Gender non-binary workers covered by the Equality Act
Gender non-binary and gender fluid people are covered by the ‘protected characteristic’ of gender reassignment under the Equality Act 2010. The Equality Act came into force in October 2010 and…
Government ‘Kickstart’ Scheme now open
(Updated February 2020) The government has opened the Kickstart Scheme, which makes funding available for employers in England, Scotland and Wales to help provide jobs for 16-24 year olds. Key…
If your staff travel from home straight to a customer – working time rules have changed
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) decided in September 2015 that travel time counts as working time. This applies when a worker does not have a fixed place of work…
All you need to know about Lone Workers
We take a look what defines a lone worker, what businesses should do when employing lone workers, and your legal rights if you are a one. The term lone worker…
Help for working disabled people during the pandemic
In August 2020, the Government announced that Disabled people can now benefit from financial support to work from home, or extra help to stay in the work-place, thanks to an…
Taking on an apprentice – the full details
Apprenticeship schemes are often in the news (and not always for the right reasons), so we’ve had a look at what they are about and where you can find out…
Are Foster Parents ‘workers’?
In 2018, the Advocate General of the ECJ said that foster parents were not workers and therefore do not have rights under the Working Time Directive (to rest breaks and…
Guidelines for TV Companies to restart programme making
TV companies agree guidelines that should allow programme making to resume (updated 8th June 2020) TV companies have agreed guidelines for producers to follow to allow television programmes to start…
Annual Leave Carry Over changes – due to Covid 19
The Government announced, on 27th March 2020, that workers who have not taken all of their statutory annual leave entitlement in 2020, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, will now be…
Financial Support for workers in the Film & TV Industry
The Film and TV Charity offer financial support and are concerned about the potential impact of coronavirus on people working in film, TV and cinema, particularly in relation to freelance…
Dealing with Coronavirus at work – information for Employers
Acas has published advice for Employers on how to deal with the new Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The advice is worth reading as it includes: how to handle staff who have…
Sexual Harassment and other Harassment at work – new guidance
(Updated 2024 – see below) The Equality and Human Rights Commission produced new guidance for Employers, in January 2020, on Sexual Harassment and Harassment at Work. You can read the…
Are you Micro-Managing or Managing your staff? Spot the difference…
Here’s a nice article about the way you manage your staff – which asks if you are micro-managing your staff? It starts “As a Business Strategy it is important to…
Calculating Holiday Pay – changes in April 2020 for workers with variable hours
Calculating Holiday Pay – Currently the ‘reference’ period in the Working Time Regulations (1998) that is used to calculate holiday pay is 12 weeks. So, where a worker does not…
Increases to the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage – April 2020
Increases to the The National Living and National Minimum Wage The minimum wage is a legal right that covers almost all workers above compulsory school leaving age. There are different…
The Compulsory Living Wage and Voluntary Living Wage – 2019/2020 changes
In 2016 the Government introduced a compulsory National Living Wage, however there is another voluntary Real Living Wage – we thought we’d look at what this means for SMEs. Updated…
Changes to Statement of Employment Terms – from April 2020
Significant changes are being made from 6th April 2020 and all Employers will need to follow these new laws about the Statement employees should receive when they start work (which…
May Day Bank Holiday 2020 changes to Friday 8th May
Change in 2020 May Day bank holiday date In order to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day in 2020, the government has decided to move the early May bank…
Labour to scrap IR35 private sector reform! Or maybe not!
We’ve just read this, from Contractor UK, but can find no other confirmation yet – if it’s true that will be a relief to many Contractors/Businesses in the Private Sector,…
Get the Knowledge – essentials you need when working with children on TV set or studio
Presented by the UK’s leading expert on working with children, Alison Cresswell, GET THE KNOWLEDGE provides the essential knowledge you need when working with children on set or in studio.…
Agency Worker Regulations (AWR) – what does it mean?
From 1st October 2011, Agency Workers in Great Britain (Northern Ireland will publish their own separate regulations) will have the right to ‘equal treatment’ in certain areas of their employment.…
The Stalking Protection Act 2019
The Stalking Protection Act 2019, which came into force in March 2019, is designed to tackle ‘stranger stalking’ (statistics says that the majority of stalking offences – whether the abuse…
Changes to Written Statements of Employment from April 2020
Currently, all employees, who are engaged for one month or more, are legally entitled to a Written Statement, which they must receive within two months of starting the job. However,…
New – Council Tax Attachment of Earnings Orders (CTAEO)
New – Council Tax Attachment of Earnings Orders (CTAEO) From 8th July 2019, the HMRC are leading a trial with 29 different Council areas in England and Wales to recover…
Employment Law in the United Kingdom – what differences are there?
Is it a United Kingdom? We thought we’d look in detail at the main differences in Employment Law between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and have updated this for…
What Records do Employers need to keep for the Working Time Regulations
Updated January 2024 What records do employers need to keep for the Working Time Regulations? Until May 2019, Employers in the UK needed to keep the following records : Records…
The Swedish Derogation Model – what is it? When is it ending?
