The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak continued with his campaign to support the business and jobs community today, 8 July 2020, as firms engage with the disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak and the measures taken to control infection. The main thrust of his announcements during his Summer Economic update concerned his nominated Plan for Jobs 2020,

Acas has published a process map for employers who are having to consider making redundancies due to coronavirus. The interactive tool has been designed to help employers better understand redundancy processes, required steps and good practice when engaging with employees. It also provides details of options and alternatives to making redundancies and prompts employers to

HM Treasury has published its weekly update (to close of business on 28 June 2020) on COVID-19 lending schemes designed to support businesses impacted by the pandemic. Under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), 52,275 businesses have received funding so far, with lenders approving over £11 billion. This was an increase of £540 million

Most of us fire-fight on a daily basis. We face distractions from multiple directions and basically have no time to surface from that activity to see what else may require our attention. Any plans that we had for our day can be dashed by new emergencies leaving us frustrated by lack of progress. In the

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has published further data protection advice for organisations during the recovery phase of the coronavirus pandemic as lockdown restrictions start to ease. The advice is broken into four sections covering:  the ICO's regulatory approach during the pandemic and the recovery phase testing – this section contains guidance for employers and

Historically, Charge Out Rates (COR) have been used to calculate the fee chargeable for a piece of work based on hours worked on a job at a fixed rate per hour. The rates themselves were usually calculated as approximately three times the cost of an individual’s time. For example, a clerk paid £12 per hour

HMRC has published the latest issue of their bulletin entitled Employment-Related Securities (ERS) Bulletin. The bulletin is intended to provide information and updates on developments relating to employment-related securities, including the tax-advantaged employee share schemes. There are a number of government approved share schemes which offer tax advantages to employees. The approved schemes are: Share

Ironically, if and when unemployment starts to rise as a direct result of the furlough scheme withdrawal, more and more “unemployed” persons will start to consider a business venture, being their own boss, as a welcome alternative to the vagaries of seeking further employment. We should prepare for this. Clients may fall into this category,

The government has launched a review of employment rights for survivors of domestic abuse. The review aims to ensure survivors of domestic abuse are given the support they need within the workplace, whether that is an outlet for reporting abuse, financial assistance or as a source of emotional support. It will begin with a call

To mark the 50th anniversary of the introduction of equal pay laws, Acas has published new guidance to help employers and employees understand the law around equal pay. The guidance is divided into three sections: equal pay and the law: this section gives an overview of the equal pay provisions of the Equality Act 2010,