Right to Work in the UK checks – updated March 2022
(Updated 4th March 2022) The Government announced on 30th March 2020 that there would be changes to Right to Work in the UK checks, during the Coronavirus pandemic. You can…
How to check a person’s legal right to work in the UK (updated February 2022)
(updated February 2022) With Brexit bringing an end to freedom of movement and the government establishing a new points-based immigration system, questions have been raised over how to check a…
More Gig economy ‘worker’ decisions – Excel, Addison Lee and Stuart Delivery
(Updated 29th October 2021) Following on from the recent decisions about Uber and CitySprint, now a bicycle courier working for Excel has been declared a ‘worker’ for employment rights and…
Disability at work – New online advice hub from Acas
In late summer the government launched the National Disability Strategy, which will hopefully have the effect of “making the world of work more inclusive and accessible”. Part of this strategy…
Part-time workers rights – the details
Did you know that part-time employees and workers have the same employment rights as full-time employees (and workers)? You do not have to work a minimum number of hours to…
Whistle-blowing (the Public Interest Disclosure Act)
Employees and Workers who ‘blow the whistle’ - i.e.make a 'protected disclosure' of any wrong-doing in the workplace by their Employer - are now protected by law in certain circumstances.…
Sleeping on the job: Final clarity about pay in March 2021
Updated May 2021. Should you be paid for sleeping at work? Government guidelines on sleeping at work In April 2015, the government enacted new NMW regulations that repealed and re-enacted…
The National Minimum Wage, overtime, work experience
Detailed information about the Minimum Wage; information on TV/Film Industry Pay Guidelines; information about Agency Workers and guidelines for Unpaid Work Experience in the TV/Film Industry.
Uber drivers – Supreme Court rules they are workers
(updated 2021) Uber worker Supreme Court decision February 2021 – the details At the end of October 2016, an employment tribunal ruled that two Uber ‘test case’ drivers were not…
Employment law implications after Brexit, from 1st January 2021
As part of the Withdrawal Agreement, agreed with the EU in January 2020, EU employment law continues to apply to the UK until the end of the transition period on…
Global Employees – Have you been dismissed while working abroad?
If you work abroad, you may now be able to claim unfair dismissal in the UK if you’re dismissed. Here we also look at whether Employers can choose which country’s…
Immigration – how to recruit people from outside the UK from 1.1.21
From 1 January 2021, the freedom of people to move between the UK and EU countries will end and the UK will introduce a new immigration system that will treat…
How to deal with an Acas conciliation request
(Updated November 2025). If an employee or ex-employee has a potential Employment Tribunal claim, since May 2014, they’re required to contact Acas first, who will then contact their employer for…
If your staff travel from home straight to a client – 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 doesn’t have a fixed place of work but…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
IR35 ‘off payroll’ rules apply to private sector from April 2020
(Updated March 2025) On 29th October 2018, the Chancellor announced that all medium and large sized businesses in the private sector who employ Contractors will become responsible for assessing the…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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!).…
Employment Tribunal Fees declared unlawful on 26th July 2017!
Employment Tribunal Fees declared unlawful on 26th July 2017 by the UK Supreme Court. Employment Tribunal Fees were introduced, controversially, by the Government in July 2013 and after a 4…
CitySprint bike courier is also a worker
Following the recent Uber ‘worker’ decision, another employment tribunal has found that a bike courier working for CitySprint is also a worker rather than self-employed, giving her rights to holiday…
Problems with Recruitment and Retention? Look at the whole picture
If you are struggling to recruit and keep good staff and freelancers, it might be time to take a look at the whole picture of how you Recruit, Induct, Employ…
Fluent English Language requirements for Public Sector Workers
In August 2015 the Government announced that public sector workers “must have fluent English if they work directly with the public in England, Scotland and Wales”, in order to ensure…
Brexit – Employment Law implications
On October 12th 2016 The House of Commons Library issued a ‘short note’ that discusses the interaction between UK and EU employment law; the potential consequences of Brexit; and the…
Direct Earnings Attachments – what do they mean for SME’s?
As an employer, you can be asked to deduct money from an employees pay, if they have been overpaid benefits by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). This is…
Using an Umbrella Company
(Updated 2016) Many freelancers and contractors choose to use the services of an Umbrella Company to deal with their finances – these are limited companies that employ contractors. If you…
Grooming and Dress Code Policies
Do you need a grooming and dress code policy for your staff/contractors? (updated September 2020) If your staff are client/customer facing, you’ll need to consider what constitutes appropriate dress and…
Sending employees & contractors abroad on overseas business
If you secure, or are trying to secure, overseas business, what do you need to consider when sending your contractors, your employees, or even just yourself abroad? Clearly, some countries…
Office Sweepstakes – there are laws governing it!
Football, horse-racing, Wimbledon – just about any event can bring on the need for a sweepstake, but it’s best to take a minute to make sure your company isn’t breaking…
What does the Modern Slavery Bill mean for Businesses?
The Modern Slavery Act came into force from the 29th October 2015, and requires certain businesses to produce an annual statement setting out the steps they’ve taken to ensure that…
Shared Parental Leave and Pay – Employers Guidance
Shared Parental Leave and Pay can be extremely confusing for employers and employees alike, so we try to explain it here. The system came into effect in 2015. The Shared…
Are you an Employment Intermediary business?
Employment intermediaries rules: how to work out if you’re affected You may not know if your business is operating as an employment intermediary, and we couldn’t blame you. But if…
E-Cigarettes at work, should you allow them?
The law on E-Cigarettes? The current smoking laws do not apply to e-cigarettes. Currently electronic cigarettes are only covered by consumer product regulations, although from July 2016 they will come…
How to incentivise your staff with a bonus scheme
A good, fair and well-designed bonus scheme can be a perfect way to increase your staff’s productivity. If you decide to set one up, what do you need to consider?…
Acas publish new Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance
Acas published an updated Code of Practice for dealing with Disciplinary and Grievance issues on Wednesday (11 March 2015), which you can see here. The new Code has been updated…
Obesity can be a Disability in certain circumstances
In December 2014, the European Court of Justice ruled that obesity can be a disability in certain circumstances. However, they didn’t declare obesity to be a protected characteristic, against which…
Deciphering the false self-employment legislation for contractors
The false self-employment (Onshore Employment Intermediaries) legislation, which came into effect on 6th April 2014, is still causing confusion for Contractors. However, some light was shed on understanding the legislation…
Can love and relationships in the office work?
It’s not uncommon for romance to blossom between work colleagues – generally, this causes few problems, but we thought we’d take a look at what can sometimes be a quagmire…
Deciphering your legal status and IR35
IR35 – Updated 2016. Many new freelancers and contractors may be vaguely aware of IR35, but not know when and where it applies. Before getting too intimate with the ins…