The Agency Workers Regulations come into force on 1st October 2011 to bolster the rights of so-called "vulnerable" agency workers - and the Swedish Derogation is being mentioned a lot…
IR35 ‘off payroll’ rules applies to the private sector from 6th April 2020
(Updated July 2019) In a not-unexpected move on 29th October 2018, the Chancellor announced that all medium and large sized businesses in the private sector who employ Contractors will become…
Are Unpaid Work Trials legal?
Unpaid work trials are common in some sectors where there is high turnover of staff (e.g. hospitality, retail) as they can be an effective way to find out if a…
When must you provide Staff with a Written Statement (of Employment Conditions)
Currently, an Employer is required to give an employee a Written Statement of their key terms and conditions within the first 2 months of their employment (if they are engaged…
Morrisons Supermarket vicariously liable for data breach of an employee
In October 2018, the Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the High Court (this has been a long running case!) that Morrisons was vicariously liable for the actions of…
Small Business owners – how to work well with freelancers
With the ongoing shift towards employers using freelancers / contractors instead of employing PAYE workers and employees in the current uncertain climate, we look at how small business owners can…
Mandatory Disability Pay Gap reporting may be next!
At the end of November 2018 the Government launched a voluntary framework for Employers to record their disabled work-force, in what is seen as a possible move towards mandatory disability…
Swedish Derogation repeal (in wider gig economy overhaul)
Theresa May is planning measures to boost workers’ rights, including ending of the Swedish derogation model (that allows employers, in certain situations, to pay agency workers less than their permanent…
Other Employment Related Budget News (from 29.10.18)
Alongside the important changes being made to IR35 in April 2020 (which you can read here), the Budget of 29.10.18 also announced: The National Minimum/Living Wage will rise: The Low…
Parental Bereavement Leave coming soon
Parental Bereavement Leave will be available from 2020 (updated January 2020). The Parental Bereavement (Pay and Leave) Bill received Royal Assent in September 2018 and is likely to come into…
The impact of EEA immigration to the UK
These charts from the Migration Advisory Committee report (an independent body that advises the government), published yesterday, are interesting. It summarises their conclusions as to what impact EEA immigration (immigration…
Data Protection, Copyright and Intellectual Property – if there is no Brexit deal
In this week’s release of ‘technical notices’ by the UK Government, in the case of a Brexit no-deal, Data Protection was included – and the full note (here) sets out…
IR35 changes coming to the private sector in 2019?
With every possibility that the disastrous changes that were made to IR35 in the Public Sector (in April 2017), are likely to be applied to the Private Sector in April…
Brexit: What Employers need to know now (about their staff who are EU Citizens)
Updated 1st November 2018. Clearly, Brexit brings huge considerations for employers. An important consideration is staffing – in regards to the future rights of EU Citizens who are already in…
Workplace rights if there’s no deal Brexit
We’re not going to make any sarcastic comments about the UK Governments’ no deal Brexit papers, the first third of which were released on 23rd August (even though it’s SO…
Offer sabbaticals to avoid redundancies?
I must admit I’ve never heard of this, but offering sabbaticals as a way to avoid redundancies is a good concept to explore! The idea is explained in this article…
Suspension – updated guidance from Acas (July 2018)
Acas have updated their guidance on Suspension – suspending employees prior to disciplinary action, or on medical grounds, or for new or expectant mothers – which you can see here.…
Payslip Requirements (and changes in April 2019)
Payslips – Employer Obligations at the moment: Employees are entitled to an itemised payslip, on or before payday. Employers can choose whether they provide printed or electronic (online) payslips. The…
Pensions Auto-Enrolment – Contributions increase in April 2018
Employers need to be aware of a significant change in your Pensions Auto-Enrolment obligations, coming into effect from 6th April 2018. Since Pension Auto-Enrolment started in 2012, Employers have been…
The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) – coming May 2018
The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) come into force across the EU, including the United Kingdom, on 25th May 2018 (and will stay implemented whether Brexit ever happens or not!).…
Launch of Employment Tribunal Fee Refund Scheme
On the 20th October 2017 the Government launched the first stage of a refund scheme for a selected group of 1000 people, who paid Employment Tribunal fees between 29 July…
Small Business Leaders claim a quarter of staff are under-performing
In a recent survey from Sandler Training, Small business leaders claim that more than a quarter of staff are under-performing. According to a survey of 2,000 small business leaders, performance…
Guidance for staff with premature or sick babies
Staff with premature or sick babies – Acas have just produced a new Guide for Employers to help them manage staff in this situation, called ‘Workplace support for parents with…
Termination Payments – tax changes due in April 2018
The latest information on changes to the tax and National Insurance treatment of Termination Payments (payments you may make to an employee when they leave), that will be effective April…