The autumn marks the start of the new pay-setting year, and this issue provides everything you need to know about the prospects for pay levels in 2008/09. Our guidance includes:

• forecasts for the going rate of pay rises, based on the expectations of 268 employers;
• economists' prognoses for inflation and other key statistics;
• the latest earnings, price and pay data;
• our analysis of pay rises in the year to date, based on more than 1,000 pay reviews; and
• a separate study of performance-related pay awards in 2007/08.

This newsletter also contains two case studies on: how the use of business partnering at motoring organisation the AA has benefited productivity and staff retention; and the success of John Lewis's distinctive approach to absence management.

We also provide the findings of our research into the impact of changes in equalities legislation on employers, and how they can obtain business benefits from compliance.

Our law section focuses on annual leave, with worked examples on holiday accrual and a case report on employer-determined annual holidays. Other cases reported in this issue include compromise agreements and sex discrimination.

Neil Rankin,
Section Editor,
Employment Review

Survey: How to make the most of age discrimination and equality laws

Two years on from their implementation, we survey the impact of the age discrimination Regulations on recruitment, retention and related practices, and suggest how employers can get the most out of these and other changes to equal opportunities legislation.

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RELATED ARTICLES ON XPERTHR

HR big hitters back early end to compulsory retirement

Young men bear the brunt of credit crunch job losses

News

European parliament approves Temporary Agency Workers Directive

Statutory sick pay changes are introduced

Casenotes

Sex discrimination: Tradition Securities and Futures SA v X and another

The EAT holds that an employment tribunal has jurisdiction to hear only complaints about the alleged treatment of a French company's employee during her time at its London office.

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Working time: Industrial & Commercial Maintenance Ltd v Briffa

The Working Time Regulations 1998 permit employers to specify the dates of workers' annual leave, subject to notice requirements that may be varied or excluded by means of a "relevant agreement". The EAT holds that a variation incorporated into the employee's contract of employment amounted to such an agreement.

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Compromise agreements: Radecki v Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council

The EAT holds that the contract of an employee with whom the employer was negotiating a compromise agreement terminated not on the date specified in the informal draft agreement, but four months later when the employer told him unequivocally that it considered that his employment had ended. The three-month time limit for the employee's unfair dismissal complaint ran from that later date.

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Model policies and documents

Worked examples on holiday accrual in first year of employment

Nine worked examples giving guidance on employees' holiday accrual in their first year of employment.

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SSP1 form and SSP2 form

We explain when prescribed forms SSP1 (full XpertHR subscription required) and SSP2 (full XpertHR subscription required) should be used, and provide links to the forms on relevant government websites. The new version of SSP1 reflects the introduction of employment and support allowance on 27 October 2008.

RELATED ARTICLES ON XPERTHR

Legal timetable

Forthcoming law

Statutory rates

Quick reference

This week on the XpertHR/IRS blog

Is your manager prehistoric? They may be, if he is male, wears a smart suit, hangs out in a coffee clique and never takes a lunch break.

Other recent postings include:

• Christian relationship counsellor claims religious discrimination;
• British Airways worker appeals in religious discrimination case; and
• City salaries plummet.

Taking part in our IRS surveys provides a fast, free and easy way to benchmark your HR policies and practices against competitors and other employers. In return, you'll receive a complimentary copy of the relevant survey's findings. We are currently researching:

• employee assistance programmes;
• pay awards; and
• effective ways of controlling recruitment costs - this survey closes on Thursday 6 November.

The IRS surveys website gives details of our benchmarking projects, a link to Celre salary surveys, and a registration facility. This ensures you'll be invited to take part in surveys in your areas of interest.

Today's tip: reward practice case studies

Are you conducting a major review of pay, benefits or grading, and would like to see how other organisations have tackled similar issues? You can view our latest reward case studies to find out about their solutions and lessons learned.

Print all articles in this newsletter

This newsletter now has a "print all" button. Before pressing it, please be aware that this uses a lot of paper. Recent editions have run to 170 pages, and others may be longer in future. For the sake of the planet and your toner cartridge, consider whether you need to use it. If you press "print all", this will send to your printer all articles linked from the newsletter. It will not print chapters of the employment law reference manual or blog posts. Print all articles.

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