Practical Legal Updates: The People Edition.
1. Hiring abroad – EORs v PEOs
There are many reasons to hire internationally. For example, expanding into a new region, accessing a wider talent pool, bringing diversity into your company, or hiring experts who live elsewhere. Whilst this can solve many problems, it can also lead to compliance issues; it’s easy to rush things and end up not complying with local laws, or make a mistake like misclassifying workers, processing payroll incorrectly, or not providing benefits they’re legally entitled to. Using an EOR or PEO can help. Check out our guide from Omnipresent on the differences between EORs and a PEOs and why/when you should consider using one. But be aware that they don’t take 100% of the pain away.
2. Tech security challenges
The UK Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2022 found that 39% of UK businesses suffered from a cyber-attack over a 12 month period and estimated the average cost of each attack being nearly £20k. Whilst the recent Hiscox Cyber Readiness report highlights that businesses with revenues of $100,000 to $500,000 now get as many attacks as those in the $1million to $9million bracket. So it’s essential to dedicate regular time and resources to tech security, particularly where you have remote workers, even if they’re only working remotely some of the time, e.g. one day a week from home. From increased information sharing, to vulnerable networks, to managing personal devices, there are some key security challenges that come with remote working – find out more here, from Hofy.
Also have a look at our recent blogs from Evalian on cyber incident response planning – including a planning and preparation checklist and how to deal with an incident.
3. 4-day working week – half time results
Over 70 firms in the UK are now more than halfway through a trial looking at the effects of reducing staff working hours without a corresponding reduction in pay. See a summary of the findings so far here. And you may want to check out our previous blog: Is less more? What does a 4-day week mean for employers? which considers some of the practical and legal issues to think about if you’re looking to do the same.
Are you thinking of trialling this in your business? Get in touch if you need help.
4. Unhappy staff
With increased conversations around WFH v the office, lay-offs, restructurings, etc., you may find you’re dealing with a higher than usual level of staff unhappiness. See our tips for dealing with this here. And make sure you have a good written policy in place that staff can use and follow. If you want to discuss or have any questions about your HR contracts, policies and processes and/or staff handbook please get in touch with our HR Legal Counsel.
5. Protecting part-time workers
Offering roles on a part-time basis can be a great way to increase diversity and inclusion. But managing the logistics might seem like a bit of a minefield, e.g. dealing with flexible working requests, ensuring there is cover when needed, making sure people get the right benefits and holiday entitlement and ensuring you’re treating people fairly. See our blog which summarises some of the things to consider for part-time workers.
We’re here to support you and your business – if you want to discuss any of the above or anything else please get in touch.If you need help with any of this, and/or need some practical HR Legal Advice please get in touch – we’re always happy to have a chat.
