HR Articles

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. 

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 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.

As COVID-19 infections in the UK fall, businesses in all sectors are looking for as much notice as possible of the Government’s roadmap out of the crisis caused by the pandemic. They want to know when the current lockdown will start to be lifted and what general or sector specific restrictions on operations will remain in place.

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.

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.

Major changes are happening this April as businesses become responsible for deciding the employment status of the contractors they engage through an agency or the contractor’s own limited company, known as a Personal Service Company or PSC.

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.  

At the start of this lockdown, we discussed the Government’s expansion of the furlough scheme to allow employers to furlough those who cannot work due to caring responsibilities (which includes looking after children who would otherwise be in school).

Over the previous two weeks, our look back at 2020 has reflected on developments in Public Health and Equality. This week, we will consider the changing world of work in 2020.The COVID-19 pandemic was probably the most significant disruptor of the world of work since the Industrial Revolution.