Keeping up to date
We take seriously our responsibility to keep you up to date so that you can use changes in employment law to commercial advantage. By understanding and interpreting the latest case law and legislation we can deliver updates to you that are concise and usable. With imagination, we are able to ensure that developing law can be used to allow you to achieve commercial solutions, cost effectively and expediently.
Legal lightbulb – people law, policy, and practice
As part of keeping you in our focus, our ‘legal lightbulb’ update ensures you’re on top of the latest changes in legislation, case law, and people trends.
Changes to right-to-work checks
Covid-adjusted right-to-work checks will end on 30 September 2022. This means that from 01 October 2022 you will no longer be able to conduct checks remotely (via video call, for example) or by using scanned documents. From 01 October you will need to either:
- Carry out checks in person ensuring the employee is providing original, untampered documents, along with taking and storing a signed and dated copy of the document/s.
- Carry out online checks via an Identification Service Provider (IDSP). IDSPs will check the passport of British and Irish nationals on your behalf. The Home Office stated that a full list of IDSPs will be released in time for 01 October.
Update on the four-day working week trial
With a UK trial into the benefits of a four-day working week well underway, some employers taking part have shared their insight. Participants have seen increases in productivity and work rate since starting the trial, on top of being able to make themselves more appealing to new recruits in a challenging recruitment market. Cutting down commuting time was also a big individual and environmental bonus with one firm calculating that 664 tonnes of carbon could be saved annually with fewer journeys to their site.
Whilst the concept seems to work for most, participants note it requires realism and flexibility. If you have peaks in the year for example, securing employees’ agreement to return to a ‘normal’ five-day week to manage workload might be required during those times. The trial ends in November and we’ll update you when the findings are released.
People dates for your diary
10 October – World Mental Health Day
10-14 October – National Work Life Week
18 October – World Menopause Day
31 October – 04 November – Fertility Awareness Week