Key takeaways
Stay alert to evolving employment regulations
Recent changes impact compliance and workforce management.
Monitor tribunal decisions for practical guidance
Case outcomes shape employer obligations and risk strategies.
Prepare for policy updates on workplace rights
Proactive planning helps avoid costly legal challenges.
HR news: The latest news and updates affecting employers this month
Updated right to work check guidance
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) has recently updated its lists of acceptable documents for manual right to work checks to confirm:
a clipped British or Irish passport is a cancelled document and therefore not acceptable proof of right to work; and
a short or long birth certificate is considered acceptable when presented with official evidence of name and national insurance number issued by a government agency or a previous employer.
Low Pay Commission recommends action regarding ‘sleep-in’ shifts
A recent report by the Low Pay Commission (LPC) recommends that the government takes action in relation to the “long-standing issue” of a worker’s pay entitlement when working a ‘sleep-in’ shift, a practice that is particularly common across the social care sector.
During a sleep-in shift, the worker must sleep overnight on the employer’s premises and remain available to work during the night if necessary. The worker only needs to be paid the minimum wage for any hours they actually work and they are not paid for the other time they spend sleeping.
The LPC says it heard from multiple stakeholders about “continuing problems” associated with these ‘sleep-in’ shifts, the “injustice” they cause for care workers and that the practice “remains a significant challenge to decent work” in the social care sector.
Therefore the LPC has recommended that this issue merits a fundamental review by the government and that the planned Fair Pay Agreement for the social care sector should address workers’ entitlement to minimum wage for ‘sleep-in’ shifts.
