Department for Communities

Disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ: Condition Management Programme

bgraham — Thu, 30 Sep 2021 09:01:28 +0000

Disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ: Condition Management Programme bgraham Thu, 30/09/2021 - 10:01

Employ and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ people with disabilities

In this guide:

Recruiting people with disabilities

How employers can adjust and take positive steps to recruit people with disabilities.
It can be challenging for someone with a disability to get into employment. Opening up your talent pool to make it easier for people with a disability to apply for jobs can bring many benefits to your business - see advantages of employing someone with a disability.

Reasonable adjustments for job applicants

Employers can take a number of steps to make the recruitment process as fair as possible for all applicants by making reasonable adjustments so that applicants without a disability do not have an unfair advantage over those who do have a disability.

Employers must be aware of their legal obligations when recruiting. Under the Disability Discrimination Act, employers:

must not discriminate against someone with a disability when they are applying for a job

must consider making reasonable adjustments if an applicant with a disability is at a disadvantage compared to a non-disabled applicant

Employers must consider reasonable adjustments at every stage of the recruitment process:

Application form

If the format, layout or structure of the application form puts someone at a disadvantage you should consider having the application form available in large print, Braille or an audio version for someone who is partially sighted or blind.

Aptitude tests

You should consider making additional time available to complete aptitude tests for someone with a disability who requests a reasonable adjustment. Another adjustment could be allowing test answers to be given verbally.

Interview

Ensure the interview room is fully accessible to all applicants. Be aware that applicants may request a reasonable adjustment to be interviewed at a time when they are more alert or pain-free depending on their disability. Consider training for your interview panel that examines the impact of various disabilities on performance at the interview stage, eg how autism may provide a challenge to an applicant during an interview and how adjustments can be made to help them.

Taking positive action to treat disabled people more favourably

Employers can decide to take a step further in positively recruiting someone with a disability. Unlike other forms of equality legislation, the Disability Discrimination Act allows employers to treat people with a disability more favourably than others through positive action.

An employer is not legally obliged to take positive action but employers can lawfully take positive action steps to treat someone with a disability more favourably. There are a number of positive action measures which an employer can choose to take to recruit someone with a disability, including:

ring-fencing certain jobs so that they are only open to people with a disability

offering a guaranteed interview to applicants with a disability who meet the essential criteria for a post

using non-traditional forms of assessment which may only disadvantage people with a disability

offering work trial opportunities which may lead to permanent jobs if the placement is successful

creating an alternative post within your organisation for a person with a disability if there are certain tasks they are unable to perform as a result of their disability

Positive action measures should be carefully planned with advice from appropriate 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ organisations. Employers must comply with other equality legislation - see avoid discrimination when recruiting staff.

Access disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ

There are a range of government initiatives to help employers take on staff with a disability and also help staff with a disability get the 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ they need in the workplace. For further information, see:

Health & Work Support Branch

Disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ: Workable (NI)

Disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ: Access to Work (NI)

Disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ: Work Psychology Team

Disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ: Condition Management Programme
Actions

Recruiting and retaining people with disabilities | Equality Commission

Also on this site

Discrimination against disabled people

Prevent discrimination and value diversity

Disabled access and facilities in business premises

Implement an equality plan

Neurodiversity in the workplace

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/recruiting-people-disabilities

Links
Advantages of employing people with disabilities

Discover the business benefits of employing someone with a disability.

Being a fair and equal opportunities employer not only ensures you meet your legal requirements to prevent discrimination, but you will also tap into a diverse talent pool that can bring many benefits to your business. Employing people with a disability can save you money and boost the profitability of your business.

Benefits of employing people with a disability

Recruit from a wider talent pool

By opening opportunities to people with disabilities you can widen your recruitment pool helping you to attract staff with the skills and talent that can enable your business to grow and thrive.

Promoting an inclusive workplace culture

Hiring people with a disability enhances diversity in your workforce. It can help increase staff morale, motivation, and commitment by demonstrating a workplace culture that values all staff.

Access specialist knowledge and skills

Staff with a disability may bring in specialist knowledge and skills such as understanding the needs of disabled customers, creative problem solving, and having particular attention to detail. Workers with disabilities possess skills and experiences that can offer employers a competitive edge.

Minimise staff turnover

People with disabilities tend to seek stable and reliable work when looking for a job and so tend to stay in their posts longer, helping to reduce staff turnover. This minimises recruitment and training costs incurred to take on new staff. You will also retain staff with years of experience and know-how.

Attract new customers

Having a diverse workforce, including employing people with disabilities, can help you attract disabled customers and potentially a large revenue stream. Employees with a disability can help you look at things from a fresh perspective, develop empathy for customers’ needs, and gain a better understanding of what they value in a business or brand. When your business and its products and services are accessible, you can appeal to a much larger and much more diverse audience and customer base.

Procurement opportunities

By employing people with a disability, you will be able to meet any social responsibility recruitment clauses that may apply to access particular tender opportunities and public procurement exercises. See understanding social value in public procurement.

Enhance your corporate image

Being an equal employer makes you look good. Consumers prefer to give their business to organisations that show a strong sense of corporate responsibility including employing a diverse workforce.

Low-cost reasonable adjustments

There can be a stigma to employing someone with a disability. Some employers may unfairly think that reasonable adjustments will be costly and take a lot of time to implement. However, most reasonable adjustments in the workplace can be simple, free, or low cost and there can be government help towards any costs that are incurred.

Encouraging accessibility best practice

Employing people with a disability will help you see things from their perspective. It can encourage the adoption of best practices to create accessible environments using adaptive technologies that are useful to people with and without disabilities.

Actions

Impact of employing disabled people | Disability Action guidance

Employing people with disability | Disability Action guidance

Recruiting and retaining people with disabilities | Equality Commission

Also on this site

Discrimination against disabled people

Prevent discrimination and value diversity

Disabled access and facilities in business premises

Implement an equality plan

Neurodiversity in the workplace

Content category

Employment and skills

Source URL
/content/advantages-employing-people-disabilities

Links
Health & Work Support Branch

The specialist 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ available to help disabled people start or retain employment.
The Health & Work Support Branch (HWSB) staff offers help and advice to both employers and people with disabilities about the range of specialist 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ available to help people start and retain a job.

You may identify someone who has the skills for your job but have questions about how their disability may affect them in the workplace - such as how they will manage the job. HWSB advisers are located across Northern Ireland and can offer practical advice to help both you and the potential employee overcome any barriers to starting work.

Support available

The type of 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ available may include advice on the following:

recruiting people with disabilities

retaining employees who become disabled

financial help or 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ to employ people with disabilities through the Access to Work (NI) and Workable (NI)

job/employee assessment and job/environment redesign

equipment and ergonomics in the workplace

accessibility of premises

development of disability awareness

development of good employment practices

preparation, advice, and guidance to help people with disabilities who are applying for jobs

encouraging employers to provide dedicated interview times for applicants with disabilities

providing employers with advice on reasonable adjustments, such as additional time for interview

offering the employer and the job applicant appropriate options of tailored 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ during the recruitment process

offering the employer and the employee appropriate options of tailored 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ to help the worker with a disability perform to the best of their ability in the workplace
Developed with

Department for Communities

Help

Workable (NI)

Access to Work (NI)

Actions

Hard at Work: Employment and Disability in Northern Ireland | Disability Action

Recruiting and retaining people with disabilities | Equality Commission

Also on this site

Disabled access and facilities in business premises

Manage and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ employees with mental ill health

Manage absence and sickness

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/health-work-91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ-branch

Links
Disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ: Workable (NI)

Workable (NI) offers 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ and assistance to both employees and employers to help disabled people move into or retain work.
Workable (NI) provides a flexible range of long-term 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ and assists people who, due to their disability, encounter substantial barriers to staying in employment. Read more on Workable (NI).

The programme is delivered by three organisations contracted by the Department for Communities (DfC):

Disability Action

Supported Employment Solutions (SES)

Ulster Supported Employment Ltd (USEL)

These organisations have extensive experience of meeting the vocational needs of people with disabilities. Read further information via the links above about Workable (NI) and the benefits to employers.

The provision under Workable (NI) can include 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ such as:

mentoring

on and off the job training

disability awareness training
Developed with

Department for Communities

Help

Workable (NI)

Access to Work (NI)

Actions

Workable (NI)

Hard at Work: Employment and Disability in Northern Ireland

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/disability-91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ-workable-ni

Links
Disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ: Access to Work (NI)

Access to Work (NI) can provide advice and guidance for your employee's disability needs and if appropriate, a financial grant towards the cost of 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ.
Access to Work (NI) can help by providing advice and guidance of your employee's disability needs in the workplace and, if appropriate, a financial grant towards the cost of necessary 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ.

For example, Access to Work (NI) may be able to pay towards the following:

adaptations to premises and equipment

communicator 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ at interviews

special aids and equipment

travel to work costs

a 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ worker

travel within work eg to attend a meeting or training course

Depending on your employee's circumstances, Access to Work (NI) may be able to provide 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ under more than one of these areas.

Read more on Access to Work - practical help at work.
Developed with

Department for Communities

Help

Access to Work (NI)

Workable (NI)

Actions

Hard at Work: Disability Action's report on employment and disability in Northe…

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/disability-91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ-access-work-ni

Links
Disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ: Work Psychology Team

Further help, advice, and guidance in areas relating to work, disability, and health.

The Department for Communities' Work Psychology Service (WPS) offers specialist consultancy to individuals and/or employers seeking advice and guidance in areas relating to disability and wellbeing in the context of work.

The WPS works closely with Work Coaches in Jobs & Benefits Offices to offer advice and guidance regarding individuals who have a disability or health condition and are seeking work or who are experiencing difficulties in work.

The WPS Assessment Service can provide advice to both employers and individuals regarding reasonable adjustments and possible alternative employment options, when the individual is at risk of losing their job as a result of their disability or health condition.

Developed with

Department for Communities

Help

Workable (NI)

Access to Work (NI)

Actions

Work Psychology Services

Content category

Employment and skills

Source URL
/content/disability-91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ-work-psychology-team

Links
Employ and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ people with disabilities

Using work trials to recruit people with disabilities - JP Corry

How JP Corry's Dromore branch has adapted its recruitment processes to take on a person with a disability.

JP Corry is one of Northern Ireland’s leading builder’s merchants, supplying building materials to the trade, self-build, DIY, and architectural markets. The business operates from a network of 17 branches across Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man, employing around 265 staff.

Stephen Gibson, Branch Manager at JP Corry in Dromore, explains how the organisation has adapted their employment policies and recruitment processes to take on and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ a person with a disability.

Reducing barriers for people with disabilities

"As a company, we strive to be inclusive and diverse. We want to make it easy for everyone to access our services, whether as a customer, supplier, or employee."

"JP Corry is proud to 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ the JAM Card scheme, which helps people with communication barriers and hidden disabilities receive tailored customer care. As a company whose purpose is to 'build our future by helping others build theirs', we believe in providing employment opportunities to disabled people."

"Our human resources team works closely with organisations that represent minority groups, such as Disability Action, NOW Group, and WOMEN'STEC, to ensure that they are informed of our employment opportunities."

Using work trials in our business

"JP Corry has equal opportunities policies and diversity training to ensure that we recruit staff fairly. Offering a work trial to potential recruits, particularly disabled people, has benefited both the individual and the business."

"Working with Disability Action, we set up our first work trial, where a disabled person came to work with us to understand what it would be like to be employed in our company before applying for a job. The experience was positive, and we recognised the potential of the person during the work trial. They subsequently applied for and secured the job successfully."

"Other branches of JP Corry have also seen the advantages of work trials and have adopted a similar approach by using the Work Experience Programme provided by the Department for Communities to offer employment opportunities."

Accessing local help and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ

"Many local organisations have 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶed us along our journey with work trials. Some employees have completed a qualification in customer service through the NOW Group, providing insight into how disabled people can contribute to a high level of customer service. Disability Action has also been available to advise us when needed."

"To keep our organisation up-to-date and engaged, our HR team frequently attends employment conferences and training events. This continuous improvement activity along with the good relationships we have built with relevant charities and business 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ organisations ensures we have the 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ we need."

Lessons learned

"The work trials have benefited the organisation and the staff that we have hired. Some work trials will not always result in longer-term opportunities, but that can be positive as you haven't started formal training or invested significant time and resources into developing an employee who does not fit the job. It is better to discover at the trial stage whether it will work rather than going through a recruitment and onboarding process for it not to work out and needing to go back to the beginning of the recruitment process."

"Adapting our HR policies and practices to make it easier to recruit and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ disabled people has enabled us to reach another talent pool and has enhanced our recruitment strategy. Our Dromore branch has benefited by getting a brilliant recruit who connects and engages with our customers. He brings positive energy to our team, and we have a better focus and understanding."

Also on this site

Advantages of employing people with disabilities

Recruiting people with disabilities

Case Study
Stephen Gibson

Content category

Employment and skills

Source URL
/content/using-work-trials-recruit-people-disabilities-jp-corry

Links
Disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ: Condition Management Programme

The Condition Management Programme helps those with a health condition manage symptoms to allow progress towards, moving into and staying in employment.
The Condition Management Programme helps those with a health condition manage symptoms to allow progress towards, move into and stay in employment. The programme is led by healthcare professionals, such as occupational therapists, physiotherapists and mental health nurses.

The Condition Management Programme (CMP) gives 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ and advice to help people manage conditions including:

arthritic complaints

back and neck problems

chronic fatigue

depression

pain

stress

heart, circulatory and respiratory disorders

The programme helps to:

increase understand health conditions

improve day to day functioning for those affected by health conditions

increase confidence in those affected by health conditions

improve your prospects of returning to work or staying in work

It offers advice, education and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ on:

dealing with stress, anxiety, low mood and depression

coping with pain and fatigue

relaxation techniques

communicating with confidence

developing a healthier lifestyle

exploring potential options that will help you progress towards employment or help you make a successful return to work

Further information

If this 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ is something that you think you or your staff could benefit from see further details, including eligibility and how to apply, on the Condition Management Programme.
Developed with

Department for Communities

Actions

Health and Social Care Trusts - Condition Management Programme offices

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/disability-91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ-condition-management-programme

Links

Direct Earnings Attachment (DEA) payment schedule

bgraham — Fri, 12 Jan 2018 14:33:19 +0000

Direct Earnings Attachment (DEA) payment schedule bgraham Fri, 12/01/2018 - 14:33

Staff pay

In this guide:

What counts as pay?

Understand what counts as pay and what doesn't when paying a worker.
What is included as pay?

The following counts as pay:

fees

bonuses and commission

holiday pay

statutory payments, eg statutory sick, maternity, paternity, shared parental pay, adoption pay and parental bereavement pay

overtime

notice pay

What does not count as pay?

Pay does not include:

loans to the worker

refunds for expenses

redundancy payments

tips paid directly to the worker

employer contributions to a pension scheme
Developed with

Labour Relations Agency

Department for the Economy

Help

LRA Workplace Information Service

Actions

Pay and wages | Labour Relations Agency guidance

Also on this site

National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage - rates and overview

Staff records

Equal pay law and employer best practice

HR documents and templates

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/what-counts-pay

Links
Issue pay slips to employees

Obligations for employers to issue itemised pay statements and penalties for not giving notice of variations in fixed deductions in staff pay.
As an employer, you are legally obliged to give each employee a written itemised pay statement, usually known as a payslip or wage slip. You must issue it at, or before, the time you pay your employee.

This right to receive an itemised pay statement does not apply to:

people you pay who are not employees, eg freelancers and contractors

certain other groups, including police and some people who work at sea

Pay slip: what you must include

An itemised pay statement or pay slip must show:

gross wages or salary before deductions

any fixed deductions - and the reasons for taking them - or the total figure for fixed deductions when you have provided a separate standing statement of the details

any variable deductions - and the reasons for taking them

net wages or salary payable after deductions

a breakdown of each part-payment - such as part by cheque, part in cash

Standing statements of fixed deductions from pay

A pay statement does not have to include the amount and purpose of every separate fixed deduction every time.

However, if you don't issue a payslip that does this, you must give the employee a standing written statement of fixed deductions at least once every 12 months.

This must state for each item deducted:

the amount

the intervals at which the deduction is made

the purpose or description, eg trade union subscription

You must give the employee this statement at, or before, the time of issuing the first pay statement that quotes the total figure of fixed deductions.

Variations in fixed deductions

If there is any change to an employee's fixed deductions, you must give them:

notification in writing of the details of the change

an amended standing statement of fixed deductions, which is then valid for up to 12 months

If a dispute occurs in the workplace between you and your employee, you may wish to seek advice and assistance from the Labour Relations Agency (LRA). The LRA may be able to help with resolving disputes before they escalate into a tribunal claim.

Tribunal claims in relation to pay statements

An employee may complain to an industrial tribunal where you have:

Failed to give them any kind of pay statement.

Not included all the required details in an itemised pay statement or standing statement of fixed deductions. As an employer, you can also apply to a tribunal for a decision on what should be included in a pay statement or standing statement.

