment Rights Bill which has been introduced by the new Labour government to, we are told, address the balance of power between employers and workers. Currently, employees can request changes to their working arrangements up to twice a year, such as requesting different hours, working from home, or compressing their working week. Employers are required to handle these requests in a ‘reasonable manner’ and must provide one of eight specified reasons if they reject a request. Employment Law barrister Daniel Barnett has an interesting take on what is proposed in the Bill. He says the announcement that flexible working would become the ‘default’ created high expectations. But the actual text of the Bill reveals that the changes are much more limited in scope. “Under the new law, an employer can still refuse a flexible working request on the basis of one or more of the eight existing statutory reasons. However, the key change is that the employer will now need to go one step further: they must explain why they consider it reasonable to refuse the request based on these grounds. Additionally, there is a new requirement for consultation before rejecting a flexible working request. “Although the requirement to explain refusals more thoroughly may appear to strengthen employees’ rights, the practical effect of the changes is limited. Employers will still retain broad discretion in refusing flexible working requests as long as they can reasonably justify their decisions. “Moreover, there is no change to the penalty for failing to comply with these requirements—employees who are successful in tribunal claims for breach of the flexible working rules will still be entitled to a maximum of eight weeks’ pay. This cap has remained unchanged and provides limited financial risk for employers who do not handle requests in line with the new rules.” ▶️ Daniel runs regular live, half-day seminars over Zoom explaining what you need to know about the Government's new employment legislation. There is one tomorrow (Tuesday). Find out more: https://lnkd.in/edT-5ssB 📰 The Times reported on Thursday that senior Whitehall officials have said that civil servants must spend at least 60 per cent of their time at the office. 🟪 Find out more about Purple HR: ✔ https://lnkd.in/e99Mmq2f ✔ hello@purplehr.co.uk ✔ 01202 801047

📢 Due to demand, we’re adding one final Passport to Manage course before the end of 2024! Join us for this engaging three-day programme tailored to empower line managers. Dates: 21st, 28th November, and 5th December Time: 10 am to 3.30 pm (lunch included) What’s covered: ➡️ Key leadership styles and their impact ➡️Techniques for effective communication and time management ➡️Managing performance, including challenging conversations ➡️Dealing with sickness absence, disciplinaries and grievances ➡️Equality & Diversity essentials Cost: £599 + VAT per person This course blends practical activities with expert guidance, ensuring you’re fully equipped to tackle real-world management challenges. For more details or to book a place, contact us at hello@purplehr.co.uk

NEW FACE: Many of you will have met Helen Lush, our relatively new HR assistant, but for those of you who haven’t…. Helen, pictured with our Director Mandy Fitzmaurice, brings a valuable blend of experience from her time in educational settings and customer service. With her adept administrative skills, she is the backbone of our HR operations, ensuring all processes run smoothly and efficiently. Helen’s expertise in handling a wide array of HR tasks makes her an indispensable part of our team. Her approachable nature and dedication to service excellence make Helen a reliable support for our clients, helping to streamline their HR functions and enhance overall efficiency. Whether you need assistance with paperwork, compliance, or any other HR administrative task, Helen is always ready to help with a smile.   Find out more about Purple HR: ✔ https://lnkd.in/e99Mmq2f ✔ hello@purplehr.co.uk ✔ 01202 801047

