People matter. It’s what we’re all about.
You won’t be surprised to hear our Big Fish family shouting from the rooftops about how people matter.
Whether it’s our team, our clients or our contractors, providing support, advice and service to our people is what we’re all about. However, we’re all different and want or need different things.
So, how do we ensure we provide the service our people want?
Giving contractors what they need.
Let’s take our contractors as an example.
At Big Fish, contractors are our family, our lifeblood. Without contractors, there’d be no Big Fish. So, when we consider our contractors, we consider what essentials we need to put in place at a minimum. As a family, we’d expect someone you can trust, someone who is reliable, protects you, and makes life a little bit easier.
That’s the way we approach our business and our contractors.
In the words of a Big Fish contractor.
At Big Fish, we’re proud of our business, our people, and what we represent. But don’t take it from us.
Here’s what one of our contractors has to say.
“I have been in Revenues for 20 years plus & used umbrella companies for many of these years. Big Fish are by far the best and easiest to deal with. The customer service is amazing Susan, Donna, Natalie & Clare just to name a few.
It is very easy to get started and in all these years I have never once been paid late or had any issues.
They go above and beyond to make everything quick, easy & simple”.
Michelle
At Big Fish, we work with contractors to give them everything they need to be successful.
If you’re looking for an umbrella that you can trust, that is reliable, that supports and protects you and makes life simple and easy for you, contact us.
You can also follow us on LinkedIn or Instagram.
The government's current umbrella consultation paper bodes well for contractors
At the beginning of June this year, the government opened a consultation on proposals for regulation in the umbrella company market. The consultation, which closes on the 29th of August, follows a call for evidence on the umbrella company market and has three main objectives:
- To deliver improved outcomes for workers (contractors).
- To support a level playing field in the umbrella company market.
- To protect taxpayers from the significant revenue losses that currently arise from non-compliance.
What it all means is that contractors that utilise umbrella companies’ services in the future will likely benefit from better protection and tighter regulation of umbrella company practices.
Umbrella consultation paper prompts guidance updates
Following the closure of the original call for evidence in February 2022, the government has already updated several guidance notes on its Gov.UK website.
Contractors seeking support and information on working through an umbrella company can access guidance notes at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-through-an-umbrella-company.
You can also read updated guidance on key information documents (KIDs) at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/providing-a-key-information-document-for-agency-workers-guidance-for-employment-businesses.
Keep an eye open for our updates on the umbrella consultation paper by following us on LinkedIn or Instagram.
What does the government's current umbrella consultation mean for employment businesses?
Following the call for evidence in late 2021 and early 2022, the government has subsequently opened a consultation paper on proposals for regulation in the umbrella company market. According to the government, the consultation has three main objectives:
- To deliver improved outcomes for workers (contractors).
- To support a level playing field in the umbrella company market.
- To protect taxpayers from the significant revenue losses that currently arise from non-compliance.
While the consultation paper remains open until the 29th of August, the government did include some proposals for consideration, which will interest employment businesses.
Umbrella consultation paper proposals include penalties for employment businesses.
The consultation, titled Tackling non-compliance in the umbrella company market, included two strategic options for preventing tax non-compliance within the umbrella company market that could have significant implications for employment businesses.
One option was to introduce a mandatory due diligence requirement, with penalties for employment businesses or end clients that do not comply.
The other is to legislate to give HMRC the power to collect an umbrella company tax debt from another business in the labour supply chain, in specified circumstances. This would encourage employment businesses and end clients to be more selective in the umbrella companies they contract with by making them potentially liable for unpaid tax debts in the event of non-compliant behaviour by the umbrella company.
Should either of these proposals be introduced, agencies would need to significantly increase due-diligence activities to minimise any risk of working with umbrella suppliers.
Keep an eye open for our updates on the umbrella consultation paper by following us on LinkedIn or Instagram.
Is your Umbrella provider a true business partner?
Most suppliers will tell you they are true business partners. Available when you need them, prepared to go above and beyond, offering impartial advice that benefits you, and not them.
