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82 insights
29 May 2024
UK Share Plan Reporting 2024: Everything you need to know
The deadline is approaching for the HMRC’s annual return filings for the 2023/24 tax period. This will apply to companies in the UK, US and other countries that have share…
20 May 2024
Employee Share Plan Reporting 2024: Alerting Your Clients
The UK tax authorities’ (HMRC) submission deadline for annual return filings concerning employment-related securities for the 2023/24 tax year is midnight on 6 July 2024. You may wish to alert…
24 April 2024
The Beginner’s Guide to Global Mobility
We find that clients tend to ask the same initial questions when they are looking to expand globally for the first time or are new to a role in global…
17 March 2024
The 2024 UK Work Visa Routes
Non-UK residents require a “UK work visa” to work in the UK. There are various “work visa” categories in the UK, many of which require sponsoring by a business with…
13 April 2023
Innovator Founder visa – Everything you need to know
The Start-up visa has been closed to new entrants although if you already have an endorsement letter you can still use this route provided you apply within 3 months of…
25 January 2023
5 ways a Global Mobility Team can support businesses through uncertain times
Currently, it feels like we can’t turn on the news without being faced with yet another event rocking the global stage. These events have a profound impact on businesses, particularly…
29 September 2022
Digitisation of right to work checks for British and Irish nationals
What is a right to work check? A right to work check is a legal requirement for employers to verify the lawful immigration status of all job applicants (and in…
5 April 2022
Important Changes to Right to Work Checks
Right to work checks were temporarily adjusted due to coronavirus (COVID-19). This was to make it easier for employers to carry them out. From 30 March 2020 the following temporary…
15 September 2021
International Remote Working, Checklist for Employers
Are you ready for increased employee choices and flexibility in the workplace? There is no doubt that we are all living through an exceptional period of time, as a result…
12 August 2021
Guide to obtaining a Representative of an Overseas Business visa
The Home Office have now withdrawn this visa route to the UK. You can view our updated content on UK work visa routes to the UK here. If your…
20 July 2021
Immigration In The COVID-19 Lockdown In The UK
The UK’s Home Office are now regularly updating their guidance for immigrants in the UK and those wanting to make applications to come here. The latest position is set out…
12 May 2021
Preparing for the End of Furlough
In the 2021 Spring Budget, Rishi Sunak announced that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, otherwise known as the Furlough Scheme, would be extended from 30 April 2021 to 30 September…
4 March 2021
UK Budget 2021: Key Takeaways for HR Practitioners
On 3 March 2021, the Chancellor delivered the 2021 Budget. This article provides an overview of the key developments relevant to HR professionals, covering all aspects of employment from Tax…
3 March 2021
Alternatives to Redundancies | Employers & HR Specialists
The Government’s recent announcement on a phasing out of lockdown brings a return to the workplace – and perhaps a return to at least some normality – within sight. The Coronavirus…
25 February 2021
The Post-Brexit Immigration Rules
The UK officially left the EU on 31 January 2020. The Post-Brexit Immigration Rules now apply to all migrants, including those arriving from the EU. Now that the Home Office…
23 February 2021
Migration numbers Going Down?
Immigration has been a political issue in the UK for a number of years, and the Conservative government had stated its aim to reduce net migration increases to the tens…
12 February 2021
The Pension Schemes Act 2021 Receives Royal Assent
The Pension Schemes Act 2021 (the Act) has received Royal Assent on 11th February 2021. The Act may well have an effect on corporate transactions given that the Act extends…
19 January 2021
Brexit Deal: What’s Changed?
The UK-EU Brexit deal came into effect on 31st December 2020. With that, many things have changed for UK businesses and firms. To make it easier, we’ve provided a list…
18 November 2020
What is a Collective Defined Contribution Scheme?