Dismissed them for seeking to enforce a right in relation to a pay statement. This right applies regardless of the employee's length of service.

Employees must make their complaint while employed by you or within three months of leaving your employment.

An industrial tribunal cannot deal with a question that is only about the accuracy of an amount in a statement.

Compensation for claims in relation to pay statements

A tribunal may award an employee compensation at its discretion if it finds that you made un-notified deductions of pay, ie deductions that did not appear on a pay statement or a standing statement.

The discretionary amount awarded will not exceed the total of the un-notified deductions during the 13 weeks immediately before the date the employee made their application to the tribunal.

All un-notified deductions enter into this calculation, whether or not they were made in breach of a contract of employment.

Arbitration services

The LRA provides an alternative to the Industrial Tribunal under the Labour Relations Agency Arbitration Scheme. Under the Scheme claimants and respondents can choose to refer a claim to an arbitrator to decide instead of going to a tribunal. The arbitrator's decision is binding as a matter of law and has the same effect as a tribunal.

LRA Arbitration Scheme guidance.
Developed with

Labour Relations Agency

The Department for the Economy

Help

LRA Workplace Information Service

Actions

Hours and pay | LRA guidance

Also on this site

National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage - rates and overview

How to register as an employer

Staff records

Equal pay law and employer best practice

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/issue-pay-slips-employees

Links
Statutory payments

Employee entitlement to statutory payments.
An individual may be entitled to a statutory payment if they:

become a parent, including through adoption

are off work due to illness

are laid-off

to deal with issues related to domestic abuse

To qualify for statutory payments, the individual must be an employed earner, ie someone working for an employer who is liable to pay secondary Class 1 National Insurance contributions on their wages or salary.

Statutory pay for parents

To be eligible for statutory maternity, statutory paternity, statutory adoption, statutory parental bereavement, or shared parental leave and pay, the individual must:

meet certain qualifying criteria relating to minimum earnings, continuous employment, and - in paternity and adoption cases - their relationship with the child and the biological mother/other adoptive parent

comply with certain notification rules

Statutory sick pay

Under certain conditions, you may have to pay statutory sick pay to an employee.

This is the minimum level of payment you must make to someone who is off work through illness. Their contract with you may also entitle them to more than this.

New pending legislation - Statutory Safe Leave

The passing into law of the Domestic Abuse (Safe Leave) Act (Northern Ireland 2022 will mean that employers in Northern Ireland will have the duty to offer at least 10 days of paid leave for victims of domestic abuse each leave year for the purposes of dealing with issues related to domestic abuse.

Although the commencement date of the legislation is yet to be confirmed, employers can take steps within their businesses to prepare for it by creating an environment where employees feel safe to disclose that they are experiencing domestic abuse. See workplace policy on domestic and sexual abuse.

Statutory payments: further information

Find out more about qualifying for:

Maternity leave and pay

Adoption leave and pay

Paternity leave and pay

Statutory sick pay and leave

Shared parental leave and pay

Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay

You can also call the HMRC Employer Helpline on Tel 0300 200 3200.
Developed with

Labour Relations Agency

The Department for the Economy

Help

HMRC Employer Helpline

Actions

Pay and wages | Labour Relations Agency guidance

Also on this site

Understanding statutory sick pay

Maternity leave and pay

Paternity leave and pay

Statutory pay and leave

National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage - rates and overview

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/statutory-payments

Links
Guarantee pay: employee entitlement

What guarantee pay is and who is eligible for it.
You may have to pay your employees a guarantee payment if you cannot provide them with employment on a day when they would normally work for you under their contract of employment.

This is to compensate for the loss, through no fault of their own, of what they would have earned in normal circumstances.

Entitlement to guarantee pay

Individuals are entitled to guarantee pay if they meet the following conditions:

they are an employee, ie they are working under a contract of employment - see employment status

they are not an excluded employee, as defined below

they have worked for at least one month's continuing employment up to the day before the one that guarantee payment is being claimed for

they have normal working hours and are normally required to work in accordance with their contract of employment

the day they claim for is not a day they were on holiday, were sick, or not required to work under the contract of employment

they must not have worked at all on what would be a normal working day (a day being the 24-hour period from midnight to midnight)

the absence of work was not caused by industrial action, involving any of your other employees or employees working for your subsidiary or parent company

the reason they did not work is because there was a recession in the employer's business or anything else disrupted the normal working of the employer's business, for example, a natural disaster or failing power supply

they have not unreasonably refused an offer from you of suitable alternative work - this can be work other than what they normally do

they have complied with any reasonable requirements imposed by you to ensure their services are available

Excluded employees

You do not have to pay guarantee pay to excluded employees. These are:

masters and crew members involved in share fishing who are paid solely by a share in the profits or gross earnings of a fishing vessel

members of the police service and armed forces
Developed with

Labour Relations Agency

The Department for the Economy

Help

LRA Workplace Information Service

Actions

Temporary lay-offs and short-time working | LRA guidance

Pay and wages | LRA guidance

Also on this site

The employment contract

Continuous employment and employee rights

Equal pay law and employer best practice

National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage - rates and overview

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/guarantee-pay-employee-entitlement

Links
How to calculate guarantee pay

How to work out the amount of guarantee pay you must pay your staff and what the exceptions are.

To calculate guarantee pay, multiply the number of hours your employee would normally have worked on the day in question (as stated in their terms and conditions of employment) by their hourly rate.

Statutory guarantee pay is subject to an upper limit of £39 per day. This amount changes every year. Statutory entitlement is limited to five days in any three-month period. This entitlement is reduced pro rata for employees who work fewer than five days a week.

You do not have to pay guarantee pay for voluntary overtime.

Exemptions from the statutory guarantee pay provisions

The Department for the Economy can grant an exemption from the statutory provisions if you have your own collective agreement. For this agreement to be valid, all parties to the agreement must be making the application for exemption, ie you and your employee, and the guarantee payment must be as favourable overall to your employees as the statutory provisions.

The agreement must also provide a complaints procedure that either includes a right to independent arbitration in the event of a deadlock or specifies that your employee may complain to an industrial tribunal - in which case the tribunal would have jurisdiction over the agreement.

The Employment Rights (NI Order) 1996 also provides for an exemption being granted by the Department of Agriculture, Environment & Rural Affairs (DAERA) where there is an Agricultural wages order under which employees to whom the order relates have a right to guaranteed remuneration.

You do not have to pay statutory guarantee pay on top of any contractual entitlement.

Employment protection rights

It is unlawful to dismiss an employee for seeking guarantee pay.

It is also unlawful not to pay guarantee pay to an employee if they are entitled to it.

In both of these cases, the employee can complain to an industrial tribunal.

Arbitration services

The Labour Relations Agency (LRA) provides an alternative to the Industrial Tribunal under the Labour Relations Agency Arbitration Scheme. Under the Arbitration Scheme claimants and respondents can choose to refer a claim to an arbitrator to decide instead of going to a tribunal. The arbitrator's decision is binding as a matter of law and has the same effect as a tribunal.

Developed with

Labour Relations Agency

The Department for the Economy

Help

LRA Workplace Information Service

Actions

Temporary lay-offs and short-time working | LRA guidance

Pay and wages | LRA guidance

Also on this site

The employment contract

Continuous employment and employee rights

Equal pay law and employer best practice

National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage - rates and overview

Content category

Employment and skills

Source URL
/content/how-calculate-guarantee-pay

Links
Paying the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage

You must ensure you pay your workers at least the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage depending on their eligibility.

Most workers who are above compulsory school age must be paid at least the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage.

The rate you must pay varies depending on the worker's circumstances.

To find out how to calculate a worker's pay for the purpose of comparing it to the appropriate minimum wage rate, see National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage - calculating minimum wage pay.

Developed with

Labour Relations Agency

The Department for the Economy

Help

LRA Workplace Information Service

Actions

Agricultural rates of pay | DAERA guidance

Pay and wages | LRA guidance

Also on this site

Equal pay law and employer best practice

HR documents and templates

National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage calculator

National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage - rates and overview

Content category

Employment and skills

Source URL
/content/paying-national-minimum-wage-and-national-living-wage

Links
Paying workers holiday pay

Employees' entitlement to paid annual leave.
A worker is entitled to take at least 5.6 weeks paid annual leave.

This is equivalent to, for example:

28 days for those who work five days a week

16.8 days for those who work 3 days a week

Bank and public holidays

The minimum paid annual leave entitlement can include bank and public holidays.

Workers have no statutory right to take a day's leave on any bank or public holiday or to higher rates of pay if they work on such days.

You must set out in an employee's written statement of employment their holiday entitlement, including arrangements for bank and public holidays, and holiday pay.

Carrying over annual leave

Workers must take at least four weeks' annual leave. Any additional leave may be carried over to the following leave year where this is agreed by you and your worker.

Payment in lieu of annual leave

The only time you can make a payment in lieu of any outstanding holiday is when a worker's employment ends.

Rates of holiday pay

The rate of holiday pay is generally the normal rate for the worker. So for those workers who are paid monthly, their annual salary is divided into 12 equal payments and when they take a holiday it has no effect on their pay slip.

Case law has determined that guaranteed and non-guaranteed overtime should be considered when calculating a worker's statutory holiday pay. Further, the Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland determined that where voluntary overtime constitutes part of an employee's 'normal working week' - this also may need to be taken into account when calculating holiday pay.

You only have to work out a special payment where your workers have varying pay rates, such as piece work. In those cases, the holiday pay will be equal to the average rate over the 12 weeks before the holiday.

Any week in which no pay was due should be replaced by the last previous week in which pay was received to bring the total to twelve.

This only applies to the statutory holiday periods. If you offer extra leave over and above the 5.6 weeks (including bank and public holidays) the rate of pay for these can be whatever is agreed with your employees.

Rolled-up holiday pay

It is unlawful not to pay a worker while they are on holiday and instead include an amount for holiday pay in the hourly rate of pay - something known as 'rolled-up holiday pay'.

You must always pay a worker their normal pay while they are actually taking their leave.

No fixed hours

If your workers do casual work with no normal hours, for example, on a zero-hours contract, the holiday pay of each worker will be based on the average pay they got over the previous 12 weeks.

These should be weeks in which they were paid. If they were not paid in one of those 12 weeks, because they did not work, the last paid week before that should be used to calculate their holiday pay.

Term-time or part-year workers

Recent case law has determined workers employed on a continuous contract throughout the year, and who work for varying hours during certain weeks of the year, such as those who work only term-time, are entitled to 5.6 weeks of leave each year. This entitlement applies regardless of the fact that there are some weeks in the year when they do not work.

In such instances holiday pay is calculated by averaging the pay received during the 12 weeks prior to the commencement of their leave. If there are weeks during the 12-week period where no pay was received, these weeks are disregarded and the employer must count back to include a total of 12 weeks in which pay was received.

Although there may be times when a part-year worker receives a higher payment than a full-time worker - this is compliant with the Part-Time Workers (Prevention of Less favourable Treatment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000, as the part-time worker is not being treated less favourably. There is no legislative provision to prevent part-time workers from being treated more favourably.
Developed with

Labour Relations Agency

The Department for the Economy

Help

LRA Workplace Information Service

Actions

Pay and wages | LRA guidance

Also on this site

Know how much holiday to give your staff

Calculate holiday entitlement for your employees

Bank and public holidays in Northern Ireland

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/paying-workers-holiday-pay

Links
Making deductions from a worker's pay

Legally required deductions such as National Insurance and income tax.
You must not make deductions from a worker's pay unless:

they are legally authorised, eg PAYE (Pay As You Earn) income tax, National Insurance contributions, deductions from earnings orders, student loan repayments

they are allowed by the worker's contract - workers must have a copy of the relevant contractual term or a written explanation before you make the deduction

they have agreed to the deduction in writing before the deduction was made

You don't always have to meet these conditions, for example, when:

you make deductions to refund an overpayment of wages or expenses

the worker is on strike

the deduction is to satisfy a court order, eg to recover debts

Deductions for child maintenance

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) of the Department for Communities (DfC) may ask you to make deductions from an employee's pay for child maintenance purposes. They may issue you with a deduction from the earnings order and ask you to establish a regular pattern of payments. See how to make child maintenance deductions from an employee's pay.

Direct Earnings Attachments

You may be asked as an employer to deduct benefit overpayments, including social fund loans, that an employee owes the Department for Communities (DfC) from their pay. Read more on Direct Earnings Attachments: making deductions from an employee's pay.

Deductions from the wages of retail workers

If your workers do retail work, you may make deductions from wages to recover cash shortages or stock deficiencies only if, in addition to meeting the above conditions, you:

inform the worker, in writing, of the total shortfall you are recovering before you make the deduction

issue a written demand on a payday for the repayment

make the deduction - or the first in a series - no sooner than their first payday after telling them of the shortfall or, if you tell them on a payday, not before that day

do not deduct more than one-tenth of the worker's gross pay on any given payday - you can recover any remaining shortfall on future paydays (note that one-tenth of gross pay does not apply when making the final payment on termination of employment)

make the first deduction within 12 months of discovering the shortage

You should ensure that any deductions for shortages or stock deficiencies are not made unless you have conducted a thorough investigation to establish that the employee is liable for these. You should also take care when making any deductions not to breach minimum wage, as deductions must not reduce your employee's pay below the current minimum wage rate.
Developed with

Labour Relations Agency

The Department for the Economy

Help

LRA Workplace Information Service

Actions

PAYE: detailed information | GOV.UK

Deductions from wages by employers | LRA guidance

Pay and wages | LRA guidance

Also on this site

Equal pay law and employer best practice

HR documents and templates

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/making-deductions-workers-pay

Links

Direct Earnings Attachments (DEA): making deductions from an employee's salary

The Department for Communities will write to you if you need to make DEA deductions for an employee.

Difficulty repaying a benefit or Welfare Supplementary Payment overpayment, Social Fund, or Discretionary Support Loan?

If your employee is having difficulty repaying their benefit overpayment, Social Fund, or Discretionary Support loan, they should act as soon as possible. Even if they have contacted the Department for Communities (DfC) before, they can get in touch to ask them to consider reducing the amount they repay.

If an employee is struggling financially or knows their repayments are no longer affordable, they can ask for them to be reduced by contacting Debt Management.

Further information is also available on financial 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ and advice from DfC.

As an employer, you may be asked to make deductions from an employee's pay towards benefit overpayments and Social Fund loans that the employee owes to the Department for Communities (DfC). This method of recovery is known as a Direct Earnings Attachment or DEA.

The DfC Debt Management will write to you with an instruction to set up and maintain a DEA if any of your employees are affected.

How a DEA works

Any instruction you receive from the DfC will state the total amount to be recovered from the employee's salary. It is important to note that this is the total amount owed to the DfC and not a deduction amount which must be calculated as a percentage of net earnings. To operate the DEA, you will need to take the following steps:

for each salary cycle, calculate how much to deduct from your employee's salary
check if your employee has other debt orders to pay and if they take priority over a DEA
advise your employee that money will be deducted from their salary in respect of monies owed to the DfC
deduct the money from your employee's salary
pay the money to DfC no later than the 19th day of the month following deduction in your payroll
continue to make employee deductions and payments to the DfC until the total amount stated in the instruction has been repaid or the DfC tells you to stop

Record keeping for DEA

You must keep a record of deductions and tell the DfC when an employee leaves your company.

You could be fined up to £1,000 if you don't make DEA deductions when requested to.

Download Direct Earnings Attachment employer guidance (PDF, 1.0MB).

Employer help with DEA or payments

You can also call the employer helpline if you have questions about how to run a DEA or pay the DfC:

Employer Helpline

0800 587 1322 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm)

Calculating the DEA deduction

There are two deduction percentage rates which may be used for calculation - Standard Rate and Higher Rate.

The instruction from DfC Debt Management will let you know which of these rates to apply. The rate may change throughout the life of the DEA, from Standard to Higher and vice versa, and you will be notified of this by letter.

To calculate the deductions from your employee's salary, for each salary cycle you'll have to:

work out the employee's earnings after tax, class 1 National Insurance, and workplace pension contributions (net earnings)
check if the employee has other debt orders and if they take priority over a DEA
use the tables below (standard or higher) to establish the appropriate percentage deduction rate
multiply the net earnings figure by the percentage rate to calculate the DEA amount

Note: if you are calculating a DEA based on a daily rate, you must also multiply the daily rate figure by the number of days in the pay period.

If payments are made every two or four weeks, calculate weekly pay and deduct the percentage in the table.

If the total of all deductions is more than 40% of the employee's net earnings, the DEA must be adjusted.