But, when it comes to the crunch, do they walk the walk and talk the talk?
Looking after your contractors and their pay is one of the most important services you will ever outsource, so choosing the right umbrella partner is critical to your success.
Creating umbrella partnerships that add real value.
Partnerships are founded on trust and transparency, and that’s what we’re all about at Big Fish Group.
We make ourselves available, whatever the reason, whatever the time. Our team at Big Fish is accessible and friendly and ensures that you and your contractors trust us to provide the support you need when needed. And when we say our team, we mean the whole team. Our directors, Amy and Kerry, are as likely to pick up the phone as any other team member.
What a true umbrella business partner should be.
At Big Fish, we’re proud of what we do.
However, it’s not about what we say; it’s what our clients think that matters.
“We have worked with Big Fish for a number of years now and couldn’t be happier with the service they provide to both ourselves and to our workers. The staff are extremely helpful, friendly and supportive. Kerry and Amy are both always readily available should we require their help with any questions and are the epitome of what a true business partner should be.”
Joe Goatley
Initial Recruitment
Big Fish Group; a true Umbrella business partner.
At Big Fish, we build partnerships that put our agency’s and contractors’ welfare at the heart of everything we do.
If you’re looking for an umbrella provider that offers real partnership, value, trust, and support, contact us on 01925 989 800.
Agencies, what happens to your contractor's holiday pay?
With the summertime in full swing, you’ll probably see an upturn in the number of contractors taking a holiday.
You’ll also be aware that for each of your contractors that works via an umbrella provider, an element of the rate you pay to the umbrella is for holiday pay. When your contractor takes time off, they claim a portion or all of the holiday pay that has been accrued.
What happens when contractors don’t claim accrued holiday pay?
According to Professional Passport, a leading independent assessor of payroll compliance, a recent report stated,
“We’ve observed various reports of certain umbrella providers which have retained contractors’ holiday pay by relying on terms in their contracts which are either unread or misunderstood. These contractual arrangements make it clear that unused allowances will be lost if not taken, which, although it makes the practice legal, in our opinion is definitely not moral.”
So if your contractor doesn’t claim their holiday pay, the umbrella company gets to keep it.
What risks does lost holiday pay pose to agencies?
The risks are undoubtedly high.
Agency reputations rely heavily on the quality of services they provide to their clients and contractors. So, if your contractors are upset and unhappy because they feel they are losing out financially, including unclaimed holiday pay, you’ll often get associated with the blame.
If your contractor decides to take the issue directly to your client, your reputation and relationship with your client are also jeopardised.
Big Fish takes the risk out of Umbrella payroll.
Big Fish is a Professional Passport accredited business, and we do everything possible to ensure that your contractors get the holiday pay they are entitled to.
We remove the risks from umbrella payroll by putting our contractors’ and agency partners’ reputations and welfare at the heart of everything we do.
If you’re concerned that your umbrella providers aren’t paying your contractors their holiday pay, contact us for a confidential chat:
Contractors, it’s time to check your holiday pay
It’s that time of year again when the sun shines brighter and for longer (mostly), and we start to think of grabbing some well-earned rest and relaxation.
However, holidays for contractors are never quite as simple. You’ve got work to complete for a start, and taking time out might not be practical in terms of the timing of the project.
For contractors working via an umbrella company, there’s also the subject of holiday entitlement and holiday pay.
Umbrella contractors get holiday pay rights.
For contractors, holiday entitlement and holiday pay can be an ambiguous issue.
To be clear, if you’re working through an umbrella company and your payment has tax and national insurance deducted via the PAYE scheme, you’re most likely an umbrella company employee.
As an employee, you will qualify for employment rights, including holiday and statutory holiday pay.
Big Fish - Ensuring contractors get their holiday pay entitlement.
Holiday pay is usually accrued as you work and paid when you take a holiday. All of which should be clearly shown on your payslip.
Unfortunately, it’s been reported that some contractors have lost out on accrued holiday pay because they’ve been unaware of holiday pay rules and umbrella processes. This is why Big Fish urges contractors to double-check their employment contracts.