Contractor Articles

Government guidance issued on 4 April confirms that Company Directors are eligible to be furloughed and receive support through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). This is welcome news as Directors could get paid 80% of wages, up to a monthly cap of £2,500.
 
If the furlough option is followed, the Director may not work for a minimum 3 week period and may only carry out statutory duties set out in the Companies Act 2006. The decision to furlough should be formally adopted as a decision of the company, noted in the company records and communicated in writing to the Director(s) concerned.
 
If you require further information regarding furlough, please email furlough@umbrella.co.uk or follow the following useful links:

• https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme
• https://www.umbrella.co.uk/industry-news

Keep well and stay safe. We will continue to update you with any relevant information.

Umbrella.co.uk have of course been putting together comprehensive plans to ensure that we are fully prepared for whatever the next few months brings.  

The planning has considered all key parts of our business.  We consider these to be:

1. ​Business partner relationship management
2. New business consultation and registration
3. Contracting with and onboarding of new clients
4. Submission of timesheets and expenses
5. Payroll
6. Customer service

​We obviously hope that the situation is unlikely and will not occur but, should the worst happen and significant numbers of staff are unable to attend the office, we are 100% confident that we will be able to maintain all the above processes with minimal disruption.

• We have identified key staff who will manage business critical activity in all areas.  We will adapt to any given circumstances and flexibility exists for the key staff to either work from the office or from home with equal efficiency.

• We are confident that we would not lose any capability to support and pay our contractor employees.  Our confidence is borne from the fact that all of our major softwares which are intrinsic to processes are web-based and can therefore be accessed from anywhere.  Those that sit on our internal servers would be available via VPN connections.  Our external IT administrators have provided sufficient hardware capacity for multiple staff to be accessing the servers via VPN simultaneously.  Mobile equipment for staff remote working is already in place and tested. 

• Our telephone system is also web-based and all key staff will have access to it via their mobile phones using a SWiP app.  This means that inbound calls can be taken on staff mobiles wherever they are, without the caller even being aware that the call has been re-routed.  Routing calls through our server also allows us to maintain our practice of recording all in and outbound calls.

"Please be assured that we are confident of maintaining ‘business as usual’ as best we can.  We are not however complacent and will continue to monitor developments to ensure we can react quickly.  Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions" - Nick Holmes, CEO

Limited company contractor that are caught under IR35 arrangements may need to act quickly if they want to close their companies and make the most of lucrative tax incentives.

If they wish to continue working flexibly, these contractors will also need to think carefully about how they offer their services, according to Umbrella.co.uk Director Miles Grady.

“Because we offer limited company support, umbrella payment solutions and a business liquidation service, we are in the best position to help a growing group of customers that have been caught out by IR35,” Miles Grady said.

We are delighted to announce that Rebecca McCarthy, Business Development Executive at Umbrella.co.uk, has won the January 2020 Employee of the Month.

“Rebecca’s cheerful nature and helpful manner have proven to be a winning combination with our sales team and our contractors!

Rebecca will always go the extra mile to help our contractors in ensuring that their experience enrolling with Umbrella.co.uk is professional, pleasant and easy.

A popular team member, her happy nature shines through every day. 

Congratulations Rebecca, on an accolade well deserved!” Jane Thornhill, Sales Manager