Blogs
Budget 2021: What employers need to know
In his Budget on Wednesday 3 March – probably one of the most eagerly awaited in many years – Chancellor Rishi Sunak stood before the House of Commons to outline the government’s spending plans for the year ahead. Despite the government’s towering debt – a result of its heavy borrowing in....
Home working won’t end with COVID
Many businesses preparing for the end of lockdown say they won’t end flexible and remote working practices, with firms such as John Lewis Partnership and Metro Bank planning to introduce ‘blended’ and ‘hybrid’ models of working going forwards. A spokesperson for John Lewis said its new wo....
Legal advice for employers as redundancies soar
Recent UK labour market data has revealed that redundancies reached record levels between September and November 2020 – the largest annual decrease in a decade. Meanwhile, February figures show there are now 726,000 less employees on UK payrolls than in February 2020 (although the larger falls oc....
No jab, no job?
In an ITV interview, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland suggested that companies may theoretically be able to turn down job candidates who refuse to get a COVID-19 vaccine, by writing it into their contract as a condition of employment. Firms are taking a stand The comments come after some....
Delayed IR35 changes to be implemented in April
Delayed IR35 changes to be implemented in April Controversial changes to IR35 ‘off-payroll’ tax regulations are finally to go ahead on 6 April 2021, after being postponed due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on businesses. However, a survey undertaken at the beginning of 2021 sh....
London prime property market set for recovery
With the capital in lockdown for the majority of 2020 and many wealthy individuals fleeing the capital in favour of luxurious country houses in which to while away lockdown, it has been a mixed year for the prime London property market. While annual price growth across Greater London reached around....
Uber drivers are workers, says Supreme Court
Uber drivers are to be treated as workers, and not self-employed contractors, according to a ruling handed down on 19 February 2021 by the UK Supreme Court. The decision follows a long-running legal battle between the ride-hailing app and its employees, over workers’ rights such as minimum wage a....
Landlords, remember the Section 17 Notice time window
With businesses continuing to face an uncertain financial future amid during the current lockdown, late rental payments continue to be an unfortunate and regular side-effect of the pandemic. This has had a knock-on effect on landlords’ profits as well, with the government implementing various res....
How the pandemic reshaped the luxury property market
We’ve all heard a great deal about the mass exodus from cities sparked by the coronavirus pandemic, as millions of people sold up their urban homes in favour of the fresh air, open space and tranquillity of the countryside. Nowhere has this been more evident than in the luxury property market, wi....
LGBT+ employees still face significant workplace challenges
1 February 2021 marked the beginning of LGBT+ History Month, an annual celebration that provides education and an insight into the issues the LGBT+ community faces. LGBT+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, plus other types of sexuality and gender identity. The event, held i....
Why Living Together Agreements are more important than ever before
These days, many more couples are deciding to live together without getting married. This may be due to the extortionate costs of weddings, a rejection of archaic social conventions or simply because they’re happy as they are. However, what many unmarried couples are unaware of is that they lack ....
Government consults on non-compete clauses
On 4 December 2020, the government launched a consultation into non-compete clauses in employment contracts, which employers often use to prevent employees from working for or establishing a competing business following the termination of their contract. This clause is a type of post-termination re....
