News

Following a range of recent articles relating to factors taken into account in the recruitment process, including that applicants are given just six seconds to prove themselves suitable for a position and that good looking male applicants are more likely to be given a role over a good looking female, we have to question whether […]

HSBC has announced that it will offer all new parents a part-time role of at least 2.5 days per week at a pro rata salary and the same level as their original role following maternity or paternity leave in order to “help their employees balance the demands of family life with their career development”. Whilst […]

In the case of Zarkasi v Anandita, a claimant sought to bring a number of claims dependant on a contract of employment which was deemed unlawful from the outset by the Employment Tribunal (ET). The claimant obtained a passport and visa using a false identity, yet upon leaving her job in the UK she brought […]

A Sunday Telegraph article of 25 March 2012 entitled ‘Agencies make millions from £120-an-hour doctors’ omitted several significant points. Given the important role that recruitment companies, including ‘temp agencies’, play in the economic recovery and their particularly crucial role supporting the NHS, the ARC believes that it would be useful to outline some issues that demonstrate the […]

Substitution clauses were once regarded by some as a hefty indicator of genuine self-employment in IR35 and employment status case law, yet their credibility has diminished significantly in recent years – as reported in January, they have even been described in court as “basically irrelevant window-dressing”. However a truly genuine substitution clause is still effective […]

An announcement from the Department of BIS has confirmed that the adult National Minimum Wage (NMW) rate will increase by 11p from £6.08 to £6.19 an hour on 1st October 2012. This follows the recommendations of the independent Low Pay Commission for this year’s NMW rates. The Government has also confirmed that the minimum wage […]

George Osbourne has made the suggestion that no fault dismissals be introduced for “the smallest businesses”, namely businesses with fewer than 10 employees, as a means of protecting employers’ interests. A call for evidence has been made to allow the government to assess the impact of the idea.  Employers are often faced with the struggle […]

The recent high profile move into administration by Rangers FC has brought an outcry from fans and commentators alike, as the club’s very existence is threatened by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC). Is it right that the players be taxed in the same way employees usually would be? HMRC certainly believes so. The general […]

The Parental Leave Directive (2010/18/EC) increases the minimum parental leave provision from three to four months. Member States were required to implement the Directive by 8th March 2012. However, Member States can delay implementation by a year if this is necessary “to take account of particular difficulties”.  It has been reported that the Department for […]

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has published a revised timetable to reflect the new date by which smaller employers will be subject to the auto-enrolment duties. According to the new timetable, auto-enrolment will apply for everyone by February 2018.This follows a Government announcement in November 2011 that businesses would be given more time […]

As part of the Government’s reforms into employment regulation it has proposed the introduction of fees for claims to the employment tribunal. If you wish to comment on the proposals Agency Zone has condensed the consultation into a short survey (which should only take a minute or two to complete) here. The Government’s aim is […]

Unless you have been deprived of television and internet usage for the past month, you would have been witness to the recent media uprising against the use of limited companies by individuals as a mechanism for providing services, most notably those working in the public sector. Contractors therefore may be wondering if there will be […]

A dispute over LinkedIn has led to perhaps the first constructive dismissal case of its kind; the relationship between former HR exec John Flexman and his employer BG Group was tarnished when the individual posted ‘private’ information on his public LinkedIn profile. Mr Flexman handed in his resignation in June 2011, following a disciplinary hearing […]