No matter how big or small your business may be, any office space must meet a certain standard, meeting laws and workplace acts to ensure employees are safe, valued, and respected and the business can operate effectively under UK law. Although you will cover the majority of these regulations when setting up a business, there might be things along the way you need to add or are required by members of staff.
Many industries will come with different laws and regulations so doing adequate research on your specific market is essential. For example, there will be different rules in place for a warehouse compared to a standard office. There are also varied rules surrounding the number of employees you have, the nature of your work and the location of the business.
Legal requirements for setting up an office
Opening and running an office in the UK is a must-have for most businesses and although it might look like a simple process, there is a string of requirements you must meet to make the space safe, legally acceptable and efficient.
- The office space must provide 5 square metres per employee
- Comply with occupational health guidelines and cover things such as fire safety and first aid
- HR systems to offer support in recruitment, contracts, salary, annual leave etc
- Business registration
- Employer liability insurance
- Applying all necessary taxes e.g. corporation tax, business rates and VAT
- Registering with HMRC and tax filing
- Environmental responsibilities and legislation
- Possible responsibility for annual account filing
- Data protection for employees, customers and suppliers plus any marketing campaigns and communications
Employment legislations
It is essential that, as an employer, you are familiar with employment legislation and laws. Here is a guide into what employment law covers, as well as why it is so important in any workplace.
What is employment law?
It is legislation that manages employer and employee relationships, including trade unions. Many of the laws are there to outline and protect UK workers’ rights and employees’ rights.
Failing to follow these laws correctly or violating employee rights in the UK could allow staff to bring claims to an employment tribunal and have damaging effects on the business and reputation.
What does employment law cover?
Here are the most important sections of employment law legislation and key information to take on board for your business.
- Employment Rights Act 1996: This act covers the rights of employees in situations including dismissal, unfair dismissal, paternity leave, maternity leave and redundancy.
- National Minimum Wage Act 1998: This act sets out the NMW for employees and employers across the UK. This is regularly reviewed to keep it in line with inflation, etc and will be updated yearly.
- Employment Relations Act 1999: Establishes several rights at work for trade union recognition, derecognition, and industrial efforts.
- The Maternity and Parental Leave etc. Regulations 1999: Statutory legislation that governs the rights of employees to time off work when expecting a child. There are several routes that a business can go down when it comes to maternity, however, an employee is entitled to 18 weeks of ordinary maternity leave and 29 additional weeks if she has been at the company for over 1 year.
- Part-Time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000: A UK labour law measure that requires that employers give people on part-time contracts comparable treatment to people on full-time contracts.
- Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006: Protection of existing employees’ rights and any employment contracts or agreements when a company experiences a business transfer.
- The Equality Act 2010: This act prevents discrimination in the workplace and the recruitment process. It identifies protected characteristics such as disability, race and religion, all of which cannot be used as a reason for any workplace decisions.
- Agency Workers Regulations 2010: Statutory legislation that prevents discrimination against people who work for employment agencies.
- The Workplace Health Safety And Welfare Regulations 1992: This act covers a wide selection of health, safety and welfare issues and applies to most workplaces.
- Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974: The primary piece of legislation covering occupational health and safety in the UK, sometimes referred to as HSWA, the HSW Act, the 1974 Act or HASAWA.
Office refurbishments and office design for businesses across the UK
ACI supplies office refurbishments, fit-outs and design solutions for commercial spaces and businesses across the UK, meeting all the regulations required. We can help you create and implement a brand-new office space or build one from the ground up. We also offer services in warehouse fit-outs, education, retail and industrial solutions.