SICK PAY: The government has published the Employment Rights Bill, fundamentally shifting the balance of power between employers and workers – and one of the key changes is how Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is administered. The government has committed to ensure SSP is strengthened for those who need it most, by removing the existing requirements to serve waiting days and extending eligibility to those earning below the Lower Earnings Limit. The proposal is to remove the flat rate lower earnings limit requirement for SSP, currently £123 per week – meaning up to 1.3 million employees are excluded – and set SSP payments as a ‘prescribed percentage of the employee’s normal weekly earnings’. The government’s consultation on the percentage replacement rate for those earning below the current rate of SSP, as part of its ambitious Make Work Pay agenda ‘to ensure workplace rights are fit for a modern economy, empower working people and deliver economic growth’, closes at 11:59pm on December 4. Our Director Leanne Fitzmaurice says: “This will affect a great many people and companies, particularly SMEs and those businesses in sectors where there is traditionally lower pay – as well as making payrolls much more complicated. “The consultation period is very tight so we urge anyone with concerns or suggestions to make themselves heard quickly. Once the consultation is over the government will use the responses gathered to inform the percentage rate of earnings, possibly between 60% and 80%. “At Purple HR we will be keeping on top of this issue and other Employment Rights Bill changes to ensure that clients continue to receive the best and most up-to-date advice and guidance.” 💻 Consultation: https://lnkd.in/eJ2yNZf5 📰 The Times: https://lnkd.in/erW5JcQ7 📰 BBC: https://lnkd.in/eY2abKw8   🟪 Find out more about Purple HR: ✔ https://lnkd.in/e99Mmq2f ✔ hello@purplehr.co.uk ✔ 01202 801047

OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK: Young UK workers are likely to be engaged and optimistic next year, a new report into employee experience trends for 2025 has revealed. Research by Qualtrics found employees under 25 years old feel positive about their careers and the success of their organisation, reports Personnel Today. Its 2025 Employee Experience Trends report suggests that next year will also see the best employers making work less chaotic. With the pace of change making employees feel under pressure, they need support to keep them engaged and maintain their wellbeing. Around two in five (39%) of workers polled believed they were under pressure to be more productive, mostly attributing this to keeping up with the pace of change (40%) or strategic changes to the business (39%). Around a third (34%) blamed this on external economic pressures, while nearly a quarter (23%) thought it was because of the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI). 📰 Full story: https://lnkd.in/enEAiE3C Business owners: do your employees need more support? If so, give us a shout - we can help. ✔ https://lnkd.in/e99Mmq2f ✔ hello@purplehr.co.uk ✔ 01202 801047

DON’T BE A MUG: Here’s why your business must have a company employee handbook.   It provides a detailed overview of company policies and procedures, clearly communicates your expectations in advance of disciplinary issues and helps you stay compliant with employment legislation. Without such a handbook – also crucial for new employees to find about the business, recording your mission and values and demonstrating transparency – you might find yourself in trouble. That’s where we at Purple HR come in – we are experts at compiling business handbooks and can take through the process from start to finish or help you update an existing handbook. Find out more about Purple HR: ✔ https://lnkd.in/e99Mmq2f ✔ hello@purplehr.co.uk ✔ 01202 801047

WEIGHT THERE: Employers who create unhealthy workplaces should be fined, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). Employers should face regulatory action if they fail to support employees with their health, such as by providing subsidised nutritious food, a representative of the IPPR think tank has claimed. HR Magazine reports that the IPPR also said that sending people back to work after medical treatment would be ineffective if the workplace was detrimental to their health. This follows as article by Health Secretary, Wes Streeting who said unemployed people with obesity should be given weight loss injections, such as Ozempic, to help them return to work. He said obesity was costing the UK government £11 billion, causing a ‘significant burden’ on the NHS. What do you think? At Purple HR we would be fascinated to hear your views as to whether it is an employer’s responsibility to provide a ‘healthy’ workplace or whether staying healthy is entirely an individual’s responsibility. 📰 Full story: https://lnkd.in/ejvwUA8X 🟪 Find out more about Purple HR: ✔ https://lnkd.in/e99Mmq2f ✔ hello@purplehr.co.uk ✔ 01202 801047

TEAMWORK: At Purple HR, we are a tight-knit team of seasoned HR professionals led by directors Mandy and Leanne Fitzmaurice. Based in the heart of Dorset and extending our services throughout the UK and beyond, we specialise in delivering bespoke HR solutions across all facets of human resources—from strategic planning to everyday administration. Our approach is personal and client-centric. We invest time to understand the unique challenges and needs of each business we partner with, ensuring tailored solutions that are both effective and practical. Whether you’re a burgeoning startup or an established enterprise, our comprehensive support is designed to enhance your operations and empower your people. If you like what you hear, please contact us today for all your HR needs: ✔ https://lnkd.in/e99Mmq2f ✔ hello@purplehr.co.uk ✔ 01202 801047