Changes to employment law
· UK listed companies with more than 250 UK employees to report annually on the pay gap between their chief executive and their average UK worker.
The first reports are due in 2020.
· EU Settlement scheme A scheme to protect EU citizens’ right to remain in the UK once freedom of movement ends following Brexit will be fully open to applications from 30 March 2019, having been piloted since January.
Minimum wages:
Workers aged 25 and over - £8.21 an hour (National Living Wage)
Workers aged 21-24 - £7.70 an hour
Development rate for workers aged 18-20 - £6.15 an hour
Apprentice rate (workers under 19 or in first year of apprenticeship) - £3.90 an hour
· Private and voluntary sector employers in England, Wales and Scotland with at least 250 employees are required to publish information about the differences in pay and bonuses between men and women in their workforce
CIPD, Recent and forthcoming legislation, ND. Available at: https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/fundamentals/emp-law/about/legislation-updates. Date accessed: 08/10/2019.
Legal issues to consider when setting up a business:
Non-Disclosure Agreements:
Visual Rise would create non-disclosure agreements with all clients. This would result in all of their personal data and information remaining disclosed between architect and client. We will only publish project information (for example on our website) following agreement from the client at the end of a project.
SMB Nation Admin, 2017, 7 Common Legal Issues Entrepreneurs Need to Consider When Starting a Business, SMB Nation. Available at: https://www.smbnation.com/content/news/7-common-legal-issues-entrepreneurs-need-to-consider-when-starting-a-business. Date accessed: 08/10/2019.
Intellectual Property:
What is it? Prevents people from stealing or copying our work, this includes: the names of products or brands, inventions, design, written elements.
Investing in trademarks, copyrights and patents are ways in which we can protect our intellectual property
Protection we have to apply for:
- Trade Marks (product names, logos, jingles) This process can take up to 4 months
- Registered Designs (appearance of a product, shape, packaging etc.) This process can take up to a month
- Patents (inventions and products) This process can take up to 5 years
It is most likely the only protection we would have to apply for is to cover our trade marks.
Gov.uk, ND, Intellectual property and your work, Gov.uk. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/intellectual-property-an-overview/protect-your-intellectual-property. Date accessed: 08/10/2019.
Equal Opportunities Policy
Our company would set out an equal opportunities policy so that everyone has an equal chance to design projects, go on training days, promotions etc.
This will allow employees to feel at ease in the workplace and feel well treated, aspects such as age, disability, gender reassignment etc. will be included within this policy.
Wimbledon. J, 2016, Equal opportunities policy template, Simply business. Available at: https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/knowledge/articles/2016/12/equal-opportunities-policy-template-free-pdf-word-download/. Date accessed: 08/10/2019.
Edited by Olivia Walton
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