Deductions from earnings rate

AMOUNT OF NET EARNINGS (Net earnings are gross pay, less income tax, Class 1 National Insurance, and superannuation contributions)			Deduction from Earnings Rate (Standard) Rate to apply (% of net earnings)	Deduction from Earnings Rate (Higher) Rate to apply (% of net earnings)
Daily Earnings	Weekly Earnings	Monthly Earnings
Up to £15	Up to £100	Up to £430	Nil	5%
Between £15.01 and £23	Between £100.01 and £160	Between £430.01 and £690	3%	6%
Between £23.01 and £32	Between £160.01 and £220	Between £690.01 and £950	5%	10%
Between £32.01 and £39	Between £220.01 and £270	Between £950.01 and £1,160	7%	14%
Between £39.01 and £54	Between £270.01 and £375	Between £1,160.01 and £1,615	11%	22%
Between £54.01 and £75	Between £375.01 and £520	Between £1,615.01 and £2,240	15%	30%
£75.01 or more	£520.01 or more	£2,240.01 or more	20%	40%

What counts as earnings?

When calculating DEA payments, you should include as earnings:

wages and salary
fees
bonuses
commission
overtime pay
occupational pensions if paid with wages or salary
compensation payments
Statutory Sick Pay
most other payments on top of wages
pay in lieu of notice

Don't count:

Statutory Maternity Pay
Statutory Adoption Pay
Ordinary or Additional Paternity Pay
guaranteed minimum pension
any money that the employee gets from the Government e.g. benefits, pensions or credits
Statutory Redundancy Pay
expenses

Developed with

Department for Communities

Actions

Direct Earnings Attachment employer guidance (PDF, 1.0MB)

Child maintenance: an introduction | nidirect

Also on this site

Direct Earnings Attachment (DEA) payment schedule

Content category

Employment and skills

Source URL

/content/direct-earnings-attachments-dea-making-deductions-employees-salary

Links

Direct Earnings Attachment (DEA) payment schedule

The 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶing payment schedule for a DEA that must be completed and issued in order to ensure that the correct payment is allocated to the correct debtor account.

The Department for Communities (DfC) requires that a 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶing payment schedule for Direct Earnings Attachment (DEA) be completed and issued in order to ensure that the correct payment is allocated to the correct debtor account. This schedule is only required if you are making one overall payment in respect of several employees. However, if you are making a single DEA payment by cheque, you must send a payment schedule.

For a single DEA payment, please ensure that you include your employee's National Insurance number and not their name.

DfC Debt Management has introduced an email route to receive payment schedules from employers, this is the preferred way for payment schedules to be sent.

DEA payment schedule template

Download the payment schedule template for DEA (XLSX, 82K).

For data security reasons the data required for the email payment schedule is slightly different to that on the paper schedule. By restricting the data recorded on the email payment schedule DfC Debt Management will still have enough information to correctly allocate payments to our customer records, whilst minimising the risk of personal data being fraudulently used should the email fall into the hands of a third party. Schedules do not need to be encrypted before emailing.

The postal route for sending payment schedules remains in place and a schedule template for use when forwarding schedules is available in appendix 2 of the DEA: a guide for employers (PDF, 1.0MB).

Developed with

Department for Communities

Actions

Download the payment schedule template for DEA (XLSX, 82K)

DEA: a guide for employers (PDF, 1.0MB)

Child maintenance: an introduction | nidirect

Also on this site

Direct Earnings Attachments (DEA): making deductions from an employee's salary

Content category

Employment and skills

Source URL
/content/direct-earnings-attachment-dea-payment-schedule

Links
Calculate final pay when a worker leaves

Deductions to make from outstanding pay owed when an employee leaves the business.
When a worker leaves your employment, you must give them:

any outstanding pay, including overtime

pay in lieu for any untaken holiday

bonus payments, if earned

any statutory sick pay, if they are entitled to it

pay instead of notice if you do not require them to work their notice period - note that the contract of employment must provide for this, otherwise the employee must agree to it

redundancy payment, if due

If the worker leaves before or during their statutory maternity or adoption pay period, you must also start paying - or continue to pay - them statutory maternity or adoption pay.

You could also give them:

a pension refund, depending on the rules of the scheme

a lump-sum payment as compensation for loss of their job

an enhanced redundancy payment if you have made them redundant - this might be either contractual or paid on a discretionary, and non-discriminatory, case-by-case basis

What you should deduct from a worker's final pay

You must deduct the following items from what you owe the worker:

income tax

relevant National Insurance contributions

You might also need to consider deductions in respect of matters such as:

money given for season ticket loans

any other outstanding loans

amounts to be paid under any car leasing agreements
Developed with

Labour Relations Agency

The Department for the Economy

Help

HMRC Employer Helpline

Actions

Pay and wages | LRA guidance

Also on this site

When workers leave your employment

Issue the correct periods of notice

Equal pay law and employer best practice

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/calculate-final-pay-when-worker-leaves

Links

Universal Credit

kmcgowan — Tue, 13 Dec 2016 12:17:24 +0000

Universal Credit kmcgowan Tue, 13/12/2016 - 12:17

Universal Credit

Advertise apprenticeship opportunities on JobApplyNI

kmcgowan — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 11:03:39 +0000

Advertise apprenticeship opportunities on JobApplyNI kmcgowan Fri, 22/07/2016 - 12:03

Advertise apprenticeship opportunities on JobApplyNI

Direct Earnings Attachments (DEA): making deductions from an employee's salary

kmcgowan — Mon, 09 May 2016 09:45:19 +0000

Direct Earnings Attachments (DEA): making deductions from an employee's salary kmcgowan Mon, 09/05/2016 - 10:45

Staff pay

In this guide:

What counts as pay?

Understand what counts as pay and what doesn't when paying a worker.
What is included as pay?

The following counts as pay:

fees

bonuses and commission

holiday pay

statutory payments, eg statutory sick, maternity, paternity, shared parental pay, adoption pay and parental bereavement pay

overtime

notice pay

What does not count as pay?

Pay does not include:

loans to the worker

refunds for expenses

redundancy payments

tips paid directly to the worker

employer contributions to a pension scheme
Developed with

Labour Relations Agency

Department for the Economy

Help

LRA Workplace Information Service

Actions

Pay and wages | Labour Relations Agency guidance

Also on this site

National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage - rates and overview

Staff records

Equal pay law and employer best practice

HR documents and templates

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/what-counts-pay

Links
Issue pay slips to employees

Obligations for employers to issue itemised pay statements and penalties for not giving notice of variations in fixed deductions in staff pay.
As an employer, you are legally obliged to give each employee a written itemised pay statement, usually known as a payslip or wage slip. You must issue it at, or before, the time you pay your employee.

This right to receive an itemised pay statement does not apply to:

people you pay who are not employees, eg freelancers and contractors

certain other groups, including police and some people who work at sea

Pay slip: what you must include

An itemised pay statement or pay slip must show:

gross wages or salary before deductions

any fixed deductions - and the reasons for taking them - or the total figure for fixed deductions when you have provided a separate standing statement of the details

any variable deductions - and the reasons for taking them

net wages or salary payable after deductions

a breakdown of each part-payment - such as part by cheque, part in cash

Standing statements of fixed deductions from pay

A pay statement does not have to include the amount and purpose of every separate fixed deduction every time.

However, if you don't issue a payslip that does this, you must give the employee a standing written statement of fixed deductions at least once every 12 months.

This must state for each item deducted:

the amount

the intervals at which the deduction is made

the purpose or description, eg trade union subscription

You must give the employee this statement at, or before, the time of issuing the first pay statement that quotes the total figure of fixed deductions.

Variations in fixed deductions

If there is any change to an employee's fixed deductions, you must give them:

notification in writing of the details of the change

an amended standing statement of fixed deductions, which is then valid for up to 12 months

If a dispute occurs in the workplace between you and your employee, you may wish to seek advice and assistance from the Labour Relations Agency (LRA). The LRA may be able to help with resolving disputes before they escalate into a tribunal claim.

Tribunal claims in relation to pay statements

An employee may complain to an industrial tribunal where you have:

Failed to give them any kind of pay statement.

Not included all the required details in an itemised pay statement or standing statement of fixed deductions. As an employer, you can also apply to a tribunal for a decision on what should be included in a pay statement or standing statement.

Dismissed them for seeking to enforce a right in relation to a pay statement. This right applies regardless of the employee's length of service.

Employees must make their complaint while employed by you or within three months of leaving your employment.

An industrial tribunal cannot deal with a question that is only about the accuracy of an amount in a statement.

Compensation for claims in relation to pay statements

A tribunal may award an employee compensation at its discretion if it finds that you made un-notified deductions of pay, ie deductions that did not appear on a pay statement or a standing statement.

The discretionary amount awarded will not exceed the total of the un-notified deductions during the 13 weeks immediately before the date the employee made their application to the tribunal.

All un-notified deductions enter into this calculation, whether or not they were made in breach of a contract of employment.

Arbitration services

The LRA provides an alternative to the Industrial Tribunal under the Labour Relations Agency Arbitration Scheme. Under the Scheme claimants and respondents can choose to refer a claim to an arbitrator to decide instead of going to a tribunal. The arbitrator's decision is binding as a matter of law and has the same effect as a tribunal.

LRA Arbitration Scheme guidance.
Developed with

Labour Relations Agency

The Department for the Economy

Help

LRA Workplace Information Service

Actions

Hours and pay | LRA guidance

Also on this site

National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage - rates and overview

How to register as an employer

Staff records

Equal pay law and employer best practice

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/issue-pay-slips-employees

Links
Statutory payments

Employee entitlement to statutory payments.
An individual may be entitled to a statutory payment if they:

become a parent, including through adoption

are off work due to illness

are laid-off

to deal with issues related to domestic abuse

To qualify for statutory payments, the individual must be an employed earner, ie someone working for an employer who is liable to pay secondary Class 1 National Insurance contributions on their wages or salary.

Statutory pay for parents

To be eligible for statutory maternity, statutory paternity, statutory adoption, statutory parental bereavement, or shared parental leave and pay, the individual must:

meet certain qualifying criteria relating to minimum earnings, continuous employment, and - in paternity and adoption cases - their relationship with the child and the biological mother/other adoptive parent

comply with certain notification rules

Statutory sick pay

Under certain conditions, you may have to pay statutory sick pay to an employee.

This is the minimum level of payment you must make to someone who is off work through illness. Their contract with you may also entitle them to more than this.

New pending legislation - Statutory Safe Leave

The passing into law of the Domestic Abuse (Safe Leave) Act (Northern Ireland 2022 will mean that employers in Northern Ireland will have the duty to offer at least 10 days of paid leave for victims of domestic abuse each leave year for the purposes of dealing with issues related to domestic abuse.

Although the commencement date of the legislation is yet to be confirmed, employers can take steps within their businesses to prepare for it by creating an environment where employees feel safe to disclose that they are experiencing domestic abuse. See workplace policy on domestic and sexual abuse.

Statutory payments: further information

Find out more about qualifying for:

Maternity leave and pay

Adoption leave and pay

Paternity leave and pay

Statutory sick pay and leave

Shared parental leave and pay

Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay

You can also call the HMRC Employer Helpline on Tel 0300 200 3200.
Developed with

Labour Relations Agency

The Department for the Economy

Help

HMRC Employer Helpline

Actions

Pay and wages | Labour Relations Agency guidance

Also on this site

Understanding statutory sick pay

Maternity leave and pay

Paternity leave and pay

Statutory pay and leave

National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage - rates and overview

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/statutory-payments

Links
Guarantee pay: employee entitlement

What guarantee pay is and who is eligible for it.
You may have to pay your employees a guarantee payment if you cannot provide them with employment on a day when they would normally work for you under their contract of employment.

This is to compensate for the loss, through no fault of their own, of what they would have earned in normal circumstances.

Entitlement to guarantee pay

Individuals are entitled to guarantee pay if they meet the following conditions:

they are an employee, ie they are working under a contract of employment - see employment status

they are not an excluded employee, as defined below

they have worked for at least one month's continuing employment up to the day before the one that guarantee payment is being claimed for

they have normal working hours and are normally required to work in accordance with their contract of employment

the day they claim for is not a day they were on holiday, were sick, or not required to work under the contract of employment

they must not have worked at all on what would be a normal working day (a day being the 24-hour period from midnight to midnight)

the absence of work was not caused by industrial action, involving any of your other employees or employees working for your subsidiary or parent company

the reason they did not work is because there was a recession in the employer's business or anything else disrupted the normal working of the employer's business, for example, a natural disaster or failing power supply

they have not unreasonably refused an offer from you of suitable alternative work - this can be work other than what they normally do

they have complied with any reasonable requirements imposed by you to ensure their services are available

Excluded employees

You do not have to pay guarantee pay to excluded employees. These are:

masters and crew members involved in share fishing who are paid solely by a share in the profits or gross earnings of a fishing vessel

members of the police service and armed forces
Developed with

Labour Relations Agency

The Department for the Economy

Help

LRA Workplace Information Service

Actions

Temporary lay-offs and short-time working | LRA guidance

Pay and wages | LRA guidance

Also on this site

The employment contract

Continuous employment and employee rights

Equal pay law and employer best practice

National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage - rates and overview

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/guarantee-pay-employee-entitlement

Links
How to calculate guarantee pay

How to work out the amount of guarantee pay you must pay your staff and what the exceptions are.

To calculate guarantee pay, multiply the number of hours your employee would normally have worked on the day in question (as stated in their terms and conditions of employment) by their hourly rate.

Statutory guarantee pay is subject to an upper limit of £39 per day. This amount changes every year. Statutory entitlement is limited to five days in any three-month period. This entitlement is reduced pro rata for employees who work fewer than five days a week.

You do not have to pay guarantee pay for voluntary overtime.

Exemptions from the statutory guarantee pay provisions

The Department for the Economy can grant an exemption from the statutory provisions if you have your own collective agreement. For this agreement to be valid, all parties to the agreement must be making the application for exemption, ie you and your employee, and the guarantee payment must be as favourable overall to your employees as the statutory provisions.

The agreement must also provide a complaints procedure that either includes a right to independent arbitration in the event of a deadlock or specifies that your employee may complain to an industrial tribunal - in which case the tribunal would have jurisdiction over the agreement.

The Employment Rights (NI Order) 1996 also provides for an exemption being granted by the Department of Agriculture, Environment & Rural Affairs (DAERA) where there is an Agricultural wages order under which employees to whom the order relates have a right to guaranteed remuneration.

You do not have to pay statutory guarantee pay on top of any contractual entitlement.

Employment protection rights

It is unlawful to dismiss an employee for seeking guarantee pay.

It is also unlawful not to pay guarantee pay to an employee if they are entitled to it.

In both of these cases, the employee can complain to an industrial tribunal.

Arbitration services

The Labour Relations Agency (LRA) provides an alternative to the Industrial Tribunal under the Labour Relations Agency Arbitration Scheme. Under the Arbitration Scheme claimants and respondents can choose to refer a claim to an arbitrator to decide instead of going to a tribunal. The arbitrator's decision is binding as a matter of law and has the same effect as a tribunal.

Developed with

Labour Relations Agency

The Department for the Economy

Help

LRA Workplace Information Service

Actions

Temporary lay-offs and short-time working | LRA guidance

Pay and wages | LRA guidance

Also on this site

The employment contract

Continuous employment and employee rights

Equal pay law and employer best practice

National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage - rates and overview

Content category

Employment and skills

Source URL
/content/how-calculate-guarantee-pay

Links
Paying the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage

You must ensure you pay your workers at least the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage depending on their eligibility.

Most workers who are above compulsory school age must be paid at least the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage.

The rate you must pay varies depending on the worker's circumstances.

To find out how to calculate a worker's pay for the purpose of comparing it to the appropriate minimum wage rate, see National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage - calculating minimum wage pay.

Developed with

Labour Relations Agency

The Department for the Economy

Help

LRA Workplace Information Service

Actions

Agricultural rates of pay | DAERA guidance

Pay and wages | LRA guidance

Also on this site

Equal pay law and employer best practice

HR documents and templates

National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage calculator

National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage - rates and overview

Content category

Employment and skills

Source URL
/content/paying-national-minimum-wage-and-national-living-wage

Links
Paying workers holiday pay

Employees' entitlement to paid annual leave.
A worker is entitled to take at least 5.6 weeks paid annual leave.

This is equivalent to, for example:

28 days for those who work five days a week

16.8 days for those who work 3 days a week

Bank and public holidays

The minimum paid annual leave entitlement can include bank and public holidays.

Workers have no statutory right to take a day's leave on any bank or public holiday or to higher rates of pay if they work on such days.

You must set out in an employee's written statement of employment their holiday entitlement, including arrangements for bank and public holidays, and holiday pay.

Carrying over annual leave

Workers must take at least four weeks' annual leave. Any additional leave may be carried over to the following leave year where this is agreed by you and your worker.

Payment in lieu of annual leave

The only time you can make a payment in lieu of any outstanding holiday is when a worker's employment ends.

Rates of holiday pay

The rate of holiday pay is generally the normal rate for the worker. So for those workers who are paid monthly, their annual salary is divided into 12 equal payments and when they take a holiday it has no effect on their pay slip.

