HLAS

New guidance designed to help organisations support employees experiencing menopause or menstruation and better enable them to retain experienced and talented people of all ages has been published by British Standards Institute (BSI). BSI, the UK National Standards Body, has published the menstruation, menstrual health and menopause in the workplace standard (BS 30416), following consultation with experts and the public. It sets out practical recommendations for workplace adjustments, as well as strategies to sit alongside existing well-being initiatives, to help organisations meet the needs of employees experiencing menopause or menstruation. The guidance is designed to enable organisations to prioritize the [...]

HM Treasury and the Bank of England are consulting on a potential digital pound, or central bank digital currency (CBDC). The consultation paper sets out analysis by HM Treasury and the Bank of England on the potential case for a UK central bank digital currency – a “digital pound” - and consult on the key features of a potential model. A digital pound would be a new form of digital money for use by households and businesses for their everyday payments needs. As part of the wider landscape of money and payments it would sit alongside, not replace, cash – [...]

Recently we have seen increasing interest rates, the largest monthly house price fall for nearly 14 years by 3.4%, and businesses and individuals paying the highest tax burden since the 1960’s. Times are likely to remain challenging for many businesses, however history shows us that that when things are difficult, genuine quality always rises to the surface. So what do businesses have to do to ensure that they succeed in the present economic environment? The changing nature of the economy presents a whole series of questions for any business: What finance will it need, short term and to invest? What [...]

Communities and businesses in the most remote areas will benefit from better access to wireless networks following the announcement of government plans. A new £7 million fund will test out new ways to bring together satellite, wireless and fixed line internet connectivity, helping support farmers and tourism businesses to access lightning fast, reliable connectivity in remote areas for the first time. The results of the new approaches will also help rural businesses in trial areas make the most of new agricultural technologies by improving connectivity on their land, for example using new drone technology to monitor crops and livestock in real-time, support landscape and wildlife conservation efforts, or [...]

The Insolvency Service has issued a warning to investors and its customers regarding a recent increase in fraudulent activity, including recovery room scams, and fraudsters impersonating genuine Insolvency Service employees, in the form of emails, phone calls and letters. Recovery room scams usually follow an investment scam, where victims have already lost money. Victims are cold called by fraudsters who pretend to be from a different company. High pressure tactics are then used to obtain upfront charges/fees, described as, for example, tax, solicitor fees and administrative fees. This can result in losses that can be greater than the initial investment [...]

Last week we learnt that more than 100,000 people have been warned their personal data is in the hands of cyber-criminals as a result of a continuing mass hack. The BBC, British Airways, Aer Lingus and Boots are among the companies whose staff have been affected by the MoveIt data breach and even more organisations are expected to issue staff warnings, as the extent of the breach is discovered. If you have not implemented cyber security in your business then now may be a good time to consider the UK government “Cyber Essentials” to help protect you against a whole range of [...]

Small Business Saturday is once again highlighting 100 small businesses, one a day for 100 days leading up to Small Business Saturday 2023. For the last ten years, the 100 have not only received exposure on Small Business Saturday's social media channels and in the local and national press, but also joined the Small Business Saturday team in London at receptions in Downing Street, House of Lords, and the Treasury Drum with the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Applications close on 30 June 2023. Successful applicants will be notified by email in August. See: Small Business Saturday UK | Another year making a Big Difference!

Listed below are several live HMRC webinars that will give the self-employed an understanding of key taxes that affect them and also help employers with payroll. The webinars are free and last around an hour. Webinars for the self-employed Residential property income for individuals - an introduction Thu 15 Jun at 1:45pm Thu 22 Jun at 9:45am Residential property income for individuals - expenses, and deductions Wed 14 Jun at 9:45am Thu 22 Jun at 1:45pm Car expenses for the self-employed Wed 21 Jun at 9:45am Wed 21 Jun at 1:45pm Business expenses for the self-employed Wed 21 Jun at [...]

The Insolvency Service has successfully secured the winding-up of 11 companies for their part in a scheme which orchestrated systematic fraud against UK taxpayers during the covid-19 pandemic. Between them, the companies claimed £500,000 through the Bounce Back Loan scheme. The companies claimed to be registered at various offices in Berkshire, Lancashire, London, and Shropshire, however the Insolvency Service investigation could not identify trading premises for any of the businesses, nor establish that they had ever traded. Nine of the companies were found to have claimed the maximum available £50,000 through the Bounce Back Loan scheme, with one company even [...]

It is important to make sure your workplace is inclusive of deaf people and people with hearing loss. If you don’t, you are excluding a large number of people: for example, 1 in 5 people of working age have hearing loss which may have an impact on their communication, productivity and wellbeing. The RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People) is an independent charity supporting the 12 million people in the UK who are deaf or have hearing loss or tinnitus. They can help with: Online hearing checks, Supporting deaf staff with and staff with hearing loss, Communication, Training, Workplace [...]