Business Without BS Statutory Sick Pay, Employee Benefits & UK Employment Law Explained
EP 412 - How far should UK employers go when it comes to looking after staff?
In this episode we break down the real cost of being a “nice” employer - from UK statutory sick pay (SSP) and full sick pay policies to employee benefits, pensions, flexible working, and permanent health insurance (PHI).
With major UK employment law changes coming, SMEs face difficult trade-offs:
Is full sick pay worth the payroll cost?
Does unlimited holiday actually work?
Can generous benefits create legal risk?
Are employers responsible for employees’ long-term wellbeing?
Featuring insights from Oury Clark's employment lawyer Jessica Bass and financial adviser Freddie Pattenden, this episode is a practical guide for SME founders, directors, and HR leaders navigating sick leave, compliance, retention, and post-COVID workplace expectations.
If you run a UK business and want to balance competitiveness, fairness, and sustainability - this one’s for you.
*For Apple Podcast chapters, access them from the menu in the bottom right corner of your player*
Spotify Video Chapters:
00:00 Caring Without Going Broke
00:57 Meet the Experts
01:27 What Staff Really Want
03:38 Compliance Value Competition
05:28 PHI Income Protection Debate
11:22 Post Covid Flex and Mental Health
15:36 Legal Minimums Sick Pay Changes
21:54 Morality Consistency and Flex
26:15 Being Nice Can Backfire
29:10 Structuring Benefits and Contracts
32:09 Unlimited Holiday Pitfalls
32:51 Unlimited holiday pitfalls
34:50 Perks arms race
37:07 SMEs vs big firms
38:35 Pension basics explained
39:43 Qualifying earnings trap
42:41 Pensions and retention
47:17 Salary sacrifice demystified
54:43 Self employed pension gap
55:06 Death in service cover
57:15 Private healthcare reality
59:19 Tailoring PMI benefits
01:03:00 Managing premium increases
01:04:43 Virtual GP and AI support
01:06:16 Avoiding Benefit Red Herrings
01:08:14 Flexible Benefits Allowance
01:11:20 Renewals and Underwriting Traps
01:13:47 Flexible Working Rights
01:15:33 Office Returns and Discrimination
01:19:49 Mental Health Boundaries
01:21:46 Best Benefits and Compliance
01:27:10 Business or BS Quiz
01:27:55 Maternity and Paternity Debate
01:34:28 Wellbeing Apps and Final Wrap
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