Case law has determined that guaranteed and non-guaranteed overtime should be considered when calculating a worker's statutory holiday pay. Further, the Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland determined that where voluntary overtime constitutes part of an employee's 'normal working week' - this also may need to be taken into account when calculating holiday pay.

You only have to work out a special payment where your workers have varying pay rates, such as piece work. In those cases, the holiday pay will be equal to the average rate over the 12 weeks before the holiday.

Any week in which no pay was due should be replaced by the last previous week in which pay was received to bring the total to twelve.

This only applies to the statutory holiday periods. If you offer extra leave over and above the 5.6 weeks (including bank and public holidays) the rate of pay for these can be whatever is agreed with your employees.

Rolled-up holiday pay

It is unlawful not to pay a worker while they are on holiday and instead include an amount for holiday pay in the hourly rate of pay - something known as 'rolled-up holiday pay'.

You must always pay a worker their normal pay while they are actually taking their leave.

No fixed hours

If your workers do casual work with no normal hours, for example, on a zero-hours contract, the holiday pay of each worker will be based on the average pay they got over the previous 12 weeks.

These should be weeks in which they were paid. If they were not paid in one of those 12 weeks, because they did not work, the last paid week before that should be used to calculate their holiday pay.

Term-time or part-year workers

Recent case law has determined workers employed on a continuous contract throughout the year, and who work for varying hours during certain weeks of the year, such as those who work only term-time, are entitled to 5.6 weeks of leave each year. This entitlement applies regardless of the fact that there are some weeks in the year when they do not work.

In such instances holiday pay is calculated by averaging the pay received during the 12 weeks prior to the commencement of their leave. If there are weeks during the 12-week period where no pay was received, these weeks are disregarded and the employer must count back to include a total of 12 weeks in which pay was received.

Although there may be times when a part-year worker receives a higher payment than a full-time worker - this is compliant with the Part-Time Workers (Prevention of Less favourable Treatment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000, as the part-time worker is not being treated less favourably. There is no legislative provision to prevent part-time workers from being treated more favourably.
Developed with

Labour Relations Agency

The Department for the Economy

Help

LRA Workplace Information Service

Actions

Pay and wages | LRA guidance

Also on this site

Know how much holiday to give your staff

Calculate holiday entitlement for your employees

Bank and public holidays in Northern Ireland

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/paying-workers-holiday-pay

Links
Making deductions from a worker's pay

Legally required deductions such as National Insurance and income tax.
You must not make deductions from a worker's pay unless:

they are legally authorised, eg PAYE (Pay As You Earn) income tax, National Insurance contributions, deductions from earnings orders, student loan repayments

they are allowed by the worker's contract - workers must have a copy of the relevant contractual term or a written explanation before you make the deduction

they have agreed to the deduction in writing before the deduction was made

You don't always have to meet these conditions, for example, when:

you make deductions to refund an overpayment of wages or expenses

the worker is on strike

the deduction is to satisfy a court order, eg to recover debts

Deductions for child maintenance

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) of the Department for Communities (DfC) may ask you to make deductions from an employee's pay for child maintenance purposes. They may issue you with a deduction from the earnings order and ask you to establish a regular pattern of payments. See how to make child maintenance deductions from an employee's pay.

Direct Earnings Attachments

You may be asked as an employer to deduct benefit overpayments, including social fund loans, that an employee owes the Department for Communities (DfC) from their pay. Read more on Direct Earnings Attachments: making deductions from an employee's pay.

Deductions from the wages of retail workers

If your workers do retail work, you may make deductions from wages to recover cash shortages or stock deficiencies only if, in addition to meeting the above conditions, you:

inform the worker, in writing, of the total shortfall you are recovering before you make the deduction

issue a written demand on a payday for the repayment

make the deduction - or the first in a series - no sooner than their first payday after telling them of the shortfall or, if you tell them on a payday, not before that day

do not deduct more than one-tenth of the worker's gross pay on any given payday - you can recover any remaining shortfall on future paydays (note that one-tenth of gross pay does not apply when making the final payment on termination of employment)

make the first deduction within 12 months of discovering the shortage

You should ensure that any deductions for shortages or stock deficiencies are not made unless you have conducted a thorough investigation to establish that the employee is liable for these. You should also take care when making any deductions not to breach minimum wage, as deductions must not reduce your employee's pay below the current minimum wage rate.
Developed with

Labour Relations Agency

The Department for the Economy

Help

LRA Workplace Information Service

Actions

PAYE: detailed information | GOV.UK

Deductions from wages by employers | LRA guidance

Pay and wages | LRA guidance

Also on this site

Equal pay law and employer best practice

HR documents and templates

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/making-deductions-workers-pay

Links

Direct Earnings Attachments (DEA): making deductions from an employee's salary

The Department for Communities will write to you if you need to make DEA deductions for an employee.

Difficulty repaying a benefit or Welfare Supplementary Payment overpayment, Social Fund, or Discretionary Support Loan?

If an employee is struggling financially or knows their repayments are no longer affordable, they can ask for them to be reduced by contacting Debt Management.

Further information is also available on financial 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ and advice from DfC.

The DfC Debt Management will write to you with an instruction to set up and maintain a DEA if any of your employees are affected.

How a DEA works

for each salary cycle, calculate how much to deduct from your employee's salary
check if your employee has other debt orders to pay and if they take priority over a DEA
advise your employee that money will be deducted from their salary in respect of monies owed to the DfC
deduct the money from your employee's salary
pay the money to DfC no later than the 19th day of the month following deduction in your payroll
continue to make employee deductions and payments to the DfC until the total amount stated in the instruction has been repaid or the DfC tells you to stop

Record keeping for DEA

You must keep a record of deductions and tell the DfC when an employee leaves your company.

You could be fined up to £1,000 if you don't make DEA deductions when requested to.

Download Direct Earnings Attachment employer guidance (PDF, 1.0MB).

Employer help with DEA or payments

You can also call the employer helpline if you have questions about how to run a DEA or pay the DfC:

Employer Helpline

0800 587 1322 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm)

Calculating the DEA deduction

There are two deduction percentage rates which may be used for calculation - Standard Rate and Higher Rate.

To calculate the deductions from your employee's salary, for each salary cycle you'll have to:

work out the employee's earnings after tax, class 1 National Insurance, and workplace pension contributions (net earnings)
check if the employee has other debt orders and if they take priority over a DEA
use the tables below (standard or higher) to establish the appropriate percentage deduction rate
multiply the net earnings figure by the percentage rate to calculate the DEA amount

Note: if you are calculating a DEA based on a daily rate, you must also multiply the daily rate figure by the number of days in the pay period.

If payments are made every two or four weeks, calculate weekly pay and deduct the percentage in the table.

If the total of all deductions is more than 40% of the employee's net earnings, the DEA must be adjusted.

Deductions from earnings rate

AMOUNT OF NET EARNINGS (Net earnings are gross pay, less income tax, Class 1 National Insurance, and superannuation contributions)			Deduction from Earnings Rate (Standard) Rate to apply (% of net earnings)	Deduction from Earnings Rate (Higher) Rate to apply (% of net earnings)
Daily Earnings	Weekly Earnings	Monthly Earnings
Up to £15	Up to £100	Up to £430	Nil	5%
Between £15.01 and £23	Between £100.01 and £160	Between £430.01 and £690	3%	6%
Between £23.01 and £32	Between £160.01 and £220	Between £690.01 and £950	5%	10%
Between £32.01 and £39	Between £220.01 and £270	Between £950.01 and £1,160	7%	14%
Between £39.01 and £54	Between £270.01 and £375	Between £1,160.01 and £1,615	11%	22%
Between £54.01 and £75	Between £375.01 and £520	Between £1,615.01 and £2,240	15%	30%
£75.01 or more	£520.01 or more	£2,240.01 or more	20%	40%

What counts as earnings?

When calculating DEA payments, you should include as earnings:

wages and salary
fees
bonuses
commission
overtime pay
occupational pensions if paid with wages or salary
compensation payments
Statutory Sick Pay
most other payments on top of wages
pay in lieu of notice

Don't count:

Statutory Maternity Pay
Statutory Adoption Pay
Ordinary or Additional Paternity Pay
guaranteed minimum pension
any money that the employee gets from the Government e.g. benefits, pensions or credits
Statutory Redundancy Pay
expenses

Developed with

Department for Communities

Actions

Direct Earnings Attachment employer guidance (PDF, 1.0MB)

Child maintenance: an introduction | nidirect

Also on this site

Direct Earnings Attachment (DEA) payment schedule

Content category

Employment and skills

Source URL

/content/direct-earnings-attachments-dea-making-deductions-employees-salary

Links

Direct Earnings Attachment (DEA) payment schedule

The 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶing payment schedule for a DEA that must be completed and issued in order to ensure that the correct payment is allocated to the correct debtor account.

The Department for Communities (DfC) requires that a 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶing payment schedule for Direct Earnings Attachment (DEA) be completed and issued in order to ensure that the correct payment is allocated to the correct debtor account. This schedule is only required if you are making one overall payment in respect of several employees. However, if you are making a single DEA payment by cheque, you must send a payment schedule.

For a single DEA payment, please ensure that you include your employee's National Insurance number and not their name.

DfC Debt Management has introduced an email route to receive payment schedules from employers, this is the preferred way for payment schedules to be sent.

DEA payment schedule template

Download the payment schedule template for DEA (XLSX, 82K).

For data security reasons the data required for the email payment schedule is slightly different to that on the paper schedule. By restricting the data recorded on the email payment schedule DfC Debt Management will still have enough information to correctly allocate payments to our customer records, whilst minimising the risk of personal data being fraudulently used should the email fall into the hands of a third party. Schedules do not need to be encrypted before emailing.

The postal route for sending payment schedules remains in place and a schedule template for use when forwarding schedules is available in appendix 2 of the DEA: a guide for employers (PDF, 1.0MB).

Developed with

Department for Communities

Actions

Download the payment schedule template for DEA (XLSX, 82K)

DEA: a guide for employers (PDF, 1.0MB)

Child maintenance: an introduction | nidirect

Also on this site

Direct Earnings Attachments (DEA): making deductions from an employee's salary

Content category

Employment and skills

Source URL
/content/direct-earnings-attachment-dea-payment-schedule

Links
Calculate final pay when a worker leaves

Deductions to make from outstanding pay owed when an employee leaves the business.
When a worker leaves your employment, you must give them:

any outstanding pay, including overtime

pay in lieu for any untaken holiday

bonus payments, if earned

any statutory sick pay, if they are entitled to it

pay instead of notice if you do not require them to work their notice period - note that the contract of employment must provide for this, otherwise the employee must agree to it

redundancy payment, if due

If the worker leaves before or during their statutory maternity or adoption pay period, you must also start paying - or continue to pay - them statutory maternity or adoption pay.

You could also give them:

a pension refund, depending on the rules of the scheme

a lump-sum payment as compensation for loss of their job

an enhanced redundancy payment if you have made them redundant - this might be either contractual or paid on a discretionary, and non-discriminatory, case-by-case basis

What you should deduct from a worker's final pay

You must deduct the following items from what you owe the worker:

income tax

relevant National Insurance contributions

You might also need to consider deductions in respect of matters such as:

money given for season ticket loans

any other outstanding loans

amounts to be paid under any car leasing agreements
Developed with

Labour Relations Agency

The Department for the Economy

Help

HMRC Employer Helpline

Actions

Pay and wages | LRA guidance

Also on this site

When workers leave your employment

Issue the correct periods of notice

Equal pay law and employer best practice

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/calculate-final-pay-when-worker-leaves

Links

Work Experience Programme

kmcgowan — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 11:13:29 +0000

Work Experience Programme kmcgowan Thu, 06/08/2015 - 12:13

Work Experience Programme

Registering as a landlord

bgraham — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 13:56:01 +0000

Registering as a landlord bgraham Tue, 11/02/2014 - 13:56

Domestic rental property: landlord and tenant responsibilities

In this guide:

Tenancy Deposit Scheme

Landlords are required to protect the tenant's deposit in a scheme.
The law on private renting in Northern Ireland changed on 1 April 2023. For further details read the Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022.

If you are a landlord or letting agent in Northern Ireland and take a deposit on a private tenancy on or after 1 April 2013, then you are required to protect the deposit within 28 calendar days of receiving it using either an insurance or custodial-based protection scheme.

From 1 April 2023, you must not ask for or retain a deposit that is more than one month's rent.

You must also provide certain information about which Tenancy Deposit Scheme is protecting it and you must serve this on your tenants within 35 calendar days of receiving the deposit - this is called 'Prescribed Information'.

Three organisations have been appointed by the Northern Ireland Executive to administer the scheme and further information can be found on each of their websites:

Tenancy Deposit Scheme Northern Ireland

My Deposits Northern Ireland

Guidance for tenants

Tenants can read full details of how the Tenancy Deposit Scheme works.
Also on this site

Rental properties and business rates

Content category

Business premises and rates
Source URL
/content/tenancy-deposit-scheme

Links
Registering as a landlord

All landlords in Northern Ireland must register for the Landlord Registration Scheme.
Landlord Registration Scheme

The Landlord Registration Scheme collects and maintains up-to-date and accurate information on landlords and their properties. All landlords with properties in Northern Ireland must be registered with the scheme. The registration lasts for three years.

Who has to register?

All landlords who let properties under private tenancy in Northern Ireland must register for the Landlord Registration Scheme. You must provide accurate and up-to-date information about yourself and your properties. All joint owners of a property that is let need to register separately.

Renewing your registration

The landlord registration certificate is valid for three years after which you must renew your landlord registration.

Register as a landlord or renew your landlord registration.

How much does it cost?

You only pay one fee regardless of the number of properties you own:

the online registration fee is £70

the paper/non-electronic based registration fee is £80

Who is exempt from the registration fee?

As a landlord, you are exempt from the registration fee if you have paid to register a house in multiple occupation which is registered under a Houses in Multiple Occupation Registration Scheme.

Penalties

If you do not complete your registration, you will be committing an offence and may be issued with a penalty of between £500 and £2,500.

Read further information on the registering as a landlord.

Information for landlords who use agents

If someone else looks after the day to day management of your property or if the house is sub-let, you, as the landlord, will still have responsibility for and control of the property. Your property will still have to be registered under the Landlord Registration Scheme.

Read further information for landlords who use agents.
Developed with

Department for Communities

Help

Landlord Registration Scheme Helpline

Actions

Universal Credit and rented housing: guide for landlords | DfC

Also on this site

Rental properties and business rates

Content category

Business premises and rates
Source URL
/content/registering-landlord

Links
Register a house in multiple occupation

Houses rented to 3 or more unrelated people must be registered as an HMO.
The law on private renting in Northern Ireland changed on 1 April 2023. For further details read the Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022.

If you rent out a property to 3 or more unrelated people who share the bathroom or toilet and kitchen, you must register it as a house in multiple occupation (HMO). An HMO, also known as a house share, must meet certain requirements and be registered with your local council.

Houses in Multiple Occupation.

Your responsibilities as a landlord

As a landlord of an HMO, you must:

ensure the property is not overcrowded

make sure the property is fit for multiple occupants, ie there is enough cooking space and washing facilities

provide your local council with all the necessary information about your HMO

HMOs - advice for landlords.

Fees for HMOs

You'll have to pay a fee for registration and for any future renewals. Registration is usually valid for 5 years, after this time you can make a renewal. The cost is based on the number of occupants at the property; the more occupants there are, the higher the fee will be. HMO advice for landlords.

How to register your HMO

You can register your HMO by contacting your local council. Find contact details of local councils in Northern Ireland.

Fines and penalties

If you breach any of your agreements with your local council, it may result in a fine, including:

up to £1,000 for failing to provide the information requested

up to £5,000 for providing false information

up to £2,500 if found guilty of overcrowding

up to £5,000 if someone is living in a part of the property that is deemed unfit for occupation (you'll then be charged up to 10% of the fine every day this continues)
Also on this site

Rental properties and business rates

Content category

Business premises and rates
Source URL
/content/register-house-multiple-occupation

Links
Certificate of fitness for rental properties

To rent out a property, you must obtain a certificate of fitness from your local council.
The law on private renting in Northern Ireland changed on 1 April 2023. For further details read the Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022.

If you want to rent out a property, you may have to apply to your local council for a certificate of fitness. The certificate of fitness shows that a house is suitable for human habitation and allows you to charge rent at market price.

Applying for a certificate of fitness

Contact the Environmental Health Department of your local council to request a fitness inspection. Find local council contact details in Northern Ireland.

A fee of £50 will be charged for the initial inspection. You will have to complete an application form, providing certain information about your property, including when it was built, the number of rooms, and the facilities provided. This fee will not be refunded if it turns out your property does not require a certificate of fitness, so be sure to check your property's particulars against the exemptions above.

The property inspection

The Environmental Health Officer (EHO) who carries out the inspection will assess the property to ensure that it meets the fitness standard and is fit for human habitation. If the property passes the inspection you will receive a certificate of fitness and be free to charge tenants at a market rate.

