Employment Status & Consultancy Agreements

Business Legal Services / Employment Law for Business / Employment Status and Consultancy

Not everyone who works for you is an employee, nor will it always be appropriate for them to be.

Some may be ‘workers’ or independent contractors. Each category attracts different legal rights and the correct status depends on a number of factors.

Whatever the status, putting the correct documentation in place, which is consistent with the applicable status, is crucial. Any inconsistency is likely to create difficulties and leave the status open to challenge.

Request a consultation with our expert Employment Law solicitors to ensure
you get your employment status issues right.

Request a consultation

Many businesses engage independent contractors, or ‘consultants’, rather than employees.
Before doing so, it is vital to ensure it would be lawful and appropriate to do so.

Our services include:

Advising you on the appropriate employment status for the people working for you;
Preparing bespoke contracts that are consistent with the applicable status, including Consultancy Agreements, Contracts of Employment and Zero Hours Contracts; and
Advising you on the implications of IR35.

Speak to our Employment Team

0161 926 9969

Our Approach

All of our highly experienced Employment Law solicitors are Legal 500 recommended leaders in their field, who provide jargon-free, commercial legal advice. We speak to you in plain English and provide specialist, practical and pro-active solutions for your business.

We take the time to understand your business and the challenges you face, enabling us to provide bespoke advice which is tailored to you.

Testimonial

“The experience has been fantastic, and head and shoulders above our experience with other professional service firms. They are responsive, professional, understanding of our business needs and patient with us as a client.”

Rob Sandbach, Managing Director, Indiespring

FAQs

What is employment status?

The employment status of a member of staff determines the rights and responsibilities between the individual and your business. The different categories depend on the daily reality of the working life of the individual.
What are the different categories of employment status?

Broadly, there are 3 different categories of employment status: employees, workers and independent contractors.
What is an employee?

An employee is someone who works for your business in the fullest sense, either full or part time, on a permanent or temporary basis. An employee usually works in a structured and regular manner. Many rights attach to employee status, such as the right to claim unfair dismissal (after 2 years of employment) and rights to holiday and sick pay.
What is a worker?

This is usually a more casual working relationship (for instance there is often no guaranteed minimum number of hours to be worked by the worker). The individual has fewer rights but is still entitled to certain things, such as to earn the National Minimum Wage and to be given paid holidays.
What is an independent contractor?

This is when your business contracts with a self-employed individual to perform particular tasks or projects. The relationship is largely governed by the consultancy contract but you must ensure that any contract accurately reflects the working relationship or it can be open to legal challenge.

Speak to us to see
how we can help

0161 926 9969

Why choose the mlplaw team?

Unparalleled Experience and Expertise

We are vastly experienced, Legal-500 recommended
legal experts who live and breathe Employment Law. We provide no-nonsense, commercial advice, achieving
successful outcomes for employers.

Your business, your service

Your business is unique, as are the challenges it faces.
That’s why our approach is always as unique as your business itself.

We don’t like one-size-fits-all strategies. We’re all about crafting tailored strategies that fit your specific needs.

Communication is key. We’re fluent in plain language and have no time for legal jargon. We believe in complete transparency and proactivity, providing you with a clear path and fixed fees so you’re never caught off guard.

We are proactive and keep your options open

Most businesses only call their lawyers when things go wrong. By then, it may be too late. We know that prevention is always better than the cure. We work with you proactively to identify vulnerabilities, mitigate risks and ensure successful outcomes before problems arise. We save you time, money and the stress that comes with handling legal issues.

Must-read Employment Law Blogs

Demystifying TUPE

18th Dec 2024

Employment Status and Consultancy

Our services include:

0161 926 9969

Our Approach

Testimonial

FAQs

Speak to us to see how we can help

0161 926 9969

Why choose the mlplaw team?

Request a consultation

Must-read Employment Law Blogs

Demystifying TUPE

The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 are intended to...

Read

The Role of Settlement Agreements in Resolving Employment Disputes

Settlement agreements play a crucial role in resolving employment disputes, offering a...

Read

Mental health in the workplace: legal obligations and best practices for employers

Mental health in the workplace is an increasingly important issue that employers...

Read

Key Changes to Expect Following the Employment Rights Bill

Key Changes to Expect Following the Employment Rights Bill On 10th...

Read

The Impact of Remote Work on Employment Contracts and Policies

The impact of remote work on employment contracts and policies has become...

Read

What are the effects to employees of having two years of continuous employment?

In this blog, we will explore the rights of an employee without...

Read

Effective Strategies for Redundancies and Business Restructuring

Navigating redundancies and restructuring in the current economy requires a comprehensive understanding...

Read

Protecting Workers: TUPE, Whistleblowing Protections, Tribunals and AI

TUPE and Whistleblowing Protections Labour aims to ensure employees are not disadvantaged...

Read

Navigating Change: Business Immigration and Collective Redundancy Consultation

Business Immigration In terms of their key pledges for business immigration,...

Read

Balancing Work and Life: The Right to Disconnect and Menopause Action Plans

The Right to Disconnect Labour plans to introduce a right for employees...

Read

Addressing Equality: Expanding Pay Gap Reporting and Redefining Worker Status

Expanding Pay Gap Reporting Currently, there are obligations surrounding gender pay gap...

Read

Worker’s Rights: Trade Union Reforms and Family-Friendly Rights Under Labour’s New Deal

Changes to Trade Union Activity Labour aims to simplify the trade union...

Read

Health and Flexibility: New Policies on Statutory Sick Pay and Day-One Flexible Working

Statutory Sick Pay At present, statutory sick pay is only available after...

Read

Securing the Workforce: The Future of Zero-Hours Contracts and Unfair Dismissal Protections

The Future of Zero Hours Contracts One of the key proposals is...

Read

The King’s Speech and Employment Law

This morning, in the King’s Speech, the legislative agenda for the new...

Read

Mental Health and the Workplace

Mental Health in the workplace and beyond is becoming a touchstone issue;...

Read

Managing Family Friendly Policies

Gareth Matthews, Head of Employment, analyses how best to manage family friendly...

Read

How to handle flexible working requests

How to handle flexible working requests Flexible working requests have been a...

Read

What would a Labour win in the 2024 UK General Election mean for Employment Law?

What would a Labour win in the 2024 UK General Election mean...

Read

Employment law changes expected in 2024….and beyond

Let’s have a look at the expected and anticipated employment law changes...

Read

Is Offering a Chair to an Older Employee Age Discrimination?

The recent ruling in the case of Edreira v Severn Waste Services...

Read

Employment Law Developments in 2024

In this blog, we delve into a number of significant Employment Law...

Read

Work-From-Home Advantage: How to Design a Hybrid Model for Your Business

The remote work revolution is here, and many businesses are considering how...

Read

Speak to us to see
how we can help