The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is #ChoosetoChallenge. This is a call not just to women, but to people of any gender to challenge the barriers to gender equality in society, wherever they exist, and to use any privilege or influence they may have to further the cause of gender equality. ...
The Government has confirmed that the furlough scheme will be extended for a further 5 months and will now end on 30 September 2021. ...
With the understandable focus on measures to ease lockdown, keeping up with data protection announcements is unlikely to be at the forefront of everyone’s minds. ...
On 6 April 2020, the law relating to employment contracts changed. It now requires further information to be included in contracts and for this to be given to all employees AND workers no later than day one of work. ...
HMRC have lost their appeal against a ruling which found that the journalist and broadcaster, Kay Adams, was not in a ‘disguised’ employment relationship with the BBC when she was providing her services via her personal service company. ...
You may have seen our previous blog on rolling out vaccination programmes for employees. The debate on whether the workforce should be vaccinated continues at a pace in the press, where we have seen Barchester Healthcare join Pimlico Plumbers in considering all new recruits having to be vaccinated as a requirement of the role....
Following the postponement of the VAT reverse charge commencement date in September 2019 and October 2020, HMRC guidance states that the VAT reverse charge on construction services will now come into force from 1 March 2021....
As expected, the Supreme Court has unanimously upheld the decisions of the Employment Tribunal, Employment Appeal Tribunal and Court of Appeal that the Uber drivers in this case were workers and not self-employed contractors. ...
The UK Home Office has granted more than 2,000 sponsor licences to eligible organisations since July 2020. The total number of licenced sponsors has now increased to 33,000, which allows them to sponsor a worker under either the Skilled Worker or the Intra Company Transfer visa. ...
On 15 February 2021 HMRC published its policy paper explaining how it intends to help and support organisations which must comply with changes to the off-payroll working rules (IR35)....
The case of Allay (UK) Ltd v Gehlen, is a stark warning to employers not to rely on ‘stale’ or ‘ineffective’ equal opportunities and anti-harassment training as a defence to claims of unlawful discrimination. ...
Mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting could become the norm, as calls for its introduction intensify. ...
The IR35 private sector reforms are due to come in on 6 April 2021. If after a status determination statement (SDS), the contractor is found to be employed for tax purposes, then they will have to pay tax and national insurance contributions (NICS) as if they were an ordinary employee. ...
The Commercial Agency Regulations 1993 (Regulations) will continue to apply to agency relationships in the UK currently and decisions of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) will continue to bind the laws of England and Wales up and until 31 December. ...
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a substantial impact on the construction industry in the UK. Labour shortages and shortages of plant and materials have adversely affected many projects, which in turn has resulted in additional costs and delays. ...
Interest in Charitable Incorporation Organisations (CIO’s) has grown in recent months, we explain how these could be considered an appropriate structure for a reorganisation or setting up a new activity. ...
The question of whether an EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) is required on a renewal lease is open to interpretation. The short answer is probably for commercial property (“non-domestic”) but not for residential property (“domestic”), but it is by no means clear. This is because, in part, the MEES Regulations (Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards) and EPC Regulations contradict themselves regarding this very question and we will see how they both differ below. ...
Since 2017, employers with 250 or more employees have had a duty to publish their gender pay gap data. The gender pay gap is the difference between the average earnings of men and women across an organisation. The reporting duty was suspended in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic....
The Hong Kong BNO (or British National Overseas) visa route is now officially open. The route is specially aimed at residents of Hong Kong who hold a British National Overseas passport. Importantly the visa allows its holders to live, work and study in the UK. ...
On 31st January 2020, the United Kingdom formally left the European Union. The UK has now entered into a new trading partnership with the EU under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. New rules now apply on exports, tariffs, data and employing people from within the EU. ...