If your property fails the inspection, you will receive a schedule of work that will bring the property up to standard. Until this work is completed and the property is re-inspected (for a £100 fee), it will become rent-controlled and the Rent Officer for Northern Ireland will restrict how much rent you are allowed to charge.

Who is exempt?

You don't need to apply for a certificate of fitness if:

the tenancy began before 1 April 2007

a renovation or houses in multiple occupation (HMO) grant has been paid by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) (this only applies for a period of ten years from the date of the grant)

the property is registered with NIHE as an HMO, see register a house in multiple occupation

the property was formerly let under a protected or statutory tenancy where a regulated rent certificate has been issued (this only applies for a period of ten years from the date of issue of the certificate)

Fines and penalties

If you fail to apply for the inspection of a qualifying property within 28 days of a new tenancy being granted, you may be fined up to £2,500.
Actions

Rental property standards: advice for landlords

Also on this site

Rental properties and business rates

Find your local council in Northern Ireland

Content category

Business premises and rates
Source URL
/content/certificate-fitness-rental-properties

Links
Rental property health and safety

Landlords' health and safety responsibilities when letting property.

The law on private renting in Northern Ireland changed on 1 April 2023. For further details read the Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022.

As a landlord, you are responsible for ensuring the safety of your property. Aside from the general requirements needed for a certificate of fitness for rental properties, you must also meet the following safety requirements.

Electrical safety in rental properties

All mains electrical equipment, new or second-hand, that you supply with the accommodation must be safe and adequate for the needs of your tenant. You must meet the requirements of regulations for supplying electrical equipment. Most equipment with CE marking will satisfy the requirement, as long as they remain in good working order.

Electrical safety: advice for landlords.

Furniture safety in rental properties

If you are providing furnished accommodation, all furniture you supply must comply with fire safety regulations. Many domestic fires start with soft furnishings and toxic fumes given off when upholstery material burns can be fatal; regulations exist to reduce this risk.

Gas safety in rental properties

If your property has gas heating or any gas appliances, you are legally required to have the boiler and any gas appliances inspected every year.

The inspection must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Gas safety information for landlords.

Carbon Monoxide has no smell, taste or colour, but it is extremely dangerous and can be fatal. If you install a new or replacement fuel-burning appliance, whether it is gas, coal or oil fired you are legally required to install a carbon monoxide detector in the room where the appliance is located.

Fire alarms in rental properties

If you're building a new property to rent out, or converting a new property you'll have to install fire alarms to comply with building regulations. If your property has three or more non-related tenants (an HMO) you are legally required to install a fire alarm. There is no legal requirement for non-HMO properties, however, landlords should install fire alarms to protect any tenants living there. Failing to install a fire alarm could invalidate your insurance policy. Fire safety advice.

Also on this site

Rental properties and business rates

Content category

Business premises and rates

Source URL
/content/rental-property-health-and-safety

Links
Landlords’ responsibilities

Rules that landlords must follow when letting out property and their obligations to tenants.
The law on private renting in Northern Ireland changed on 1 April 2023. For further details read the Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022.

As a landlord, there are some rules you must follow and certain obligations you have to your tenants.

Requirements for smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms

New regulations were introduced on Thursday 30 May 2024 to set a minimum standard for smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms in private rental properties.

Landlords' responsibilities for alarm units

It is the responsibility of the landlord to:

install and keep in proper working order sufficient alarms for detecting smoke, heat and carbon monoxide within any property that they rent out to tenants

repair or replace any alarm that they have been informed of that is faulty

ensure that any alarm units (smoke, heat & carbon monoxide) that are bought/installed are marked/referenced as being British Standard compliant

ensure that if any alarms are to be hardwired into the main electrical installation, that work is undertaken by a qualified electrician

confirm the tenant is satisfied all alarms are in working order on the commencement of any tenancy

advise tenants that they need to regularly test the alarms according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and to report any faults to the landlord

Read full details on landlords' responsibilities for alarm units in private rental properties.

Compliance dates

Existing tenancies granted before Sunday 1 September 2024 must comply by Sunday 1 December 2024. New tenancies granted on or after Sunday 1 September 2024 must be compliant on the date the new tenancy is granted.

Read guidance notes on the Smoke, Heat and Carbon Monoxide Alarms for Private Tenancies Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024.

Repairs in rental properties

In the day-to-day maintenance of the property, you are responsible for any repairs to the structure of the property and any furnishings or equipment supplied with the property. The tenant is responsible for any repairs to their belongings or damage that is their fault.

Records landlords must keep

You are obliged to keep the following records:

a gas safety certificate, for any gas appliances on the property

an Energy Performance Certificate

information on the tenancy deposit protection scheme you've chosen to protect the tenant's deposit and some prescribed information relating to the deposit

an inventory

You are advised to keep the following records:

a copy of the Tenancy Information Notice supplied to your tenant(s)

copies of any receipts for cash payments made by your tenant(s)

Communication with tenants

If you are planning any action that will impact your tenants, you should inform them in a timely manner. Let your tenants know in advance of any of the following:

repairs and improvements to the property

sale of the property/the property being repossessed

you or anyone else entering the property (normally you will need the tenant's permission)

It is important that your tenants are able to contact you when a problem arises and that you respond within a reasonable time. Even if your property is managed by an agent, you still must give your name, a correspondence address, and telephone to the tenant in the Tenancy Information Notice.

Deposits for private rental properties

If you take a tenancy deposit for a private tenancy on or after 1 April 2013 you are legally obliged to protect this deposit in an approved scheme. If the deposit was taken before 1 April 2013 it does not need to be placed in a protection scheme, but you should keep it in a separate account, have clear records about when you received the deposit, and give your tenants a receipt. Read more about the Tenancy Deposit Scheme.

From 1 April 2023, you cannot ask for or retain a tenancy deposit of more than one month's rent. See further information on changes to tenancy deposits.
Actions

Universal Credit: information for landlords

Also on this site

Energy Performance Certificates for business properties

Rental properties and business rates

Content category

Business premises and rates
Source URL
/content/landlords-responsibilities

Links

Help with recruiting staff

kmcgowan — Fri, 17 Jan 2014 12:03:10 +0000

Help with recruiting staff kmcgowan Fri, 17/01/2014 - 12:03

Recruiting staff

In this guide:

Recruiting new staff and other alternatives

Consider if you need more staff and what alternatives there are to taking on new staff.
Before spending time and money on employing someone new, you should weigh up whether you really need to recruit new staff. To do this, look at your staffing needs in relation to the wider objectives of the business.

You may need extra help immediately or you may simply be thinking about your future staffing requirements. In both cases, it's valuable to plan as far ahead as you can.

What to consider when recruiting staff

You should consider why you're looking for extra help and how long you will need it for.

When considering staff recruitment ask yourself the following questions:

Are you considering taking on your first employee to help you grow your business or handle an increasing workload?

Are you replacing an employee who has left? If so, why did the previous employee leave and what skills and experience have you lost? Do you need to control staff turnover?

Do you need to bring in a new skill or skills to your business that none of your existing employees possess?

Has your workload increased? If so, is the workload likely to continue or is it just a temporary increase?

What will be the impact of taking on a new staff member? Do you have somewhere for them to sit? Will you need to buy new equipment for them?

Do you need cover for yourself in the long term?

Registering as a new employer

If you are taking on your first employee, you may be required to register as an employer with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). See how to employ someone: step-by-step guidance. This guidance provides information on what you will need to register as an employer and takes you through the registration process. Alternatively, you can call the HMRC New Employer Helpline on Tel 0300 200 3211 or Textphone 0300 200 3212.

You can register as an employer online with HMRC.

You are also required to check whether any potential employee is eligible to enter, stay, and work in the UK. See ensure your workers are eligible to work in the UK.

Alternatives to taking on new staff

Since recruitment can be expensive and time-consuming, other options you could consider include:

re-organising the company structure

sharing work among existing employees

upskilling staff which has the benefit of creating development opportunities in the form of temporary promotions

promoting existing staff

training existing employees so they attain the skills you require to grow your business - see staff training.

asking part-time employees if they would consider full-time work or some additional hours

improving the efficiency of the business, perhaps by rearranging tasks

offering overtime

adopting flexible working arrangements, eg allowing some staff to begin earlier/later to provide cover for a longer part of the day

hiring temporary workers from an employment agency

offering short-term opportunities - see advertise apprenticeship opportunities on JobApplyNI

In term of employment relations, relying on the goodwill of staff to cover unforeseen extra duties may be fine as a short term solution. However, predictable staff shortages due to a lack of planning or in a deliberate attempt to save costs is likely to damage working relations with your existing workforce. It is also potentially damaging to your business reputation which in turn may make it harder to attract staff in the future.
Developed with

Department for the Economy

Labour Relations Agency

Help

HMRC New Employer Helpline

Actions

Recruiting people | LRA guidance

Get HR advice | Invest Northern Ireland

Also on this site

Online recruitment of new staff

Staff training and development

Flexible working: the law and best practice

Providing work experience opportunities

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/recruiting-new-staff-and-other-alternatives

Links
Help with recruiting staff

Practical help for employers to recruit staff in Northern Ireland.
If you need help with recruiting or retaining staff, the Department for Communities' (DfC) range of employer services and provision can offer 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ. See further information on the 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ available from DfC on finding staff.

From multi-national companies to the shop-owner on the corner, DfC operates a tailored recruitment service across Northern Ireland that offers recruitment advice and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ to employers.

A team of highly experienced staff can discuss and tailor a level of service to meet your needs from start to finish. This service may include advice and guidance, advertisement and promotion of vacancies, CV sifting, and interview facilities, access to a range of employment and disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ provision, bespoke events, and inclusion within employability and skills initiatives.

Dedicated staff to help with your recruitment needs

Client Executives

A dedicated Client Executive is appointed for large and public sector businesses, offering employers a single point of contact for all their recruitment needs.

Email: dfcemployerservices@communities.gov.uk
Tel: 028 9037 6183

Employer Adviser

Small, medium, and micro-sized employers can avail of bespoke 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ from a dedicated Employer Adviser based within each local Jobs & Benefits office. See the contacts list for Employer Advisers in each Jobs & Benefits office.

Cross Border Partnership Employment Services (CBPES)

Provides a one-stop shop with information and guidance for people commuting across the border in order to work. Read more information on Cross Border Partnership Employment Services.

Dedicated services to help with your recruitment needs

Participation at job fairs

An opportunity for employers to showcase their vacancies and for jobseekers to speak with employers about job opportunities.

Meet the Employer events

This is an event where employers can come into our Jobs & Benefits offices to speak with job seekers about the vacancies and opportunities they offer and what it is like to work for them.

Bespoke recruitment events

Our employer engagement staff can facilitate employer recruitment events through the use of DfC's office facilities, offering pre-selection/application sifting, candidate matching, sourcing suitable applicants, interview facilities, and in-person assistance on the day.
Dedicated recruitment website - JobApplyNI.com

JobApplyNI.com is a free, government-91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶed website developed by DfC that allows you to advertise your job vacancies online. Connected to a network of 35 Jobs and Benefits Offices throughout Northern Ireland and staffed with a locally based customer service team, JobApplyNI is well-placed to service your recruitment needs.

Read more on how to register and advertise a job using JobApplyNI.com.

To access DfC's service:

See finding staff

Email: dfcemployerservices@communities.gov.uk

Tel 028 9037 6183
Developed with

Department for Communities

Labour Relations Agency

Help

Employer Engagement Services

Actions

Recruiting people | LRA guidance

Recruiting new employees - Invest NI Employers’ Handbook (PDF, 170K)

Also on this site

Online recruitment of new staff

Staff training

Employer 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ programmes

Northern Ireland business 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ finder

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/help-recruiting-staff

Links
Recruiting staff: your options

Recruiting options for employers taking on new staff.
You must consider the type of worker you wish to employ, depending on factors such as:

how constant the work is

how long the work will last

the number of hours of work each week

Staff recruitment options

You have a number of options for recruiting staff including:

Permanent employees

Permanent employees can be full-time or part-time. Permanent does not mean forever, it simply means there is no identified end date ie they have an open-ended employment contract with you. You have obligations to them, but they will be an investment in your business. See recruiting full-time or part-time employees.

Fixed-term contract employees

Fixed-term contract employees have an employment contract with you for a predetermined time or until a specific task has been completed. You'll still have employer obligations but only for the duration of the contract. See recruiting staff on fixed-term contracts.

Employment agency

Temporary staff are engaged by the agency and supplied to you. Your contract is with the employment agency to supply you with staff, but you still have certain legal responsibilities towards the agency worker. See recruiting agency workers.

Self-employed freelancers, consultants, and contractors

This gives you the minimum of employer obligations. But you need to be sure that the people are legally defined as self-employed. See am I legally classed as self-employed?

Zero-hours contracts

These allow you to employ people casually ie as and when required, and to have people on-call to work whenever necessary and mutually convenient. Generally, you are not obliged to offer work, nor is there a responsibility for the worker to accept any work. Look at the terms of any zero-hours contract carefully as it may affect the employment status of the worker and your responsibility towards them. See zero-hours contracts.

Children or young people

If you plan to employ children or young people, you must keep in mind that there are restrictions on the hours and types of work that they can legally carry out. See employing children and young people.

You will have to make tax arrangements for all employees and may also have to make tax arrangements for workers directly engaged by you. See employment status.
Developed with

Department for the Economy

Labour Relations Agency

Help

LRA Workplace Information Service

Actions

Recruiting people | LRA guidance

Recruiting new employees - Invest NI Employers’ Handbook (PDF, 170K)

Also on this site

Contract types and employer responsibilities

Online recruitment of new staff

Employing part-time workers

Outsourcing

Flexible working: the law and best practice

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/recruiting-staff-your-options

Links
Recruiting full-time or part-time employees

Employer responsibilities to full-time and part-time employees.

Regardless of whether your employees are full-time or part-time, you will have responsibilities to them. Some apply straight away, others after a minimum period of continuous employment - see continuous employment and employee rights.

What employers must provide to full-time and part-time staff

Written statement of employment

You must give them a written statement of the main terms and conditions of their contract of employment within two months of starting their employment where the contract of employment is to last more than one month. See the written statement of employment.

Itemised pay statement

You must give them an itemised pay statement at or before the time of payment. See pay: employer obligations.

Health and safety

You'll have to make sure the working environment is safe and secure. See safer ways of working.

Insurance

You must also have insurance to protect against claims for any illnesses, injuries, or diseases your employees may pick up as a result of working for you. See business insurance: the basics.

Tax and payroll duties

You'll need to register as an employer with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to set up a payroll, deducting tax and National Insurance contributions from your employees' pay and forwarding the money to HMRC. See how to register as an employer.

Breaks and holidays

Your employees will be entitled to a minimum level of paid holiday, a maximum length of a working week (unless they opt out of this), and minimum levels of rest breaks. See hours, rest breaks, and the working week. Also, see know how much holiday to give your staff.

Paying staff

They must also be paid at least the national minimum wage. Find out the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates.

Sickness

If members of your staff are off sick for more than three working days, they may be entitled to statutory sick pay. See manage absence and sickness.

Statutory entitlements

If your employee is pregnant or is about to or has recently become a parent, they may be entitled to maternity, paternity, adoption leave, or shared parental leave. They may also be entitled to parental leave during the first 18 years of their child's life (longer for a disabled child). Since April 2022, parents may also be eligible for parental bereavement leave and pay.

Read more on statutory leave and pay entitlements.

Flexible working

You must also seriously consider any requests from employees who wish to work more flexibly. See flexible working: the law and best practice. Since April 2015, any eligible employee has the right to make a flexible working request, not just those with children or caring responsibilities.

Fair treatment

You must treat your employees fairly and avoid discrimination. If things do go wrong, all employees are entitled to fair treatment, whether you must dismiss them, make their position redundant, or if you're selling your business. Read more on how to prevent discrimination and value diversity.

Reasonable adjustments

If your employee is disabled, you must make 'reasonable' adjustments to reduce or remove the impact of physical features of your premises if they put the employee at a substantial disadvantage compared with non-disabled employees. Read more on disabled access and facilities in business premises.

Developed with

Department for the Economy

Labour Relations Agency

Help

LRA Workplace Information Service

Equality Commission Employer Helpline

Actions

Details a written statement must contain | LRA guidance

Recruiting people | LRA guidance

Recruiting new employees - Invest NI Employers’ Handbook (PDF, 170K)

Also on this site

The employment contract

Staff documents and employment policies

Holiday, sickness and other leave

Online recruitment of new staff

Content category

Employment and skills

Source URL
/content/recruiting-full-time-or-part-time-employees

Links
Recruiting staff on fixed-term employment contracts

Advantages and disadvantages of using fixed-term employment contracts when recruiting new staff.
There may be times when it's best for your business to take on somebody on a fixed-term employment contract.

What is a fixed-term employment contract?

