Direct Line Insurance : One in five workers would struggle to cope with loss of income from jury service

One in five workers would struggle to cope with loss of income from jury service

4min read

12 Apr 2022

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• 14.3 million (62 per cent) full-time workers believe their employer would contribute to part or all of their salary
• Those that sit in a two-week trial without support from their employer can find themselves losing out on £260 of income, on average
• With one million British adults having been summoned for jury service, Churchill Home Insurance is urging people to have the necessary income protection in place

New research from Churchill Home Insurance¹ reveals that 5.8 million (18 per cent) workers across the UK would struggle to cope if they were to lose two weeks' worth of income due to being summoned for jury service.

Between 2017 and 2019, one million British adults were summoned to jury service and more than half, 526,000, sat on a trial². When looking into the ways in which people would look to cover their loss of income, 9.4 million people say they'd claim for loss of earnings from the court and 4.9 million would be required to use personal savings to cover the costs.

There are several misconceptions surrounding the financial support given to people during jury service. Around one in 10 (11 per cent) UK employees³ would be paid their usual salary for just one day when completing their civic duty, as there is no legal obligation for firms to pay employees during this time.

Despite this, nearly two thirds (62 per cent) of full-time workers believe their employer contributes to part, or all, of their salary and more than one in three (36 per cent) believe their employer would cover their costs in full.

Churchill's analysis further reveals just over a third of workers (36 per cent) believe employers decide whether they pay employees or not during jury service. For those not paid by their employer, individuals can claim up to £64.95 per day from the court to help cover loss of earnings and the cost of any care or childcare outside of usual arrangements^4. However, with the average salary in the UK paying around £100 per day, those sitting in a two-week trial will find themselves out of pocket to the sum of £260⁵.

Sarah Khan, Head of Churchill Home Insurance, said: "Completing jury service is a responsibility that many of us are required to do during our working lives, however our research reveals millions of people aren't aware of the financial strain it can cause. Jurors sitting on a long trial, without regular wages from their employer, could find meeting their regular financial commitments and providing for their family extremely challenging.

"To prevent being out of pocket, we are urging customers to ensure they have the necessary protection in place should they find themselves in this situation. Churchill Family Legal Protection is available as a policy add-on for Churchill Home Insurance customers and covers a salary while on jury service up to the value of £100,000, when not paid by an employer or the courts."

For more information, please visit: https://www.churchill.com/home-insurance/extras/family-legal-protection

ENDS

Notes to Editors

¹ Research conducted by Opinium among a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults between 25^th February- 1^st March

² Number of people summoned

³ Research carried out by Atomik Research amongst a nationally representative sample of 200 HR Directors between 18th & 23rd March 2015

⁴https://www.gov.uk/jury-service- what you can claim if you're an employee

⁵ Median weekly salary curtesy of earning and hours worked (all employees: ASHE table 1 Published 26th October 2021 by ONS

For further information please contact:

Chelsey Wheeler

Churchill PR Manager

Tel: [phone]

Email: [email protected]

Churchill

Founded in 1989, Churchill is now one of the UK's leading providers of general insurance, offering car, home, travel and pet insurance cover over the phone or on-line.

Churchill general insurance policies are underwritten by U K Insurance Limited, Registered office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ. Registered in England and Wales No 1179980. U K Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

Churchill and U K Insurance Limited are both part of Direct Line Insurance Group plc.

Customers can find out more about Churchill products or get a quote by calling 0300 200 300 or visiting www.churchill.com