The Taylor Review has been published. Running to over 100 pages, it includes recommendations on a wide range of topics.

For some, the Review goes too far; for others, not far enough. Some of the recommendations are high on aspiration, but low on detail, and quite how they would be translated into practical reality is unclear.

It is important to remember that the Taylor Review has simply made recommendations. There is a consensus that change is required to bring UK law into line with current practices, and the review itself envisages that further consultation will be needed. But which of the recommendations ultimately become law, and in what form, remains to be seen.

In terms of understanding the direction of travel, however, the Review is essential reading for anyone with responsibility for HR or workforce management.

Much has been written about the Review in the media, not all of it accurate. If you don't fancy reading the whole review, we have produced a reliable summary- you can scan through it quickly to digest the information you need.

The review includes many interesting suggestions; but we would suggest that the top three issues are:

  • Employment status: worker status should be retained; with new legislation bringing clearer definitions of employees, workers and the self-employed.
  • Tax: all workers should be employees for tax purposes; confirms the move towards consistency in taxation between the employed / self-employed.
  • Zero-hours workers: potential higher national minimum wage for non-guaranteed working hours; right to request guaranteed hours after 12 months.

Here's a link to our reliable summary.

If you want to discuss any aspect of the Review that might impact on your business, please get in touch. Otherwise, we will provide updates via our blog on any recommendations progressed by the government, or Workbox users can keep up-to-date via our What's new? page.

Contributor

Kathleen Morrison

Practice Development Lawyer