In Your Corner - REC Campaigns and Policy News – 02 February

How is it already February? Time flies when you're part of a busy campaigns team. At the REC, we have continued to push out our key messages on labour shortages, holiday entitlement and right to work this week, making sure these remain at the forefront of both our work and the minds of relevant stakeholders in government. It's been a strong start to the year and there is no sign of slowing down as we start to look ahead to the upcoming Spring Budget. You can see the latest from the REC campaigns team below.

Spring Budget submission

The Spring Budget is due to take place on 15 March. The REC shared our members' views with the Treasury earlier this week. Building on previous submissions, we’ve focused on five core areas. Firstly, skills reform and how we use the system to aid workforce planning and boost growth. Secondly, tackling economic inactivity by understanding the causes and taking pragmatic, targeted steps to help get people back into good work. Thirdly, we asked government to work with employment experts to better design procurement frameworks that provide value for money and deliver efficiency. We also raised the need for regulatory stability, using deregulation as a tool for growth. Lastly, we called on government to address the challenges in the tax system for temporary and contract workers, including the need for umbrella company regulation, the effects of IR35 changes and clarity on employment status for tax. You can read our budget submission here.

REC speaks to BEIS about Holiday Entitlement

Following the publication of their consultation on holiday entitlement, the REC met with BEIS officials to share our initial thoughts on the consultation. In the meeting we discussed the importance of clarity around holiday entitlement for different types of workers, and how the current case law following Harpur Trust v Brazel creates ambiguity. The REC will be submitting a formal response to this consultation, and you can read more about the consultation and our conversation with BEIS in our blog.

A meeting between the REC and the Treasury policy team

Earlier this month, the REC campaigns team met with policy leads from the Treasury to discuss our work on overcoming shortages, skills reform, and economic inactivity. This was also a good opportunity to discuss the upcoming Budget and some of the REC's key policy asks around Apprenticeship Levy Reform, childcare support, and how recruiters can be used to help get the over 50s back into work. We know that Treasury officials use REC data reports so we will continue to share those insights, data, reports, and policy asks with officials and ministers, ensuring the voice of the industry is well represented in government.  

Home Office fails to act on RTW

Since the introduction of permanent digital right to work (RTW) checks last year, the REC has continued to push the Home Office to make changes around the system. Moving to a digital RTW system was a step forward at the time, but the process introduced requires a few small changes, set out by the REC, to really fulfil its potential. Although we've highlighted three key issues and potential solutions to the Home Office, they are yet to commit to making any improvements. You can read more about the Home Office's disappointing response in our blog. In the meantime, we're continuing to reach out to MPs about this issue, sharing briefings and potential parliamentary questions on behalf of members.

Latest REC and IPA guide published

As part of our series of guides with the Involvement and Participation Association (IPA), we have published our latest guide on employee engagement. A key part of staff engagement is employees' voice, and our latest guide explains the importance of listening to and responding to your employees. Employees often feel respected when they are engaged with, listened to, and invited to contribute their ideas and experience. If employees’ voices are heard and responded to, they are more likely to understand the changes you might propose and have ideas about how to improve the current processes. As a result, employees will feel valued, leading to greater job satisfaction and better retention