Here at Contego, we are often asked by companies why it is so vital to carry out Right to Work checks?
The answer is simple. As an employer, you are legally required to verify that all your potential and existing employees are eligible to work in the UK via ‘Right to Work’ checks.
Since the new guidelines to the Immigration Bill 2016, there has been an increase in tougher penalties for those found guilty of employing illegal workers. (Source)
Failure to comply with regulation can not only lead to hefty fines of up to £20,000 per employee, but with the recent amendments to the bill, the maximum prison sentence for employers has increased from two years to five! The legislation also stipulates that all company directors can be personally liable if found non-compliant.
Added to this, there has been a growing number of ‘spot checks’ carried out by Home Office, particularly in sectors with highly transient workforces, such as retail, hospitality, manufacturing and construction.
Unsurprisingly, the number of fines being levied is also rising. In 2016 approximately £50 million worth of fines were issued to firms caught with illegal workers (Source).
With immigration high on the agenda, particularly following the Brexit vote for the UK to leave the EU, the Home Office will be intensifying their ‘Spot checks’ within multiple sectors, and will likely be making an example of firms who are not adhering to strict Right to Work regulations.
One company that was ‘named and shamed’ and received unwanted national attention was the Byron Hamburgers restaurant chain. They were involved in an immigration sting which sparked a wave of protests, calls for a boycott of its restaurants and damaged their company reputation [Source].
As an employer, you should prepare yourself to be put under increasing scrutiny. So, how well do you know your employees?
In the latest video, Scott Pettifer, Contego’s Chief Commercial Officer, discusses the importance of performing Right to Work checks on all employees, and the consequences of failing to do so.
The repercussions of failing to ensure compliance with Right to Work regulations can be severe. Organisations across industries need to know exactly who they are employing to ensure they comply with the latest immigration regulations.
If you want to ensure you are doing the maximum possible today to reduce your risk, automate Right to Work checks and keep the regulators at bay, get in touch by calling +44 (0) 1235 375 000 or visit the Contego website to find out more and book an online demo.