A new breed of pension scheme known as a Collective Defined Contribution Scheme (or Collective Money Purchase) may commence in the UK from 2021. It is an alternative to both…
18 November 2020
COVID-19 and Defined Benefit Pension Schemes
COVID 19 has no doubt added to the financial difficulty for sponsoring employers of defined benefit pension schemes, and in particular meeting contribution payments under Schedules of Contributions agreed with…
8 September 2020
COVID-19: Impact on Employee Share Plan Schemes
The economic uncertainty arising from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis has led to the fall and subsequent volatility of share prices of listed companies. Although less immediately apparent, the value of…
1 July 2020
Coronavirus (COVID-19): Guide to Redundancies for Employers
UPDATE The Government has announced legislation that will require employers to pay redundancy payments based on employees’ full rate of pay, not any reduced rate at which they were paid…
18 June 2020
Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill 2020 (“THE BILL”) and its impact on Defined Benefit Schemes
On 20th May 2020, the Government introduced the Bill. As at 11th June the Bill has completed its second and third readings in the Commons and is proceeding to the…
18 May 2020
Coronavirus (COVID-19): Global Mobility
We are all in unprecedented times with changes to the way we live and work due to Coronavirus (COVID-19), that no-one could have imagined just a few months ago. With…
18 April 2020
UK Budget 2020: Key Takeaways for HR Practitioners
On 11 March 2020, the Chancellor delivered the 2020 Budget . There were a few measures around pension tax reliefs and national insurance affecting individuals. This article provides an overview of the…
20 February 2020
Recruit global talent: How to obtain a sponsor license
UK organisations approved on the “Register of Sponsors” are permitted to recruit from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) giving them access to a much wider global talent pool. Not…
2 December 2019
US year end planning, Part Two: Year end Assignee US compensation reporting for Employers
In 2018 and 2019, many employers and their assignees have been grappling with the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the largest overhaul of the US tax code…
1 December 2019
US year end planning, Part One: Foreign Tax Credit review
In 2018 and 2019, many individuals and their advisers have been grappling with the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the largest overhaul of the US tax code…
18 October 2019
Brexit – EU citizens and the UK’s EU Settlement Scheme
EU citizens present in the UK on the day the UK leaves the UK can apply for “settled” or “pre-settled” status up to and including December 31, 2020 if the…
18 September 2019
Brexit and EU Nationals: The Need to Plan
It was announced by the Home Secretary on 18th August 2019 that Freedom of Movement for EU citizens would end overnight – rather than with a transitional period as previously…
11 September 2019
Checklist: share plans in corporate transactions
Share-based employee incentive arrangements may play only a minor role in a corporate transaction, but sometimes they can be fundamental to the deal structure and documentation, for example where they…
9 May 2019
Get your year-end payroll reporting process up to date
We look at the numerous changes in recent years that employers need to take into account to be correct in their year-end payroll reporting. These include time limits for making…
26 March 2019
Pensions: A summary on the Government Response to the Consultation of Protecting Defined Benefit Pension Schemes
The UK Government has issued a response to the consultation on protecting Defined Benefit Pension Schemes. This brings about quite a few changes as the Government wishes to strengthen the…
21 February 2019
10 Considerations for employers ahead of Brexit
Unless there is an agreement to extend the two-year Article 50 period, the UK will be leaving the EU on 29 March 2019. If an agreement is reached before 29…
24 January 2019
Immigration in the Brexit scenarios: what could happen?
With just over two months to go until the date for the UK’s departure from the EU is reached, Brexit is looking more unstable than ever, which may be a…
8 August 2017
Market Abuse Regulation: some key issues for employee share plans clarified
The Market Abuse Regulation (“MAR”) came into force throughout the EU in July 2016, with significant impact for those of your clients who operate employee share plans. In this article we…
7 August 2017
Share Incentives analysis: How can employee share plans affect the attitude and performance of staff?
What is employee engagement? Although there is no accepted definition of employee engagement, it is often linked to employees displaying positive attitudes and behaviours in the workplace which, in turn,…
7 August 2017
“Can we safely fire this employee?”
HR professionals frequently advise on the risks of dismissing an employee. Where the employee has less than two years’ service, and therefore no “ordinary” unfair dismissal rights, HR advisers will…
27 July 2017
Telling apples from pears: when is a defined benefit scheme not a defined benefit scheme?
Corporate lawyers know the most important question to ask about a pension scheme: is it a defined benefits (“DB”) scheme or a defined contribution (“DC”, also known as a money…
13 July 2017
The General Data Protection Regulation and employee data: Good news for SMEs
Here are five pieces of good news for small and medium enterprises (“SMEs”) about handling employee data under the GDPR – including why it represents an opportunity for SMEs to…
5 July 2017
The moving target of UK immigration policy: practical steps for workforce planning
UK immigration policy is a constantly moving target, amid the cut and thrust of Brexit negotiations. So where are we now, and how can employers do the right thing by…
5 July 2017
How can companies encourage a more gender diverse Global Mobility programme?
