LTB 263/20 - COVID-19 RECOGNITION PAYMENT

[postslippete]

Who's to say there won't be a second recognition payment?
It will certainly be in the minds of some staff.
That's the problem with setting precedents.

It doesn't just apply to this pandemic either, how many drag themselves in to work at Christmas coughing and spluttering because they've been told they'll lose their bonus and that's not even true.

Businesses and unions should be careful about appearing to reward attendance, most of the time it has unintended consequences.

Who knows if its Royal Mail's secret strategy to encourage presenteeism?? Just announce sometime in the future, lets say October 1st that anyone who has been present and working from July 1st to the end of September should be eligible for a bonus payment of (lets say) £400 this time.

Unintended consequences?? Staff coming into work ignoring the governments advice even though they have a strong possibility of coronavirus and could potentially infect their work colleagues? The company has a duty of care to all its employees but this initial bonus payment has shown a complete disregard for that. Could the company potentially be acting unlawfully by rewarding bonuses to encourage people to come in and work when they are ill?? After all, this is a virus that the government has been telling people to take seriously - that serious in fact that many businesses have been forced to stay shut with its workers furloughed on pay!

[Cucumber]

Did they not have a prize draw for a free car a few years ago where everyone with 100% attendance record for the year got entered into?

[postslippete]

Did they not have a prize draw for a free car a few years ago where everyone with 100% attendance record for the year got entered into?

Aye, I won some holiday vouchers instead. Companies often resort to desperate measures in desperate times. Winning a car is no solution to low morale, stress levels and physical problems from this job.

[Woody Guthrie]

Funny you should mention that...

Employment Law: Attendance Rewards - Legal Ramifications

If you were thinking of offering your employees special rewards as incentives for having good attendance records, then you must read on. In fact, employers that offer attendance bonuses may find themselves falling foul of the law.

The Royal Mail introduced a rewards scheme for staff that did not to take time off sick. Under the Royal Mail's scheme, workers with full attendance records were entered into a prize draw to win Ford Focus cars or holiday vouchers worth £2,000. As a staff incentive, it seemed to work. The Royal Mail says its overall sickness absence levels fell during a nine-month period (between August and April) by 11%.

However, such schemes could have serious ramifications from a legal viewpoint, and leave employers vulnerable to a variety of legal claims.

Discrimination

1. Employees could bring discrimination claims on the grounds of disability or sex. The success of these claims would depend on each employee's particular circumstances and needs, whether in relation to their family, religion or health.
2. Alternatively, qualifying employees could bring claims for being subjected to detriment treatment as a result of asserting their statutory rights, for example, for:-
Time off for dependants and antenatal care;
Time off for study or training or time off for jury service
Maternity leave;
Adoption leave; or
Paternity or parental leave;

3. Disability discrimination may occur if, for example, an employee had time off connected to a disability and this was not taken into account by the employer under the reward scheme. The employee might claim that the failure of the employer to set aside his/her absence for disability related reasons amounted to less favourable treatment.

How can employers protect themselves from such claims?

Employers can avoid these pitfalls by including a list of exceptions in the reward scheme, for example, jury service or study leave, taking into account any statutory rights to time off; or
Pay bonuses to employees connected to performance in their job rather than implementing an attendance reward.

Employers should be wary of adopting an attendance bonus scheme without legal consultation.

[daveyeff]

did the car ever get won, and if so, by who/whom?

[Cucumber]

You know, instead of worrying about bonuses, spare a thought for these guys

Coronavirus outbreak at Wellingborough Royal Mail delivery office
Concern after at least six cases were confirmed among workers.

[Woody Guthrie]

You know, instead of worrying about bonuses, spare a thought for these guys

It is of course possible to hold more than one thought in your head at any point.