Source · Select Committees · Work and Pensions Committee
Recommendation 7
7
Accepted
Paragraph: 62
Publish strategy to raise awareness of Statutory Sick Pay entitlement and measure progress.
Recommendation
According to statistics, the enforcement of Statutory Sick Pay through HMRC appears to be reasonably effective. However, there is evidence which suggests that some workers are either too afraid to ask for SSP or not aware of their entitlement, indicating that the enforcement statistics do not tell the whole story. We are disappointed that the Minister could not provide us with details of the Government’s awareness-raising work. The Government should set out what it is doing, and what else it plans to do, to raise awareness of entitlement to Statutory Sick Pay among employers and employees, and explain how it plans to measure its progress in this area.
Government Response Summary
The government committed to establishing the new Fair Work Agency, which will take on SSP enforcement and increase awareness and accessibility of workers' rights as a single point of contact. They also mentioned continued engagement with employers and existing digital guidance services.
Paragraph Reference:
62
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Fair Work Agency (the FWA) will bring together existing state enforcement functions into one place, so employment rights are enforced more effectively and efficiently. It will also take on enforcement for additional rights, including the right to SSP. The FWA will increase awareness and accessibility of workers’ rights by providing a single point of contact, as well as providing better support to businesses to comply with the law. The FWA will also work closely with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) which already provides guidance for employers and workers in this area. We know that many employers welcome clarity and guidance to enable them to support their employees when they need to take time off work to recover from sickness or manage their health conditions. The Department currently offers a digital information service, Support with Employee Health and Disability, developed in partnership with small businesses and disability organisations, providing tailored guidance to employers to support their employees to remain in work. It also helps employers understand their legal obligations. Guidance to both employers and employees regarding SSP entitlement, rules and eligibility, which advise employers on how the SSP system works and what actions employers should undertake is also provided on Gov.uk. Government will continue to engage with employers–large and small - as well as employer and employee representative bodies and professional bodies, to further understand the challenges, particularly faced by small and micro businesses, and more that can be done to support them to implement changes being made through the Employment Rights Bill.