“Companies with inclusive talent practices in hiring, promoting, development, leadership and team management generate up to 30% higher revenue per employee and greater profitability than competitors” (Garr, Attamanik & Malloy…
1 June 2017
Doing the right thing for your business and your EEA workers: practical steps for workforce planning
There are several steps businesses can take now to reduce uncertainty around immigration for EEA nationals, both for their own planning purposes, and to reassure and retain valued employees: Businesses…
1 June 2017
Brexit: some immigration myths busted
Myth EEA nationals will lose their passports for months whilst making applications (for example, for permanent residence). Fact Not the case. There is a passport return service which means passports…
22 May 2017
“Growth share” structures seeking entrepreneur’s relief may trigger anti-avoidance reporting and penalties against clients and advisers
Private companies, particularly those which are private equity backed, sometimes use so-called “growth shares”, to allow senior managers to benefit from Entrepreneurs Relief (ER) on the increase in value of those…
14 March 2017
Brexit – EU Nationals in the U.K.
It is now nearly six months since the U.K. referendum voting for Britain to leave the EU. The U.K. government is still arguing that it should not have to ask the…
13 September 2016
Brexit: Help reassure UK based European employees today
Since the UK’s decision to leave the European Union following the historic referendum, many European nationals and their families will be concerned about their future status in the UK. While we do…
13 September 2016
Don’t overlook your UK obligations on modern day slavery
Prime Minister, Theresa May, recently announced that the UK will lead the way in the battle against Modern Day Slavery, estimated to affect 20.9 million people worldwide. What many businesses may not realise is…
13 September 2016
6 points on employment law for corporate transactions
Most UK corporate lawyers have a good working knowledge of UK employment law; however it is often possible to overlook certain aspects during a corporate transaction which could lead to…
24 June 2016
Brexit – what does it mean for employers?
After months of debate the wait is over. Although the UK might feel like a very different place today, in reality very little will change immediately. With no precedent, and…
20 May 2016
Are your employees a threat to your cyber security?
Unintentionally, many employees introduce malicious software into work systems that can attack and expose confidential information. According to a recent survey from security firm RiskIQ, over half of employees in…
17 May 2016
Failure to review trade protection provisions when promoting employees leaves employers vulnerable to competitors
A recent decision by the High Court has underlined the importance of keeping restrictive covenants under regular review as employees progress through the organisation. What has happened? The case (refer…
7 April 2016
How to avoid hiring a potentially dangerous employee
Most employers are aware that they tend to be responsible for the actions of an employee taken during the course of his or her employment. Legally termed ‘vicarious liability’, employment…
6 April 2016
New pension changes: How to assist employees with their pension planning
There will be a number of factors for employees to consider in relation to their pension arrangements for the 2016/17 tax year, now that the reduced annual allowance has come into…
31 March 2016
Year End Payroll Reporting – 5 Tips for Employers
With the tax year-end fast approaching, most employers are now facing the dreaded year-end payroll reporting process. This year a number of changes to payroll reporting will be introduced from…
20 January 2016
EU data protection reform ushers in far reaching changes for businesses
Introduction Following four years of negotiation, agreement has been reached between the various EU institutions (the Commission, the Council and the EU Parliament) on reform of data protection laws to…
29 October 2015
Market value of shares subject to restriction on sale
The First-tier Tax Tribunal has ruled that the valuation of shares acquired by an employee, which were subject to a restriction on sale, should be reduced to take that restriction…
29 October 2015
Accounting treatment for share-based payments
The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) is considering changes to the accounting treatment for share-based payments under IFRS2. The changes would allow an award that is settled net of withholding…
26 October 2015
Senior Managers Regime extended to entire regulated financial services industry; reversal of burden of proof abandoned
The Treasury has announced that it will be extending the Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SMCR) beyond banks and insurers to the entire regulated financial services industry, as a replacement for what…
11 September 2015
ECJ Working Time Compliance Headache for Mobile Working
On 10 September, 2015 the European Court ruled that time spent by mobile workers (workers who have no set place of work) in getting to their first meeting or appointment…
9 September 2015
Pensions Auto Enrolment – Your Obligations
Background In October 2012 radical pension reforms were introduced in the UK. They impact UK employers of all sizes and by 2018 all employers must comply and ensure that their…
19 February 2015
Shared Parental Leave update
Parents of babies born or due on or after 5 April 2015 may be entitled to shared parental leave and pay. As companies across the country prepare for the introduction…
13 February 2015
Love Contracts – is romance dead in the corporate world?