A fixed-term employment contract is one which either:

lasts for a specified time, set in advance

ends with the completion of a specified task

ends when a specified event does or does not take place

For example, if you're a shopkeeper you may want to take on someone for just three months to cover the busy run-up to Christmas. Or you may wish to employ someone specifically to cover for another person who is on maternity, adoption or parental leave.

Employer considerations when using fixed-term employment contracts

Fixed-term employment contracts give you the advantage of bringing in specific skills and labour as and when they are needed.

It's important to remember that unless there are special circumstances that can be justified, you have a legal responsibility to treat fixed-term employees the same as comparable permanent employees. This means you must give them:

the same pay and conditions

the same or equivalent benefits package

the same or equivalent pension scheme

the same opportunity to apply for vacancies for permanent posts in the business

Fixed-term employees also have access to the same employment rights as their permanent equivalents.

Under the Fixed-term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002, any employee who has been on a fixed-term contract for four or more years (excluding any period before 1 October 2002) will usually be classed in law as a permanent employee if their contract is renewed, or if they are re-engaged on a new fixed-term contract.

The only exemptions to this are when employment on a further fixed-term contract is objectively justified to achieve a legitimate aim, eg a genuine business aim that can be objectively justified, and is also a necessary and appropriate way to achieve that aim, or the period of four years has been lengthened under a collective or workplace agreement.

These regulations do not apply to apprentices, students on work experience of a year or less, or people on certain training courses and temporary work schemes.

You will need to make the same tax arrangements for fixed-term employees that you would for permanent employees.

See fixed-term employment contracts and 'equal treatment' principle.
Developed with

Department for the Economy

Labour Relations Agency

Help

LRA Workplace Information Service

Actions

Fixed-term workers | nidirect

Details a written statement must contain | LRA guidance

Recruiting people | LRA guidance

Recruiting new employees - Invest NI Employers’ Handbook (PDF, 170K)

Also on this site

Fixed-term employment contracts

Online recruitment of new staff

Employment status

HR documents and templates

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/recruiting-staff-fixed-term-employment-contracts

Links
Recruiting agency workers

Information about the employment rules and regulations related to using agency workers.

Using agency staff can be ideal, especially when you need emergency temporary cover. It can cost more than employing a temporary staff member directly, but a big benefit is that all of the administration is handled by the recruitment agency.

You usually pay the agency, and the agency pays the worker. The rate the agency charges you could include elements of National Insurance payments, holiday and sick pay, as well as an administration fee and profit margin.

Rights of agency workers

Under the Agency Workers Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2011, agency workers are entitled to the same basic working and employment conditions as permanent staff, provided that they have been in the same role with the same employer for 12 weeks.

It is the recruitment agency's responsibility to ensure agency workers receive the rights they are entitled to such as those under the Working Time Regulations and national minimum wage law. See hours, rest breaks, and the working week and who should be paid the minimum wage.

However, under the Agency Workers Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2011, agency workers are also entitled to equal access to their employer's collective facilities and job vacancies from the first day of their assignment. It will be your responsibility to ensure that these rights are met. Agency workers regulations NI guidance.

You must also ensure that you do not discriminate against agency workers who are working on your business premises.

In addition, under the Parental Leave (EU Directive) (Flexible Working) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2013, employed agency workers who are returning to work from a period of parental leave are also extended the right to request flexible working. See flexible working: the law and best practice.

Even though agency staff do not work directly for you, you are still responsible for their health and safety. In fact, they are likely to be at greater risk because they don't know the business well. See agency workers' health and safety for more information.

Choosing an employment agency

You should also do some research before using an employment agency to ensure you are happy with the agency's reputation.

By law, employment agencies must comply with the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Northern Ireland) Order 1981 and the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005. These regulations stop them, for example, from charging workers fees for finding jobs. They must also ensure a worker has any qualifications legally required to do the work. See employment agencies.

Developed with

Department for the Economy

Labour Relations Agency

Help

LRA Workplace Information Service

Actions

Employment Agency Inspectorate information leaflet | DfE

Recruiting people | LRA guidance

Recruiting new employees - Invest NI Employers’ Handbook (PDF, 170K)

Also on this site

Employment agencies

HR documents and templates

Advertise a job on JobApplyNI.com

Online recruitment of new staff

Content category

Employment and skills

Source URL
/content/recruiting-agency-workers

Links
Recruiting freelancers and outside contractors

Consider whether your business would benefit from the use of freelancers and outside contractors.

One way your business can take advantage of extra skills and labour without taking on many of the responsibilities of an employer is to use freelancers or outside contractors. These are workers who are self-employed or belong to separate outside companies.

For example, you might use an outside IT contractor to build your business website or hire a freelance PR consultant when you want a promotional push for your business.

Advantages and disadvantages of freelancers and outside contractors

An advantage of using freelancers and outside contractors is that in many cases they look after all their own income tax affairs and National Insurance contributions. But it's always a good idea to check that you won't be responsible for deducting tax and National Insurance from their payments. Read more on IR35 and other special rules.

People who are genuinely self-employed may not be entitled to the same rights afforded to employees. However, depending on the contract under which they are providing services, they may qualify as workers. Under these circumstances, they would be entitled to workers' rights such as holidays and holiday pay. If you are in any doubt about a person's employment status, you should seek professional advice.

Freelancers and contractors still have a right to the national minimum wage. But if they are being paid by their own firms so this will not affect you.

As an employer, you still have responsibilities for the health and safety of freelancers and contractors. See how to write a health and safety policy for your business. Also, you should check whether your insurance is affected by having non-employees working on your premises.

Remember too that you should avoid discrimination against anyone who carries out work for you, whether they are employed by you or self-employed. See how to prevent discrimination and value diversity.

Developed with

Department for the Economy

Labour Relations Agency

Help

LRA Workplace Information Service

Actions

Check employment status for tax | GOV.UK

Recruiting people | LRA guidance

Recruiting new employees | Invest NI Employers’ Handbook (PDF, 170K)

Also on this site

HR documents and templates

Advertise a job on JobApplyNI.com

Employ and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ people with disabilities

Content category

Employment and skills

Source URL
/content/recruiting-freelancers-and-outside-contractors

Links
Zero-hours contracts

Description of zero-hours contracts and employer responsibilities relating to them.

There is no legal definition of a zero-hours contract in either Northern Ireland or Great Britain employment law. In general terms, a zero-hours contract is one in which you do not have to guarantee the individual any work and the individual is not obliged to accept any work offered by you.

There is no exact legislation which specifically prohibits or addresses the unfair practices associated with the use of zero hours contracts. Zero hours contracts have attracted attention as they may leave some individuals who rely on them in a precarious position, where working does not bring the standard of living that it should.

Employer responsibilities under zero-hours contracts

Zero-hours contracts are legal under domestic law. If you freely enter into a zero-hours contract with an individual, it is a legitimate form of contract between you and the individual.

There are concerns that individuals who work under zero-hours contracts have no protection under domestic employment law, or that they cannot be an employee. This is not a correct assumption - as in any employment relationship, the employment rights which an individual is entitled to will depend on their employment status.

It is likely that the majority of individuals on zero-hours contracts are either workers or employees.

In many cases, a zero-hours contract staff member will be legally classified as a 'worker' and thus will have some of the rights that an employee has such as statutory holiday entitlement and National Minimum Wage. However, the way the relationship with that worker develops may enhance the employment status to that of an 'employee', who has additional employment rights such as accruing the right to take maternity leave or pay and the right to request flexible working.

Advantages of zero-hours contracts

As an employer, the advantages of zero-hours contracts include:

Flexibility

Zero-hours contracts allow you to adapt to changes in demand, eg offering more work when new orders arrive and being able to scale back when they do not. Furthermore, you could use zero-hours contracts to increase the range of services offered such as creating specialist roles or having staff available in different geographical locations.

There are instances, such as students seeking summer employment, where, for example, the flexibility of a zero hours contract suits both parties and is therefore a situation that is broadly accepted.

Supporting expansion plans

Through this flexibility, your business could also grow, with limited risk in terms of recruiting permanent staff if you find that the additional services you planned are not taken up. On the other hand, if expansion is successful, zero-hours contracts provide a rapid pathway to fixed-term, annualised hours, full-time, or guaranteed hours of work.

Retention of skills

You could retain the skills and experience of staff who might wish to partially retire or who decide to work part-time.

Knowledge of the company and its culture

You could also retain a pool of trained and skilled staff, who know the culture of the business and its procedures, rather than agency staff who may not.

Disadvantages of zero-hours contracts

Sense of unfairness of zero-hours contracts

You should be aware of the welfare of any individual you employ on a zero-hours contract.

For example, not every zero-hours worker will be happy that they are on such a contract because of a lack of job security. In addition, the inclusion of exclusivity clauses, which means a worker cannot work anywhere else, in some zero-hours contracts has been banned in GB since 26 May 2015. This is currently under review by the Northern Ireland Assembly. Exclusivity clauses may in the future be banned in Northern Ireland in certain employment contracts.

It should also be made clear when advertising or interviewing for a job, or in the contract itself, that an individual is hired on a zero-hours contract, or that there is a possibility they could be offered no work or 'zero-hours'.

As an employer, you need to fulfil and understand your responsibilities towards individuals you hire on a zero-hours contract in terms of their employment rights such as the National Minimum Wage and holiday rights. See who should be paid the minimum wage and know how much holiday to give your staff.

Inflexibility and short notice for staff

Asking an individual to work at very short notice, which does not allow them to, for example, fulfil family commitments, eg to arrange childcare, could be problematic for them, causing tension, stress or upset. This can also lead to a feeling of always being on call and can make it difficult to plan ahead.

You should note that where there are long-term zero-hours contracts in place, where work is regularly offered and accepted, there is the potential for difficulties regarding the actual employment status of the individual on the zero-hours contract.

Developed with

Department for the Economy

Labour Relations Agency

Help

LRA Workplace Information Service

Actions

Types of contracts | LRA guidance

Zero hours contracts | Acas guidance

Recruiting new employees - Invest NI Employers’ Handbook (PDF, 170K)

Also on this site

Employment status

Know how much holiday to give your staff

Who should be paid the minimum wage?

Online recruitment of new staff

Content category

Employment and skills

Source URL
/content/zero-hours-contracts

Links
Recruiting directors and managers

Skills directors and managers should have and the responsibilities they should be given.
Directors

Every limited company must have at least one director. Directors are appointed by the shareholders as the people who can best run the company on their behalf.

Directors have a range of responsibilities in areas such as health and safety, tax, and employment law. There are serious penalties for not meeting these responsibilities which makes appointing the right director very important.

There are also restrictions on who can become a director. People who may not become directors include anyone who:

has been disqualified by the courts from becoming a director

is an undischarged bankrupt, unless they have permission from the courts

is under 16 years of age

For information on the appointment of directors, see recruiting company directors and running a company or partnership.

Managers

You may wish to take on someone to cover you while you're away so that you can spend more time growing the business. Consider whether it would be a good idea to appoint someone to whom you can delegate the day-to-day running of the business.

When preparing the job description, the advert, and the interview questions, you will need to keep in mind the additional qualities, experience, and skills the candidate will need to take on the managerial role.

See recruitment forms and templates.
Developed with

Department for the Economy

Labour Relations Agency

Help

Institute of Directors Enquiries Helpline

Actions

Running a limited company: your responsibilities | GOV.UK

Recruiting new employees - Invest NI Employers’ Handbook (PDF, 170K)

Also on this site

Advertise a job

Recruiting company directors

Recruitment forms and templates

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/recruiting-directors-and-managers

Links
Recruiting seasonal staff

As an employer, there are various options available to you to deal with a seasonal rush.

You may find your business is subject to seasonal fluctuations in demand. For example, December is a busy time for many businesses, particularly retailers who have to deal with a spike in demand as the Christmas period approaches.

Other areas of work that may be influenced by seasonal differences include farming, construction, and gardening.

The simplest strategy is to try to make do with the existing workforce. Increasing overtime and offering weekend or evening work may be enough to bridge the gap. However, if more labour is needed, new people will have to be brought in. See employing staff for seasonal businesses.

There are various options available to deal with this seasonal rush.

Agency workers

Using agency workers is one possibility. Employment agencies take much of the administrative burden of finding appropriate staff and can respond quickly to fluctuating demand.

However, employers also need to be aware of the Agency Workers Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2011, which give workers entitlements to the same employment conditions as permanent employees after a 12-week qualification period.

Read more on recruiting agency workers.

Zero-hours contracts

Zero-hours contracts can give great flexibility to employers and workers. Normally these contracts create an employment relationship in which there is no obligation for one side to offer work, nor the other to accept it.

They avoid the cost of agency fees and make it straightforward to take on extra staff when needed. But it's important to point out that zero-hours workers have the same rights and protections as other workers, such as annual leave, the national minimum wage, and pay for work-related travel.

Read more on zero-hours contracts.

Short fixed-term contracts

It may be more appropriate or effective to use short fixed-term contracts and buy in labour for a particular project or period.

Fixed-term work terminates after a specified period, but contract workers are entitled to the same pay and conditions as permanent staff, equivalent benefits, information about permanent vacancies, and protection from unfavourable treatment.

It's good practice to make notice provisions in fixed-term contracts in case employment needs to be terminated early.

Read more on understanding fixed-term contracts.

Pensions for seasonal and temporary workers

Like other staff, seasonal and temporary workers must be assessed to see if they qualify for automatic enrolment into a workplace pension. Assessing these types of employees can take more time because of varying hours and earnings.

Employers who know their staff will be working for them for less than three months can use postponement. This postpones the legal duty to assess staff for three months. During this postponement period, employers will not need to put staff into a pension unless they ask to be put into one. Employers who do delay have to tell their employees in writing. See the Pensions Regulator's guidance on employing seasonal or temporary staff.

Developed with

Labour Relations Agency

Department for the Economy

Help

LRA Workplace Information Service

Actions

Recruiting people | LRA guidance

Recruiting new employees - Invest NI Employers’ Handbook (PDF, 170K)

Also on this site

Seasonal and Sunday trading

Employing staff for seasonal businesses

Financial advice for seasonal businesses

Automatic enrolment into a workplace pension

Content category

Employment and skills

Source URL
/content/recruiting-seasonal-staff

Links
Recruiting staff and data protection issues

How data protection procedures apply to staff recruitment information.

The Data Protection Act covers information gathered during the recruitment and selection process - eg information in application forms or CVs. Staff involved in recruitment should handle any personal information gathered securely. Under the UK General Data Protection Regulations (UK GDPR), you must explain to job applicants what you do with their personal data. An applicant privacy notice should cover what you do with job applicants' personal data during an active recruitment process, and what you should do at the end of that process with the personal data of both unsuccessful applicants and successful applicants who do not accept the job they are offered.

See the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) guidance on the Data Protection Act 2018.

You should also make sure that any recruitment advertisements clearly identify your organisation or the employment agency you are using.

Application forms should not ask for irrelevant or unnecessary personal information, such as banking details. See advertising a job and interviewing candidates.

Using recruitment information

If you are going to use information gathered during recruitment processes for other purposes, such as marketing, you must explain this clearly to those involved. Information should not be shared with other organisations without the individual's consent.

Sensitive data recorded for equal opportunities purposes - for example, concerning disabilities, race or sexual orientation - must be used for that purpose only.

Finally, if you are going to check the information supplied by applicants, you should let them know why and how you plan to do so. For example, criminal record checks should always be done through AccessNI. See AccessNI criminal records checks.

Giving references

If someone asks you for information about a worker's record or for a reference for them, you should always check their identity and whether they are entitled to this information. You should only supply a confidential reference or information about a worker if you are absolutely sure that you have their explicit and unambiguous consent to do so.

Help

LRA Workplace Information Service

ICO Northern Ireland

Actions

Recruiting new employees - Invest NI Employers’ Handbook (PDF, 170K)

Recruitment, selection and induction | LRA guidance

Also on this site

UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)

Advertise a job vacancy

Job offers and staff inductions

Content category

Employment and skills

Source URL
/content/recruiting-staff-and-data-protection-issues

Links
Recruiting staff: seven things you should know

If you want to expand your business, one way to do this is to take on new staff.

If you want to expand your business, one way to do this is to take on new staff. Recruiting new staff means taking a chance and investing in your business so it's essential that you choose the right recruitment methods to suit your individual business needs.

Staff recruitment essentials

1. Decide if you really need to recruit new staff

You're going to be spending time and money on recruiting someone new, so look at your staffing needs in relation to your business objectives. Consider why you're looking for extra help and how long you will need it for. Could another option be more viable such as sharing work amongst existing employees, reorganising the company structure, or rearranging tasks? See recruiting new staff and the alternatives.

2. Register as a new employer

If you are taking on your first employee, you may be required to register as an employer with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). Most new employers can register online but some will need to register by email, by telephone, or with an HMRC office. See how to register as an employer.

3. Consider the type of worker you wish to employ

The options you have for employing a new worker will depend on factors such as how constant the work is, how long it will last, and the number of hours per week. There are a number of options available including permanent employees, fixed-term contract employees, self-employed freelancers or contractors, and employment agency staff. In addition, do you need someone there on a full-time or part-time basis? See recruiting staff: your options.

