The ARAG bake off in aid of Pancreatic Cancer

Wednesday 18th June, one of the busiest days in the ARAG HQ calendar.  Sales had their quarterly meetings and the office swarmed with colleagues, including our remote staff. After work the whole company gathered for a social/sports evening on the picturesque Clifton Downs in Bristol. This presented the perfect opportunity to focus on our charity of the year Pancreatic Cancer www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk

Our bake off included a huge assortment of cakes and delicacies including a South Indian sweet ‘Mysore Pak’, a Polish speciality ‘Wisniowy Sad’, cherry chocolate cake, lime key cheese cake and peanut butter crunches. Our MD Tony claims to have tried them all.  Judith from Compliance went ‘off piste’ with her homemade beef pasties which went down a treat.

The bake off raised £321 and created a real buzz in the office, bringing together a mix of people from different departments, all committed to our Corporate Responsibility programme.  

In May we were overwhelmed by enthusiasm from staff, clients and suppliers who sponsored our business team to run the Bristol 10k. We raised £2,760. Thank you, to everyone who supported this event and for the many generous donations.

To find out more about our Corporate Responsibility programme please click here 

We hope you enjoy a glimpse of what we got up to during the day.

Are you prepared to be flexible from the 30th of June?

While flexible working is by no means a new idea it has gradually become more prevalent amongst employers looking to show they offer “a good work life balance”. Until now though, unless an employee had at least 26 weeks service and either children under the age of 17 or caring responsibilities, they did not have a statutory right to make a request for flexible working.

From the 30^th of June 2014 all employees who have 26 weeks employment will have the right to have their request for flexible working considered by their employer. The existing and some say inflexible procedures for dealing with such requests are being abolished, though the current eight reasons for declining a request will remain the same.

Going forward employers can use their own HR procedures to handle request but will have to prove the request has been dealt with in a “reasonable manner” and agree a decision within three months, unless an extension has been agreed. To help employers find their way through the new legislation ACAS has produced a draft code of practice. http://bit.ly/1kzSjrw

The ARAG Legal Services website www.araglegal.co.uk explains the law around flexible working and provides free guidance for employers and consumers.  Business policyholders can down-load a statement of changes in terms of employment for free and consumers can down-load a flexible working request application and an appeal letter at £3.99 each. Advice also covers dealing with unresolved flexible working requests. ARAG Policyholders can register to use the legal services website by using the voucher code shown on their policy documents.

Rachael Wornes

Senior Marketing Executive

ARAG UK welcomes Melanie Pospiech from ARAG, Germany

Moving to England just for a few months is an excellent chance for me to learn more about our different products specially the ATE and get in touch with new colleges and people.

Thank you for this opportunity J

I remember my arrival at Bristol Airport, I was so happy that Lesley and Aleks were so kind to pick me up and took me to my shared house near the company with my two big bags. Hannah has selected it for me and I think she did a great job. It is a house with atmosphere and I am welcomed by my housemates (but have a look yourself).

At my first weekend I got a very good first impression of my colleagues and Bristol. They got together to say goodbye to TOM, it was a funny evening with the “Kangaroo man” as I call him now.

And never forget the amazing food festival and the big waterslide on Park Street combined with this fantastic weather full of sunshine. Because now the weather is – what we Germans say – typical English with a lot of rain. I try to get used to it, but I'm not there yet. But to the English breakfast I got already used to…tasty!!!

What will European Court judgment cost your business?

A European Court of Justice (ECJ) judgment last week could have huge finance repercussions for UK businesses. The judgment in the case of Lock v British Gas rules that holiday pay for those employees who work on commission should include the commission that would have normally received had they been working. 

This means that employers across all sectors may have to review their holiday pay practices and if necessary change the way they pay their staff. The judgment is also likely to apply to other kinds of variable pay including things like allowances and bonuses.

In a worst case scenario an employee may be able to claim back the variable pay they lost when taking holiday back as far as 1998 (or possibly 1993 for public-sector employers). The UK courts and tribunals have not yet decided whether a shorter statutory limit could be applied.

John Lewis has only this week announced its intention to pay out £40 million to 69,000 John Lewis and Waitrose staff after realising they had miscalculated holiday pay for staff who worked Sundays and Bank Holidays for at least the last seven years.

This only serves to highlight the difficulties of correctly interpreting the Working Time Regulations, particularly in the area of holiday pay. If you are an ARAG policyholder you can get legal advice on this matter by calling the helpline number on your policy document. We will also provide representation relating to contractual or statutory matters.

Rachael Wornes

Senior Marketing Executive