Employee Shareholders – will your employees want shares?

The Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013 comes into force on 1st September 2013 and Section 31 makes changes to the Employment Rights Act 1996 inserting section 205A Employee Shareholders.

205A Employee shareholders

(1) An individual who is or becomes an employee of a company is an “employee shareholder” if—

(a) the company and the individual agree that the individual is to be an employee shareholder,

(b) in consideration of that agreement, the company issues or allots to the individual fully paid up shares in the company, or procures the issue or allotment to the individual of fully paid up shares in its parent undertaking, which have a value, on the day of issue or allotment, of no less than £2,000,

(c) the company gives the individual a written statement of the particulars of the status of employee shareholder and of the rights which attach to the shares referred to in paragraph (b) (“the employee shares”) (see subsection (5)), and (d) the individual gives no consideration other than by entering into the agreement.

(2) An employee who is an employee shareholder does not have—

(a) the right to make an application under section 63D (request to undertake study or training),

(b) the right to make an application under section 80F (request for flexible working),

(c) the right under section 94 not to be unfairly dismissed, or

(d) the right under section 135 to a redundancy payment.

Giving up employment rights might not sound like a good idea for employees but there are tax advantages for both the employee and employer: