Policy Information
Absence/Sickness
Absence/Sickness
If you are going to be late or absent from work, you will need to call and make your manager aware and call the Sony Candidate Care on 0116 242 1730 to notify them for every day you are off sick.
If you are unable to get through to the team, please email Sonycct@hays.com with details and the team will give you a call back.
If you are off work for four or more days in a row you will be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) if you provide a signed doctor's sick note to the Sony Candidate Care Team. The team will send this to Payroll to be processed and payments are then made for the duration of the note provided for up to 28 weeks. Please be aware the first three days of sickness are classed as ‘waiting days’ which you will not receive SSP for. SSP is paid in the same way as your normal wages.
Maternity
Maternity
To ensure you receive Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP), we must, as per HMRC guidelines, receive a copy of your MATB1 forms (Maternity Certificate).
You can either email these to ukpayrollcontrol@hays.com or you can post the original to the following address:
Hays Specialist Recruitment, Payroll Control, 40-44 Coombe Road, New Malden, Surrey, KT3 4QF.
To qualify for SMP you must have worked continuously for 26 weeks going into your qualifying week (which is the 15th week before the baby is due). You must also give 28 days’ notice before SMP is due to start. SMP is paid for up to 39 weeks. Please visit the following government website to the up-to-date information regarding the amounts paid - https://www.gov.uk/maternity-pay-leave
Paternity
Paternity
To claim Statutory Paternity, pay (SPP) you will need to complete an SC3 form at least 15 weeks before the baby is due and either email this to ukpayrollcontrol@hays.com or you can post the original to the following address:
Hays Specialist Recruitment,
Payroll Control,
40-44 Coombe Road, New Malden, Surrey, KT3 4QF
SPP is payable for one week or two weeks only. Please visit the following government website to the up-to-date information regarding the amounts paid - https://www.gov.uk/paternity-pay- leave/pay
Requesting duplicate payslips
Requesting duplicate payslips
If you require duplicate payslips/ invoices, please contact the Sony Candidate Care Team who can request these from our payroll team for you. Please provide the team with which timesheet week endings you require so they can action.
Jury Service
Jury Service
If you get a jury summons in the post, you must respond within 7 days and confirm if you can attend.
For this period, you will be paid directly by the courts and not via Hays. You will need to submit to Hays the ‘Jury Service Loss of Earnings’ Form, supplied by the court requesting your attendance and the form should and must contain a Juror’s number, supplied by the courts.
The form should be left blank and sent to Payroll Support with a covering letter from you. Again, this needs to be the original ‘Jury Service Loss of Earnings’ form and not a copy. The form will be completed by the Payroll Control team and returned to you detailing all the information required by the courts.
Please see Jury service: How jury service works - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) for more information.
Pension Information
Auto Enrolment
All PAYE workers will be auto enrolled onto our pension scheme with NEST. Auto enrolment is the term used for all workers who, due to their age and level of earnings are eligible to be automatically enrolled into a workplace pension scheme.
Hays operates an initial 12-week postponement period and assesses you at the end of that period. If you do not meet the eligibility criteria at that date, we do not auto enrol you. We do however continue to assess you each pay reference period and when you do meet the criteria to be auto enrolled a further letter is issued to you at that date confirming that you meet the criteria but that we are applying a further postponement period. As stated in the letter, you do have the option to opt in before that date.
Pension Deduction
The government legislation has set the minimum percentages that must be paid into a workplace pension. For 2023/24 this is 3% from the organisation and a total of 5% from the worker. However, the worker’s contribution rate includes tax relief and if we have your NI Number, you will receive 20% tax relief. If Hays do not have your NI number, then the full 5% will be deducted as NEST will not be able to claim tax relief.
Nest Contact Details
NEST
Nene Hall
Lynch Wood Business Park Peterborough PE2 6FY
Member enquiries: 0300 020 0090 Email:support@nestpensions.org.uk
The NEST contact number is 0300 020 0090.
Nest are open as follows:
8am-8pm Mon to Sun and 10am-4pm on bank holidays. Closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day,
New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday
Early Enrolment
If you already have a pot with nest:
You can opt in before the end of the postponement period. You do need to put this in writing either in a letter or via email as per our letter. The email address is autoenrolment@hays.com We will opt you into the scheme from the next pay reference period after we receive your letter or email. We will assess you at that date and confirm the situation to you and whether Hays will also contribute.
If you earn below the threshold salary:
Yes, you can join the NEST pension scheme through Hays, but you will have to arrange payment of contributions directly with NEST, we will not make any deductions via payroll. You need to contact Kim Lailey either by letter or email at autoenrolment@hays.com, as detailed in our letter and we will notify NEST of your enrolment. NEST will then send you details of how to set up direct payments to your retirement pot.
Opting Out
Our letter and the welcome pack from NEST provides full details. You cannot opt- out by phone through Hays.
Pension FAQs
NEST stands for National Employment Savings Trust. They are an organisation set up by the Government to provide companies of all sizes with a pension scheme into which they can enrol their workers.
Hays selected NEST because they are the government sponsored pension provider for auto enrolment
Hays selected NEST because they are the government sponsored pension provider for auto enrolment
When you are enrolled into the scheme you will receive a pack from NEST that contains your unique reference number, a guide on how to activate your online account and a booklet providing information on how your retirement pot is run
No. Organisations are required to provide a workplace pension scheme and to auto enrol their workers into this pension scheme. Hays have selected NEST and as such contributions will have to go to NEST
We send full new entrant data to NEST. This includes both your contact details as well as your name, National Insurance Number, date of birth and sex. NEST then allocate a unique reference number. When we send over contributions details, we use this personal information to ensure that the money paid goes into your account. If you start to contribute to NEST through a different company, future contributions will be paid into the same account as your NI Number and this will enable NEST to tie up the receipt of all your contributions
Following a consultation, the (DWP) has concluded that the existing threshold of £10,000 or £192 per week remains the correct level and will be maintained 2023/24. It has been done to keep the earnings trigger in line with the personal allowance. The lower limit of the qualifying earnings band is now £6240 and £50,270 is the upper limit. This effectively results in a lower maximum cost as the band of earnings on which contributions are based has been reduced as well as raising the bar for eligible workers.
Candidates who reach pensionable age should contact the pension provider Nest directly.
