Legal Checklist for Hiring New Employees in the UK

1. Legal Checklist for Hiring New Employees in the UK Whether you are starting a business in the UK or already have one in this global powerhouse, hiring a new employee is a crucial and interesting procedure for any organization. Business owners put a lot of effort into hiring employees as they understand that for every challenge the business will come across, they need to acquire talents that can help mitigate them. Not only the required skill and specific experience in the related field but there are also certain employment legalities that businesses need to fulfill before hiring new employees. From tax forms to legal contracts and government registrations, being an employer there is a lot on your plate to take care of.

2. In most cases, businesses are so focused on hiring a new and reliable talent for their business needs, that they often forget about the necessary steps to be taken to set themselves as a legally obliged employer. Employment laws in the UK are quite tricky to navigate and understand thoroughly, especially for start-up businesses. For that reason, it becomes more than important for businesses to take employment law advice in the UK to be compliant with all applicable labor laws at the state and federal levels. If your firm is in the phase of rapid growth and you are recruiting new employees to support and run day-to-day operations smoothly, you need to consider some legal checklist before starting the hiring procedure. Wondering what legal formalities you have to consider for a smooth recruitment process in the UK? Read out the blog and get the answer to your every question! Legal Right to Work Before officially hiring someone and providing them offer letter and employment contract, businesses need to check the applicant’s right

3. to work in the UK. There are a couple of ways to do this and if you are getting confused for the same, you can take the help of employment law solicitors in the UK. As per UK employment law, if a business hires an illegal employee and doesn’t carry the essential check during the recruitment process, it can face a civil penalty. For some roles, businesses need to perform background checks to confirm employment eligibility. Employment Contracts One of the major things businesses need to consider while hiring someone is drafting the employment contracts. It is the best way to establish clear employment terms with the new joiners. An employment contract is a legal term used to define an agreement that incorporates employee-employer relationships, key responsibility areas, employee rights, and duties. It further ensures that all applicable legal terms are captured in a clear manner. It is crucial to ensure that the terms stated in the employment contracts must align with the relevant applicable legislation and government rules. Working Hours It is important to define what kind of hours your new employee will work in the employment contract. It is also crucial to consider if the new joiners going to work full-time, part-time, working from home, or working flexible hours. Every detail should be outlined in the employment contract and aligned with the laws on working hours. An organization must ensure that its employees work no more than 48 hours and are entitled to have 24 consecutive hours of rest in a week. Although there are several legal rules that apply to working hours, getting advice from corporate lawyers in the UK is the perfect way to stay compliant with the law. Salary and Wages The salary, incentives, and wages you are going to provide the new employee should also be mentioned in the employment contract. Businesses need to consider the national minimum wage at the time of hiring and determine the salary accordingly. Most organizations take the help of payroll services or software to help them work

4. through the numbers. These payrolls should follow certain obligations which include reporting to HM revenues and customs to avoid legal pitfalls. HM Revenue and Custom Obligations Before hiring businesses need to register with the HMRC as an employer and get their PAYE employee reference number. Failing to register with HMRC can result in severe legal complications. PAYE is HMRC’s system to collect Income Tax and National Insurance Contributions from employment. If you are going to use another payroll software, it is crucial to report it to HMRC. Payroll software helps businesses record employee details, pay, and deductions, report payroll information to HMRC, work out HMRC payables, and calculate statutory pay. If you want to know more about laws and regulations regarding salary and gain information to register yourself with HMRC, you should consider taking employment law advice in the UK. Employers’ Liability Insurance Another important step businesses should consider while recruiting employees is to have employers’ liability insurance. If you miss the step and aren’t properly insured, it can result you in paying daily fines. As per the UK Government, EL insurance will help businesses to pay compensation if an employee gets injured or falls sick because of the work they do for the organization. Setting Up Pensions Businesses can’t turn their back on the pension scheme as it forms a crucial part of employment law in the UK. Pension is a sum of money that employee accumulate throughout their working lives to support retirement. Businesses need to comply with the workplace pension scheme by law and automatically enroll eligible individuals. If you don’t pay the correct contribution on time to the staff pension scheme, you can get fined by legal authorities. You can gain more insights into pension schemes with the help of employment law solicitors in the UK.

5. Doubtlessly, there is no shortage of amazing talent in the UK but to hire them it is vital for businesses to stay compliant with the legal rules and regulations. The recruitment and hiring process might seem overwhelming but with a reliable corporate lawyer, you can easily navigate through these challenges. Wondering where you can instant lawyer advice and a highly skilled lawyer for your business? Well, you can leverage the reliable platform of Legateca for all your legal issues.