4. Write a job description and person specification

Preparing a job description is not a legal requirement but it can help with deciding the scope of the work, advertising the job, and clarifying what applicants will have to do in the job. It can also help to identify a new recruit's performance and identify their training needs. If you decide to include a person specification, you should include the essential and desirable knowledge, experience, and skills you are looking for. If you already have an existing job description and person specification for a role, these should be reviewed prior to a recruitment exercise to ensure they are still accurate. See writing a person specification and job description.

5. Decide how much you should pay

Offering a competitive salary and benefits will help you to attract the best person for the job. However, you should balance this with how low you need to keep your costs. Work out what you can afford and assess whether the job requires specialised skills that should be reflected in the wages. See how to set the right pay rates.

6. Advertise and interview for the position

There are many options available when advertising a job including newspapers, online recruitment sites, and employment agencies. Decide on the most appropriate option for your business, ensuring you reach as wide a group of suitably qualified potential candidates as you can. When you have the replies to your advertisement, compare the skills and experience against the job description, draw up a list of candidates, and invite them to interview. Carry out appropriate preparation for the interview so it will be as easy as possible for you and the candidate. See recruitment forms and templates.

7. Make a job offer

The final stage of the recruitment process involves choosing the successful candidate. You can inform them by telephone or email, followed up by a formal confirmation in a letter which should set out the main terms and conditions of the job. It should also state whether the offer is conditional, ie subject to the outcome of checks, or unconditional, ie not subject to any further checks. Once the offer is accepted, a contract of employment exists between you and the employee. See job offers and staff inductions.

Further information on recruitment can be found in the Invest Northern Ireland Employers' Handbook which outlines both legal essentials and best practice guidelines for effective HR management.

Help

LRA Workplace Information Service

Actions

Recruiting people - LRA guidance

Recruiting new employees - Invest NI Employers’ Handbook (PDF, 170K)

Also on this site

HR documents and templates

Flexible working: the law and best practice

Providing work experience opportunities

Content category

Employment and skills

Source URL
/content/recruiting-staff-seven-things-you-should-know

Links
8 tips for employing staff for the first time

When you become an employer for the first time and take on a new employee, there are important checks you must make.

When you become an employer for the first time and take on a new employee, there are important checks you must make. Here are eight key steps that you should consider when employing staff for the first time.

Tips for employing staff for the first time

1. Decide how much to pay your employee

Almost all workers are legally entitled to the National Minimum Wage. The National Living Wage is higher than the National Minimum Wage - workers get it if they are 21 years old and over. See National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage - rates and overview.

2. Carry out pre-employment checks

You should carry out an initial identity check on workers and verify their references and qualifications. You may also wish to include health checks as part of your recruitment process. See pre-employment checks.

3. Check if your employee has the right to work in the UK

You must check whether your employee is legally entitled to work in the UK. See ensure your workers are eligible to work in the UK.

4. Check if you need to apply for a criminal records check

Certain types of employment (eg security or working with children or vulnerable adults) require an AccessNI criminal records check. See AccessNI criminal records checks.

5. Get employment insurance

You will need employers' liability insurance as soon as you become an employer. This insurance enables businesses to meet the costs of damages and legal fees for employees who are injured or fall ill at work through the fault of the employer. See employers' liability insurance.

6. Send details of the job in writing to your employee

Once you have chosen your new employee, you should send them details of the job in writing. This should set out the main terms and conditions of the job. You also need to give your employee a written statement of employment particulars if you're employing them for more than one month.

7. Tell HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) you are an employer

If you employ someone, you will need to register as an employer with HMRC. See registering and getting started with PAYE.

8. Check if you need to automatically enrol your employee into a workplace pension scheme

All employers must provide workers with a qualifying workplace pension. Read more on automatic enrolment into a workplace pension.

Help

LRA Workplace Information Service

Actions

Recruiting new employees - Invest NI Employers’ Handbook (PDF, 170K)

Also on this site

Taking on staff

Job offers and staff inductions

Providing work experience opportunities

Primary parent

Taking on staff

Content category

Employment and skills

Source URL
/content/8-tips-employing-staff-first-time

Links
Recruiting effectively to grow your business (video)

Advice on how effective recruitment will ensure you get the right people to grow your business.

A short 2-minute video explaining how effective recruitment will ensure you get the right people to grow your business.

Actions

Recruiting people - LRA guidance

Recruiting new employees - Invest NI Employers’ Handbook (PDF, 170K)

Also on this site

Leading staff through growth

Advertise a job on JobApplyNI.com

Planning business growth

Content category

Employment and skills

Select subtype
Video

Source URL
/content/recruiting-effectively-grow-your-business-video

Links

Automatic enrolment into a workplace pension

kmcgowan — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 14:15:52 +0000

Automatic enrolment into a workplace pension kmcgowan Fri, 02/11/2012 - 14:15

Know your legal obligations on pensions

In this guide:

Automatic enrolment into a workplace pension

The duties employers must comply with on automatic enrolment of workplace pensions.
All employers must provide workers with a qualifying workplace pension. This is called automatic enrolment.
The Pensions Regulator has produced employer guidance on automatic enrolment with help specifically aimed at small and micro employers. If you already have a workplace pension scheme, check with the Pensions Regulator if you can use it for automatic enrolment.
Who will be automatically enrolled?
You must enrol into the scheme all workers who:
are aged between 22 years old and the State Pension age
earn at least £10,000 a year
work in the UK
You must make an employer's contribution to the pension scheme for those workers.
What about workers who don't have to be automatically enrolled?
Any worker who falls outside the eligible age band - aged 16 to 21 years old, for example, or state pension age to 75 years old - may opt into workplace pension saving with a minimum contribution from you.
Pension scheme thresholds
However, you don't have to contribute to the pension scheme if the worker earns these amounts or less:
£6,240 yearly
£520 monthly
£480 four-weekly
£120 weekly
When workers are enrolled into your pension scheme, you must:
pay at least the minimum contributions to the pension scheme on time
let workers leave the pension scheme (called 'opting out') if they ask, and refund money that they have paid if they opt out within 1 month
let workers re-join the scheme at least once a year if they've opted out
enrol workers back into the scheme once every three years if they've opted out and are still eligible for automatic enrolment
You can't:
encourage or force workers to opt out of the scheme
unfairly dismiss or discriminate against workers for staying in a workplace pension scheme
imply someone's more likely to get a job if they choose to opt out of the pension scheme
close a workplace pension scheme without automatically enrolling all members into another one
Pensions for seasonal and temporary workers
Like other employees, when recruiting seasonal staff or temporary workers, you must assess them to see if they qualify for automatic enrolment into a workplace pension. Assessing these types of employees can take more time because of varying hours and earnings.
Employers who know their staff will be working for them for less than three months can use postponement. This postpones the legal duty to assess staff for three months. During this postponement period, employers will not need to put staff into a pension unless they ask to be put into one. See the Pensions Regulator's guidance on employing seasonal or temporary staff.
What you must tell your workers
When you automatically enrol workers into a workplace pension scheme, you must write to them. In the letter, you must tell them:
the date they've been added to the pension scheme
the type of pension scheme and who runs it
how much you will contribute and how much the worker will have to pay in
how workers can leave the scheme if they want to
How much will you have to contribute?
Where a worker is automatically enrolled in a defined contribution (DC) scheme or NEST (the National Employment Savings Trust), there will be a minimum contribution of 8% of qualifying earnings, of which the employer must pay a minimum of 3%. If the employer chooses to pay the minimum 3%, the worker will pay 4%, with a further 1% paid as tax relief by the government. Qualifying earnings are earnings between £6,240 and £50,270.
Developed with

Department for Communities

Help

Workplace Pension Information Line

Workplace Pension Textphone

Actions

Automatic pension enrolment for employers

Workplace pensions | nidirect guidance

Employing seasonal or temporary staff | The Pensions Regulator guidance

Workplace pensions | MoneyHelper guidance

Also on this site

Choose the right pension scheme

Running a pension scheme

Recruiting seasonal staff

Employing and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶing older workers

Content category

Employment and skills

Landing page category

Pensions
Source URL
/content/automatic-enrolment-workplace-pension

Links
Defined benefit pension schemes

Understand final-salary pensions and their legal requirements.
Defined benefit pension schemes are also known as 'final salary' or 'salary-related' pensions. They promise to provide individuals with a certain amount each year upon retirement. How much is paid doesn't depend on investments.
The amount you'll get depends on your salary and on how long you've worked for your employer. The pension scheme administrator can give you more details.
Defined benefit pension schemes are usually based on an individual's final earnings at or near retirement, or when they leave the company, if this is before retirement, and how long they were in the scheme. These are also known as salary-related or defined benefit schemes. See how to choose the right pension scheme.
Defined benefit pension schemes generally operate through a trust that receives contributions from the employer and employees and pays out members' benefits. The trust's objectives are set out in the trust deed, and the day-to-day decisions are made by the trustees.
Legal obligations
There are a number of legal obligations governing the relationship between the employee, the trust, and the employer:
the employer is bound, like the employee, by the legal obligations of the contract of employment - for example, the payment of pension contributions
all trustees, including those nominated by the employer, must act in the interests of all the scheme's beneficiaries, which includes scheme members, but may in some rare situations also include the sponsoring employer rather than those of the company
the employer must notify the Pensions Regulator if there is any reason to think that any problems or wrongdoings are occurring in the scheme, and that the wrongdoing is important to the Pensions Regulator
the employer is responsible for ensuring that any employee contributions deducted from pay reach the pension scheme within 19 days of the end of the month in which they were deducted, and that any employer contribution arrives when it is due
the employer must ensure that the assets of the pension fund are kept separate from those of the business
the employer must ensure that employees are informed and consulted on developments that affect the pension fund
trustees must be assisted in the performance of their duties - employee trustees must be given paid time off to undertake those duties and any necessary training
The Pensions Regulator provides a free, online learning programme called the Trustee toolkit.
Developed with

Department for Communities

Actions

Automatic enrolment for employers | The Pensions Regulator guidance

Workplace pension schemes | MoneyHelper guidance

Also on this site

Running a pension scheme

Choose the right pension scheme

Employing and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶing older workers

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/defined-benefit-pension-schemes

Links
Defined contribution pension schemes

An overview of money-purchase pensions and employers' responsibilities in respect of them.
In a defined contribution pension scheme, also known as a 'money purchase' scheme, the final pension amount will depend on:
the amount of money paid in
the investment performance of the pension fund
the age at which the fund is used to purchase an annuity - the later this is, the higher the annuity payments are likely to be
the level of annuity rates at the time
the ancillary benefits offered, such as spouses' pensions, or annual increases in pensions paid
Some employers provide occupational-defined contribution pension schemes for their employees. Both employers and employees can make payments into such a pension scheme. Once the employee leaves, these payments cease.
Investment risk
The investment risk is moved from the employer to the employee with an occupational defined contribution scheme, and the risk that the employer will have to find substantial extra sums of money to fund the scheme because of poor investment performance is eliminated.
Occupational defined-contribution schemes generally operate through a trust. Objectives are set out in the trust deed, and day-to-day decisions are made by the trustees. Employers still have some key responsibilities, either as employers or as trustees - for example, on the level of employer contribution, or the extent of provision for dependants.
Defined contribution schemes must offer members the open market option, whereby members can transfer funds at retirement to draw an immediate annuity with another provider. Members of a defined contribution scheme approaching retirement will need timely information on this option and other retirement income options.
Pension payments
Employees can also make regular payments for their retirement through individual personal pension schemes. These are defined-contribution schemes, and the risk of poor investment performance is borne by the employee. In some cases, employers will make payments into these schemes for the benefit of their employees.
Some employers may also arrange for a pension provider to set up a group personal pension (GPP) arrangement. In a GPP, employees contribute to individual personal pensions, which are then grouped together and managed by the pension provider, to reduce costs. The employer may often pay the administration costs of running a GPP.
Tax relief on pensions
Employees can contribute up to 100% of their earnings and get tax relief. However, there is a limit on the amount of tax relief that may be given on pension scheme contributions and other increases in pension rights each year. The annual allowance for the tax year 2025-26 is £60,000.
You will either get the tax relief automatically or you will have to claim it yourself. It depends on the type of pension scheme you’re in and the rate of Income Tax you pay. There are two kinds of pension schemes where you get relief automatically. Either:
your employer takes workplace pension contributions out of your pay before deducting Income Tax
your pension provider claims tax relief from the government at the basic 20% rate and adds it to your pension pot (‘relief at source’)
Tax on your private pension contributions.
Employer contributions also generally qualify for tax relief as they can be set off as expenses, although employers should seek professional advice to make sure their contributions qualify as true business expenses. See how to choose the right pension scheme.
Most personal pension decisions are made by individual pension holders and the pension managers (the 'pension providers'), or investment specialists. However, employers are still legally obliged to ensure that employee contributions deducted from wages reach the fund within 19 days of the end of the month in which they were deducted.
The responsibility for registering the pension scheme rests with the pension provider. You must also keep employees informed about pensions.
Developed with

Department for Communities

Actions

Tax on your private pension contributions

Workplace pensions | MoneyHelper guidance

Also on this site

Choose the right pension scheme

Running a pension scheme

Employing and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶing older workers

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/defined-contribution-pension-schemes

Links
Stakeholder pensions

Overview of stakeholder pensions for employers.

Stakeholder pensions work in the same way as personal pension arrangements and are normally accessed through an employer, although they can also be bought directly from the pension provider.
The rules for stakeholder pensions changed on 1 October 2012. Employers are no longer required to designate a stakeholder scheme for their employees. However, stakeholder pension schemes can be used by employers for automatic enrolment purposes, provided the scheme meets the necessary criteria.
If you had employees in a stakeholder pension scheme before 1 October 2012, you must carry on taking workers' contributions from their pay and send them to the scheme if the worker wants you to.
Stakeholder pensions for individuals.

Developed with

Department for Communities

Actions

Stakeholder pensions for individuals | nidirect guidance

Workplace pension schemes | MoneyHelper guidance

Also on this site

Choose the right pension scheme

Running a pension scheme

Employing and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶing older workers

Content category

Employment and skills

Source URL
/content/stakeholder-pensions

Links
Promoting stakeholder and group personal pensions to employees

Ways employers can promote their schemes without infringing financial regulations.

You may be thinking of offering, or have already offered, your employees a stakeholder or group personal pension scheme. You may want to promote your pension scheme to them or find that they are looking to you for help. But as financial services are regulated, you may be unsure about what you can do.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulates financial services in the UK. They offer information about what you can do to promote your stakeholder or group personal pension scheme to your employees and how you can give them further help or advice without needing to be authorised. Download an FCA employers' guide on promoting pensions to employees (PDF, 165K).
The FCA guide only covers stakeholder pension schemes and group personal pension schemes. It does not cover occupational pension schemes.

Developed with

Department for Communities

Actions

Workplace pensions | MoneyHelper guidance

Also on this site

Choose the right pension scheme

Running a pension scheme

Employing and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶing older workers

Content category

Employment and skills

Source URL
/content/promoting-stakeholder-and-group-personal-pensions-employees

Links
Keep employees informed about pensions

When you need to keep employees informed of changes to your workplace pension scheme.
You now must inform and consult your employees about significant changes in any occupational pension scheme you offer, or personal pension schemes you contribute to, by a direct payment arrangement on behalf of your staff.
Occupational pension schemes
For occupational schemes, you need to inform and consult on changes about:
increasing the pension age
closing the scheme to new members
closing the scheme to existing members
removing liability for employer contributions
introducing member contributions
reducing employer contributions to defined-contribution schemes
changing to money-purchase benefits
changing the method of determining the rate of future accrual
Personal pension schemes
For personal pension schemes, you need to inform and consult on changes about:
ceasing employer contributions
reducing employer contributions
increasing employee contributions
You have to provide information to affected members and/or their representatives in writing before the changes occur. You must describe the changes and their effect on members, accompany it with relevant background information, and indicate the timescale. At least 60 days of consultation must be allowed before the decision to make the change is made. Consultation must be conducted with a view to cooperation.
There are some exceptions to the consulting requirement. It does not apply to:
employers with fewer than 50 employees
public service schemes
small occupational schemes with less than 12 members who are all trustees of the scheme
occupational schemes with fewer than two members
schemes not registered with HM Revenue & Customs
If you are consulting with employee representatives, you must give them paid time to undertake their duties and must not subject them to dismissal or any other detriment due to their need for such time; otherwise, they can take you to an industrial tribunal.
See how to inform and consult your employees.
Developed with

Department for Communities

Actions

Workplace pensions | MoneyHelper guidance

Also on this site

Inform and consult your employees

Running a pension scheme

Choose the right pension scheme

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/keep-employees-informed-about-pensions

Links
Contracting-out of the additional State Pension has ended

Contracting-out of the additional State Pension ended on 6 April 2016.

