Practical guides to the decisions UK reward teams make, with the legal position checked at source and benchmark figures showing what other employers do. Every guide lists its sources and the date the law was checked, and sets out design choices as options rather than recommendations.
Pay and reward processes
- How to publish salary ranges in job advertsUK steps to publish salary ranges in job adverts: test pay ranges and equity, choose a format, set offer rules, drop salary-history questions, brief.
- How to prepare and publish your gender pay gap reportUK gender pay gap reporting step by step: who must report, snapshot dates and deadlines, the six measures, a worked example, sign-off and action.
- How to calculate and report your ethnicity pay gapStep-by-step UK method for ethnicity pay gap reporting: data collection, groupings, the six measures, small-number rules, a worked example and.
- How to run an annual pay review: process and governanceRun a UK annual pay review step by step: calendar, data, merit approach, calibration, equality checks, sign-off, appeals and a post-review audit.
- How to design a bonus scheme: eligibility, measures, gatekeepers, malus and clawbackDesign a UK bonus scheme step by step: purpose, eligibility, pool funding, measures, gatekeepers, discretion, deferral, malus, clawback, leavers and.
- How to set up an all-employee share plan: SAYE or SIPSet up a tax-advantaged SAYE or SIP: limits, eligibility, HMRC registration and returns, providers, cost, and a worked Sharesave example.
- How to set up a long service award and recognition scheme within HMRC rulesSet up recognition and long service awards within HMRC rules: the £50-a-year exemption, trivial benefits, PSAs, cash and vouchers, with design.
Leave and family policy
- How to calculate statutory sick pay under the 2026 rulesCalculate SSP under the April 2026 rules: eligibility, qualifying days, average weekly earnings, the 80% test, daily rates, linked periods and form.
- How to write an enhanced maternity and adoption pay policyEnhanced maternity and adoption pay, step by step: eligibility, level, repayment, KIT days, pensions, surrogacy and neonatal care, with a worked.
- How to update your paternity and parental leave policy for the 2026 changesUpdate paternity, parental and shared parental leave policy for April 2026: day-one leave, notice, bereaved partner's leave, pay choices and payroll.
- How to calculate holiday pay for irregular-hours and part-year workersAccrue leave at 12.07% of hours worked, pay a 52-week average or roll up holiday pay, and keep 6 years of records. With two worked examples.
- How to write a carer's leave and compassionate leave policyCarer's leave, time off for dependants, parental bereavement pay and compassionate leave: the law at September 2026 and the design choices, step by.
- How to write a gender equality and menopause action planWrite a gender equality and menopause action plan: who is covered, baseline data, choosing actions, owners, measures and publishing on the GOV.UK.
- How to handle a statutory flexible working requestHandle a statutory flexible working request step by step: the two-month deadline, consultation, the eight business reasons, trials, appeals and.
Reviewing a scheme
- Occupational sick pay after the 2026 SSP reformSSP now starts on day one and the lower earnings limit has gone. What that means for your company sick pay scheme, and what to revisit.
Pensions and savings
- How to set employer pension contributions above the auto-enrolment minimumDesign employer pension contributions above the legal minimum: earnings basis, flat or matched rates, tiering, default rates, consultation and cost.
- How to prepare your pension salary sacrifice scheme for the 2029 NIC capFrom April 2029, pension salary sacrifice above £2,000 a year attracts NICs. Find who is affected, model the cost, weigh options and prepare payroll.
- How to build a financial wellbeing programmeBuild a UK financial wellbeing programme: diagnose need, set objectives, choose pay advances, savings, loans and advice, and check deductions.
Health and protection
- How to review your private medical insurance schemeReview your PMI scheme: tax and April 2027 payrolling, eligibility, underwriting, excess, mental health and cancer cover, renewal and other benefits.
- How to set up group income protectionSet up group income protection: deferred period, benefit level and term, incapacity definition, pension cover, rehabilitation, tax and the link to.
Working patterns and exits
- How to design on-call and standby payDesign on-call and standby pay: working time and minimum wage rules, standby and call-out payments, weekend rates and the 2027 shift rights.
- How to calculate statutory redundancy pay (2026/27)Calculate statutory redundancy pay for 2026/27: eligibility, age bands, the £751 weekly cap, notice pay, tax, consultation and enhanced terms.
Policy templates
- Occupational sick pay policy templateweb version and Word download, with each decision point set out as options.
The research behind the figures
The market figures in these guides come from the lumi reward benchmark research. See how lumi works for the method.
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