Low paid workers to qualify for sick-pay

Low paid workers to qualify for sick-pay

 

The government has started a consultation to transform support for sick and disabled staff and remove barriers for employees.

The Department for Work and Pensions has recently set out new measures to transform how employers support and retain disabled staff and those with a health condition.

Under the new measures, the lowest-paid employees would be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) for the first time, while small businesses may be offered a sick pay rebate to reward those who effectively manage employees on sick leave and help them get back to work.

Under current legislation, to be eligible to receive SSP you must:

· be classed as an employee and have undertaken work for your employer,

· have been ill for at least 4 days in a row (including non-working days),

· earn an average of at least £118 per week, and

· tell your employer you’re sick before their deadline – or within 7 days if they do not have one.

Each year more than 100,000 people leave their job following a period of sickness absence lasting at least 4 weeks, and the longer someone is on sickness absence the more likely they are to fall out of work, with 44% of people who had been off sick for a year leaving employment altogether.

If you would like to discuss this article in more depth, please contact DSC Accountants in Skipton on 01756 691065, Harrogate on 01423 560547 or Leeds on 0113 243 3559.