It is impossible to go past a card shop, jewellery shop or supermarket at the moment without being overwhelmed by red hearts and other romantic symbols. As Valentine’s Day approaches…
21 January 2015
Values based recruitment: Do your values give the right message?
For the past twenty years or more organisations have been applying competency-based interviewing as part of their selection process, to the extent that it is now ubiquitous. It would be…
2 December 2014
Top Tips For Writing Great Global Mobility Policies
Whether you are a large multinational looking to review well established global mobility policies, or an organisation starting to branch out internationally for the first time, having a structured policy…
2 December 2014
US stock plans for UK employees
Many US companies that operate their ESPP and stock option plans globally will choose to roll out the same plan in each jurisdiction, making changes only where required under local…
2 December 2014
The changing face of employee share ownership in the UK
The UK coalition government has made the promotion of employee ownership one of its key policies for driving the economic recovery. The UK has a long history of encouraging employee…
2 December 2014
Trading employment rights for equity: a new tax efficient way of giving shares to UK employees
It has long been believed that increasing employee equity participation and deregulating the labour market can be important drivers of economic growth, but few people expected a policy that would…
2 December 2014
Flexible working: Headache or opportunity?
In recent months, a number of UK law firms have announced the introduction of flexible working practices to promote career progression for female staff, as well as to meet the…
17 July 2014
Paying commission during holiday
The recent case of Lock v British Gas Trading Limited has caused concern amongst employers. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) decided that Mr Lock’s holiday pay should include a…
16 July 2014
Changes to the TUPE regulations
The ‘Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006’ (TUPE) have been amended. On the sale or transfer of some businesses or in the event of a change of some…
16 July 2014
No maternity leave in Europe for ‘commissioning’ mothers
Background The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has decided that a ‘commissioning’ mother (a woman who has a baby through a surrogacy arrangement) is not entitled to maternity leave, even…
16 July 2014
Compulsory reference to ACAS before employment claims
Background As part of its review of employment law the Government has already brought in a number of measures designed to reduce the number of claims brought before the UK…
2 May 2014
UK Fund Manager Remuneration – New tax rules for LLPs
The UK Government has published two key tax proposals that may have a significant impact on the remuneration structures of fund managers operating through a UK LLP. Firstly it has…
18 December 2013
HMRC approved share plans – major changes on the horizon
The UK government has now published further details on how the new ‘self-certification’ regime for HMRC approved share plans will work. Although initially it may take some time for companies…
16 December 2013
Important change to collective consultation required on redundancy
Two important decisions from the UK Employment Appeals Tribunal and from an Employment Tribunal in Northern Ireland have had a significant impact on the law relating to collective redundancies in…
13 December 2013
New salaried member tax rules create significant uncertainty for LLPs
The government has published draft legislation which has the potential to create significant additional costs for many Limited Liability Partnership (LLPs). Although the proposals on ‘salaried members’ have been described as…
21 November 2013
New flexible working rights – is your UK business flexible enough?
2014 sees new legislation in the UK to extend the right to request flexible working from carers to all eligible employees. Currently the right to request flexible working is limited…
21 November 2013
Far-reaching reforms to directors’ pay in the UK
From 1 October 2013, UK listed companies will be subject to new rules concerning the approval and disclosure of directors’ pay. The changes are in part a reaction to the…
21 November 2013
Must the employer’s actions be the sole reason for a resignation to amount to constructive dismissal?
A recent case considered whether the employer’s actions had to be the sole reason for an employee to claim constructive dismissed. Background Constructive dismissal is the term used where an…
21 November 2013
Time to have ‘off the record’ discussions with your employees?
Compromise agreements have been renamed settlement agreements and ‘off the record’ settlement discussions, which take place before any dispute has arisen, may now be protected from being referred to in…
1 November 2013
Transferees not bound by collective agreements
The Court of Justice of the European Union (‘CJEU’) has determined that changes to a collective agreement do not bind a transferee if the collective agreement is negotiated and amended…