On 6 April 2016, the Pensions Act 2014 and the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 introduced a new State Pension in Great Britain and Northern Ireland for people reaching State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016.
This scheme replaces the basic and additional State Pension and ends contracting-out and the National Insurance rebate.
To assist employers and employees, factsheets and overviews in relation to the ending of contracting out have been prepared by the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue & Customs.
References in the guidance to the Pensions Act 2014 should be taken as including references to the Pensions Act (Northern Ireland) 2015.
New State Pension: information for employers and trustees with open, contracted-out defined benefit pension schemes.
Download an overview for employers on the new State Pension from 6 April 2016 (PDF, 122K).
Understanding and qualifying for the new State Pension.

Developed with

Department for Communities

Actions

State Pension reforms | DfC guidance

Understanding and qualifying for the new State Pension

The new State Pension

Workplace pensions | MoneyHelper guidance

Also on this site

Running a pension scheme

Employing and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶing older workers

Content category

Employment and skills

Source URL
/content/contracting-out-additional-state-pension-has-ended

Links

Disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ: Work Psychology Team

Migrator — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:52:00 +0000

Disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ: Work Psychology Team Migrator Fri, 16/03/2012 - 16:52

Employ and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ people with disabilities

In this guide:

Recruiting people with disabilities

How employers can adjust and take positive steps to recruit people with disabilities.
It can be challenging for someone with a disability to get into employment. Opening up your talent pool to make it easier for people with a disability to apply for jobs can bring many benefits to your business - see advantages of employing someone with a disability.

Reasonable adjustments for job applicants

Employers can take a number of steps to make the recruitment process as fair as possible for all applicants by making reasonable adjustments so that applicants without a disability do not have an unfair advantage over those who do have a disability.

Employers must be aware of their legal obligations when recruiting. Under the Disability Discrimination Act, employers:

must not discriminate against someone with a disability when they are applying for a job

must consider making reasonable adjustments if an applicant with a disability is at a disadvantage compared to a non-disabled applicant

Employers must consider reasonable adjustments at every stage of the recruitment process:

Application form

If the format, layout or structure of the application form puts someone at a disadvantage you should consider having the application form available in large print, Braille or an audio version for someone who is partially sighted or blind.

Aptitude tests

You should consider making additional time available to complete aptitude tests for someone with a disability who requests a reasonable adjustment. Another adjustment could be allowing test answers to be given verbally.

Interview

Ensure the interview room is fully accessible to all applicants. Be aware that applicants may request a reasonable adjustment to be interviewed at a time when they are more alert or pain-free depending on their disability. Consider training for your interview panel that examines the impact of various disabilities on performance at the interview stage, eg how autism may provide a challenge to an applicant during an interview and how adjustments can be made to help them.

Taking positive action to treat disabled people more favourably

Employers can decide to take a step further in positively recruiting someone with a disability. Unlike other forms of equality legislation, the Disability Discrimination Act allows employers to treat people with a disability more favourably than others through positive action.

An employer is not legally obliged to take positive action but employers can lawfully take positive action steps to treat someone with a disability more favourably. There are a number of positive action measures which an employer can choose to take to recruit someone with a disability, including:

ring-fencing certain jobs so that they are only open to people with a disability

offering a guaranteed interview to applicants with a disability who meet the essential criteria for a post

using non-traditional forms of assessment which may only disadvantage people with a disability

offering work trial opportunities which may lead to permanent jobs if the placement is successful

creating an alternative post within your organisation for a person with a disability if there are certain tasks they are unable to perform as a result of their disability

Positive action measures should be carefully planned with advice from appropriate 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ organisations. Employers must comply with other equality legislation - see avoid discrimination when recruiting staff.

Access disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ

There are a range of government initiatives to help employers take on staff with a disability and also help staff with a disability get the 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ they need in the workplace. For further information, see:

Health & Work Support Branch

Disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ: Workable (NI)

Disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ: Access to Work (NI)

Disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ: Work Psychology Team

Disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ: Condition Management Programme
Actions

Recruiting and retaining people with disabilities | Equality Commission

Also on this site

Discrimination against disabled people

Prevent discrimination and value diversity

Disabled access and facilities in business premises

Implement an equality plan

Neurodiversity in the workplace

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/recruiting-people-disabilities

Links
Advantages of employing people with disabilities

Discover the business benefits of employing someone with a disability.

Being a fair and equal opportunities employer not only ensures you meet your legal requirements to prevent discrimination, but you will also tap into a diverse talent pool that can bring many benefits to your business. Employing people with a disability can save you money and boost the profitability of your business.

Benefits of employing people with a disability

Recruit from a wider talent pool

By opening opportunities to people with disabilities you can widen your recruitment pool helping you to attract staff with the skills and talent that can enable your business to grow and thrive.

Promoting an inclusive workplace culture

Hiring people with a disability enhances diversity in your workforce. It can help increase staff morale, motivation, and commitment by demonstrating a workplace culture that values all staff.

Access specialist knowledge and skills

Staff with a disability may bring in specialist knowledge and skills such as understanding the needs of disabled customers, creative problem solving, and having particular attention to detail. Workers with disabilities possess skills and experiences that can offer employers a competitive edge.

Minimise staff turnover

People with disabilities tend to seek stable and reliable work when looking for a job and so tend to stay in their posts longer, helping to reduce staff turnover. This minimises recruitment and training costs incurred to take on new staff. You will also retain staff with years of experience and know-how.

Attract new customers

Having a diverse workforce, including employing people with disabilities, can help you attract disabled customers and potentially a large revenue stream. Employees with a disability can help you look at things from a fresh perspective, develop empathy for customers’ needs, and gain a better understanding of what they value in a business or brand. When your business and its products and services are accessible, you can appeal to a much larger and much more diverse audience and customer base.

Procurement opportunities

By employing people with a disability, you will be able to meet any social responsibility recruitment clauses that may apply to access particular tender opportunities and public procurement exercises. See understanding social value in public procurement.

Enhance your corporate image

Being an equal employer makes you look good. Consumers prefer to give their business to organisations that show a strong sense of corporate responsibility including employing a diverse workforce.

Low-cost reasonable adjustments

There can be a stigma to employing someone with a disability. Some employers may unfairly think that reasonable adjustments will be costly and take a lot of time to implement. However, most reasonable adjustments in the workplace can be simple, free, or low cost and there can be government help towards any costs that are incurred.

Encouraging accessibility best practice

Employing people with a disability will help you see things from their perspective. It can encourage the adoption of best practices to create accessible environments using adaptive technologies that are useful to people with and without disabilities.

Actions

Impact of employing disabled people | Disability Action guidance

Employing people with disability | Disability Action guidance

Recruiting and retaining people with disabilities | Equality Commission

Also on this site

Discrimination against disabled people

Prevent discrimination and value diversity

Disabled access and facilities in business premises

Implement an equality plan

Neurodiversity in the workplace

Content category

Employment and skills

Source URL
/content/advantages-employing-people-disabilities

Links
Health & Work Support Branch

The specialist 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ available to help disabled people start or retain employment.
The Health & Work Support Branch (HWSB) staff offers help and advice to both employers and people with disabilities about the range of specialist 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ available to help people start and retain a job.

You may identify someone who has the skills for your job but have questions about how their disability may affect them in the workplace - such as how they will manage the job. HWSB advisers are located across Northern Ireland and can offer practical advice to help both you and the potential employee overcome any barriers to starting work.

Support available

The type of 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ available may include advice on the following:

recruiting people with disabilities

retaining employees who become disabled

financial help or 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ to employ people with disabilities through the Access to Work (NI) and Workable (NI)

job/employee assessment and job/environment redesign

equipment and ergonomics in the workplace

accessibility of premises

development of disability awareness

development of good employment practices

preparation, advice, and guidance to help people with disabilities who are applying for jobs

encouraging employers to provide dedicated interview times for applicants with disabilities

providing employers with advice on reasonable adjustments, such as additional time for interview

offering the employer and the job applicant appropriate options of tailored 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ during the recruitment process

offering the employer and the employee appropriate options of tailored 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ to help the worker with a disability perform to the best of their ability in the workplace
Developed with

Department for Communities

Help

Workable (NI)

Access to Work (NI)

Actions

Hard at Work: Employment and Disability in Northern Ireland | Disability Action

Recruiting and retaining people with disabilities | Equality Commission

Also on this site

Disabled access and facilities in business premises

Manage and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ employees with mental ill health

Manage absence and sickness

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/health-work-91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ-branch

Links
Disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ: Workable (NI)

Workable (NI) offers 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ and assistance to both employees and employers to help disabled people move into or retain work.
Workable (NI) provides a flexible range of long-term 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ and assists people who, due to their disability, encounter substantial barriers to staying in employment. Read more on Workable (NI).

The programme is delivered by three organisations contracted by the Department for Communities (DfC):

Disability Action

Supported Employment Solutions (SES)

Ulster Supported Employment Ltd (USEL)

These organisations have extensive experience of meeting the vocational needs of people with disabilities. Read further information via the links above about Workable (NI) and the benefits to employers.

The provision under Workable (NI) can include 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ such as:

mentoring

on and off the job training

disability awareness training
Developed with

Department for Communities

Help

Workable (NI)

Access to Work (NI)

Actions

Workable (NI)

Hard at Work: Employment and Disability in Northern Ireland

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/disability-91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ-workable-ni

Links
Disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ: Access to Work (NI)

Access to Work (NI) can provide advice and guidance for your employee's disability needs and if appropriate, a financial grant towards the cost of 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ.
Access to Work (NI) can help by providing advice and guidance of your employee's disability needs in the workplace and, if appropriate, a financial grant towards the cost of necessary 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ.

For example, Access to Work (NI) may be able to pay towards the following:

adaptations to premises and equipment

communicator 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ at interviews

special aids and equipment

travel to work costs

a 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ worker

travel within work eg to attend a meeting or training course

Depending on your employee's circumstances, Access to Work (NI) may be able to provide 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ under more than one of these areas.

Read more on Access to Work - practical help at work.
Developed with

Department for Communities

Help

Access to Work (NI)

Workable (NI)

Actions

Hard at Work: Disability Action's report on employment and disability in Northe…

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/disability-91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ-access-work-ni

Links
Disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ: Work Psychology Team

Further help, advice, and guidance in areas relating to work, disability, and health.

The Department for Communities' Work Psychology Service (WPS) offers specialist consultancy to individuals and/or employers seeking advice and guidance in areas relating to disability and wellbeing in the context of work.

The WPS works closely with Work Coaches in Jobs & Benefits Offices to offer advice and guidance regarding individuals who have a disability or health condition and are seeking work or who are experiencing difficulties in work.

The WPS Assessment Service can provide advice to both employers and individuals regarding reasonable adjustments and possible alternative employment options, when the individual is at risk of losing their job as a result of their disability or health condition.

Developed with

Department for Communities

Help

Workable (NI)

Access to Work (NI)

Actions

Work Psychology Services

Content category

Employment and skills

Source URL
/content/disability-91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ-work-psychology-team

Links
Employ and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ people with disabilities

Using work trials to recruit people with disabilities - JP Corry

How JP Corry's Dromore branch has adapted its recruitment processes to take on a person with a disability.

JP Corry is one of Northern Ireland’s leading builder’s merchants, supplying building materials to the trade, self-build, DIY, and architectural markets. The business operates from a network of 17 branches across Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man, employing around 265 staff.

Stephen Gibson, Branch Manager at JP Corry in Dromore, explains how the organisation has adapted their employment policies and recruitment processes to take on and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ a person with a disability.

Reducing barriers for people with disabilities

"As a company, we strive to be inclusive and diverse. We want to make it easy for everyone to access our services, whether as a customer, supplier, or employee."

"JP Corry is proud to 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ the JAM Card scheme, which helps people with communication barriers and hidden disabilities receive tailored customer care. As a company whose purpose is to 'build our future by helping others build theirs', we believe in providing employment opportunities to disabled people."

"Our human resources team works closely with organisations that represent minority groups, such as Disability Action, NOW Group, and WOMEN'STEC, to ensure that they are informed of our employment opportunities."

Using work trials in our business

"JP Corry has equal opportunities policies and diversity training to ensure that we recruit staff fairly. Offering a work trial to potential recruits, particularly disabled people, has benefited both the individual and the business."

"Working with Disability Action, we set up our first work trial, where a disabled person came to work with us to understand what it would be like to be employed in our company before applying for a job. The experience was positive, and we recognised the potential of the person during the work trial. They subsequently applied for and secured the job successfully."

"Other branches of JP Corry have also seen the advantages of work trials and have adopted a similar approach by using the Work Experience Programme provided by the Department for Communities to offer employment opportunities."

Accessing local help and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ

"Many local organisations have 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶed us along our journey with work trials. Some employees have completed a qualification in customer service through the NOW Group, providing insight into how disabled people can contribute to a high level of customer service. Disability Action has also been available to advise us when needed."

"To keep our organisation up-to-date and engaged, our HR team frequently attends employment conferences and training events. This continuous improvement activity along with the good relationships we have built with relevant charities and business 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ organisations ensures we have the 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ we need."

Lessons learned

"The work trials have benefited the organisation and the staff that we have hired. Some work trials will not always result in longer-term opportunities, but that can be positive as you haven't started formal training or invested significant time and resources into developing an employee who does not fit the job. It is better to discover at the trial stage whether it will work rather than going through a recruitment and onboarding process for it not to work out and needing to go back to the beginning of the recruitment process."

"Adapting our HR policies and practices to make it easier to recruit and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ disabled people has enabled us to reach another talent pool and has enhanced our recruitment strategy. Our Dromore branch has benefited by getting a brilliant recruit who connects and engages with our customers. He brings positive energy to our team, and we have a better focus and understanding."

Also on this site

Advantages of employing people with disabilities

Recruiting people with disabilities

Case Study
Stephen Gibson

Content category

Employment and skills

Source URL
/content/using-work-trials-recruit-people-disabilities-jp-corry

Links
Disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ: Condition Management Programme

The Condition Management Programme helps those with a health condition manage symptoms to allow progress towards, moving into and staying in employment.
The Condition Management Programme helps those with a health condition manage symptoms to allow progress towards, move into and stay in employment. The programme is led by healthcare professionals, such as occupational therapists, physiotherapists and mental health nurses.

The Condition Management Programme (CMP) gives 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ and advice to help people manage conditions including:

arthritic complaints

back and neck problems

chronic fatigue

depression

pain

stress

heart, circulatory and respiratory disorders

The programme helps to:

increase understand health conditions

improve day to day functioning for those affected by health conditions

increase confidence in those affected by health conditions

improve your prospects of returning to work or staying in work

It offers advice, education and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ on:

dealing with stress, anxiety, low mood and depression

coping with pain and fatigue

relaxation techniques

communicating with confidence

developing a healthier lifestyle

exploring potential options that will help you progress towards employment or help you make a successful return to work

Further information

If this 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ is something that you think you or your staff could benefit from see further details, including eligibility and how to apply, on the Condition Management Programme.
Developed with

Department for Communities

Actions

Health and Social Care Trusts - Condition Management Programme offices

Content category

Employment and skills
Source URL
/content/disability-91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ-condition-management-programme

Links

Department for Communities

Disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ: Condition Management Programme

Employ and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ people with disabilities

Recruiting people with disabilities

Reasonable adjustments for job applicants

Application form

Aptitude tests

Interview

Taking positive action to treat disabled people more favourably

Access disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ

Source URL

Links

Advantages of employing people with disabilities

Benefits of employing people with a disability

Recruit from a wider talent pool

Promoting an inclusive workplace culture

Access specialist knowledge and skills

Minimise staff turnover

Attract new customers

Procurement opportunities

Enhance your corporate image

Low-cost reasonable adjustments

Encouraging accessibility best practice

Source URL

Links

Health & Work Support Branch

Support available

Source URL

Links

Disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ: Workable (NI)

Source URL

Links

Disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ: Access to Work (NI)

Source URL

Links

Disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ: Work Psychology Team

Source URL

Links

Employ and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ people with disabilities

Using work trials to recruit people with disabilities - JP Corry

Reducing barriers for people with disabilities

Using work trials in our business

Accessing local help and 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ

Lessons learned

Source URL

Links

Disability 91�㽶��ɫ��Ƶ: Condition Management Programme

Further information

Source URL

Links

Direct Earnings Attachment (DEA) payment schedule

Staff pay

What counts as pay?

What is included as pay?

What does not count as pay?

Source URL

Links

Issue pay slips to employees

Pay slip: what you must include

Standing statements of fixed deductions from pay

Variations in fixed deductions

Tribunal claims in relation to pay statements

Compensation for claims in relation to pay statements

Arbitration services

Source URL

Links

Statutory payments

Statutory pay for parents

Statutory sick pay

New pending legislation - Statutory Safe Leave

Statutory payments: further information

Source URL

Links

Guarantee pay: employee entitlement

Entitlement to guarantee pay

Excluded employees

Source URL

Links

How to calculate guarantee pay

Exemptions from the statutory guarantee pay provisions