A word from our founder: Dealing with December

We want you and your staff to enjoy Christmas. But as a business owner, you can’t afford to be lax when it comes to HR compliancy.

In fact, if celebratory drinks are added to the equation, it’s advised to be extra diligent with your duties.

Other considerations are inclusivity—are you allowing time off other religious holidays this period? And will you be bringing forward your employees’ pay?

Sexual harassment

Unfortunately, people’s behaviour at social events, particularly when alcohol is involved, may inappropriate.

Such behaviour includes sexual harassment, which is a very serious offence, and should be dealt with accordingly.

Whilst the actions of others are difficult to control, we do have resources available to mitigate unacceptable actions:

Inclusivity

Christmas isn’t the only holiday celebrated in December and January, so you may wish to accommodate for the following days:

Hanukkah
Bodhi Day (Rohatsu)
Yule
Kwanzaa
Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti

Equality and diversity in the workplace are very important. Inclusivity helps with staff morale, which in turn improves productivity.

Payroll adjustments

Be it for business closure or to support staff, you may opt to pay your employees earlier in December. If so, you must communicate this clearly with your workforce, as well as:

Report the normal or contractual payment date on the Full Payment Submission (FPS), not the earlier date you pay staff.
The FPS must be submitted to HMRC on or before that normal payment date.
Ensure any bonuses and overtime are calculated and recorded in your payroll system as a one-time adjustment.
The value of Benefits in Kind (BiKs), non-cash benefits like gifts, might need to be reported to HRMC.