Spring into compliance
It may be an understatement to say that employment law is facing a time of significant change. It is also true that the enforcement of rights is about to embark on a new era, with the establishment of the Fair Work Agency (FWA), commencing next month. Initially the FWA with be responsible for NMW, regulating employment agencies, licensing standards for gangmasters and enforcing tribunal awards. Its powers will extend to enforcing holiday pay and SSP, with a view to expanding its remit to determine other employment law rights. The FWA will be asked to audit employers' compliance in respect of some of the most complex areas of employment law.
The FWA will have extensive powers, including an ability to issue fines and bring claims on behalf of workers. Bringing the enforcement bodies under one organisation and extending the remit to other areas, appears to mark a shift in approach to compliance. This approach may be far more time consuming and costly than litigation. Arguably, more worrying for employers, it can be less consistent and transparent, as there is little precedent to follow.
If you are concerned about your organisation's compliance, now may be the time to act.
Editorial – by Andrew Moore
Spring into compliance: April 2026 brings new obligations for UK employers
Our April HR Checklist will take you through all the employment law changes being implemented this April and what employers can do to comply.
Find our April HR Checklist here.
IR35 and Off-Payroll Working – HMRC scrutiny at pace
With an increase in HMRC enforcement activity focusing on off-payroll working, we look at what this means and what businesses should be doing now.
Read more about it here.
UK Business Immigration – Home Office access to payroll data – increased risk of enforcement action for immigration sponsors
With effect from April 2026, the Home Office will have access to payroll data from HMRC. This will impact immigration sponsors as the Home Office will be able to use the data for compliance checks and to support enforcement action.
Find out what it means for employers here.
Germany: Local Labour Court confirms personal accountability for whistleblowing failures
A recent whistleblowing case in Germany highlights the personal accountability of senior legal and compliance leaders for effective whistleblowing governance.
We take a look at what it means for international HR and compliance teams here.
Upcoming Events:
Our Dublin team are holding their annual Ireland Employment and Immigration Training Day on 22 April 2026 at The Merrion Hotel, Merrion Street Upper, Dublin 2. The team will be covering all the latest developments in employment law and business immigration with a special focus on the EU Pay Transparency Directive. Spaces are limited but for more information, please contact Fiona Boland.
Our Warsaw team are running a series of webinars on different aspects of the EU Pay Transparency Directive. Forthcoming topics include gender pay gap reporting and enforcement measures. For more information, please contact Warsaw@aglaw.com.
For our Employment and Immigration Training Calendar 2026 listing all our client training events, please visit our website page here.
