Karen Collins

NCVO launches its “Rebalancing the Relationship” report on charities and collaborative working

The report is a thought-provoking read for any charities and social enterprises who work in collaboration (or are thinking about it). In February, NCVO published its report on “Rebalancing the Relationship”. The report is the conclusion of a two year project looking at how charities can successfully work together in partnership to deliver greater impact …
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Real estate update: Lease health check – planning for your future

Now is the time to review your occupation of your premises and assess the options available. There are still uncertain times yet to come. This article describes what you can you do now to secure the future of your workplace for the longer term. To read the article, click here. Click here to read the …
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Employees working abroad: your complete guide

During the Covid-19 pandemic, a number of UK employers have permitted employees to work in other jurisdictions – but what are the legal and practical considerations for employers? In the “new normal”, many UK companies have being dealing with requests from employees to work abroad, in some cases because people have been stranded abroad due …
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Real estate update: News in brief

The latest update from our real estate team summarises recent developments and gives insight to key topics across the sector. This news in brief gives an overview of: Support for tenants during Covid-19Stamp Duty Land Tax on residential purchasesBusiness ratesEnvironment and Sustainability – Energy White Paper and Net Zero Review (interim report)Environmental Bill 2019-21 To …
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Employment Insight: can employers require their employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19?

In the wake of the commencement of the government’s vaccination programme, aimed at immunising the majority of the UK population against the Covid-19 virus, several UK employers have stated that they will be setting up systems to track which of their staff have received the vaccine.  Others have gone a step further, and have announced …
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Bates Wells wins ground-breaking worker status case against Uber in the Supreme Court

The unanimous and emphatic victory for the drivers will have significant implications for an estimated 5.5 million individuals engaged in ‘gig’ work.   Following a five year legal battle, Bates Wells’ Paul Jennings and Rachel Mathieson successfully represented the lead claimants, James Farrar and Yaseen Aslam, in the first Supreme Court case concerning the status …
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Bates Wells is listed in the Escape 100 for a second year running

The Escape 100 list represents the purposeful organisations that are leading the way in putting their people and our planet on a par with profit. Escape the City lists the best organisations to work for in 2021, identified using 6 key criteria: impact, mission, people, planet, innovation and B Corp. Over 15,000 companies were nominated, …
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Crisis communication: top tips for charities

Peter Gilheany, director at Forster Communications, outlines a practical toolkit for communicating in a crisis. Unfortunately, crisis communications is a growth industry within the voluntary sector at the moment for multiple reasons – financial pressures, criticism from government, and chickens coming home to roost around issues like bullying, discrimination (on the grounds of race, disability, …
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Fraud and cyber security – Prepare to Prevent

The risk of fraud – especially cyber fraud – is not going away.   The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Cyber Security Breaches Survey, published in March 2021, records that one in four charities reported a cybersecurity breach in 2020-21, rising to one in two for higher-income charities. There are steps that you …
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Navigating the polarised politics of our times

Politics and public discourse have become increasingly fractured in recent years. More and more charities are bumping into the obstacle of the so-called ‘culture wars’. Navigating these issues can be a minefield for charity staff and trustees, who are pulled in what might be seen as competing directions. Charities’ work risks being seen as controversial, …
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Our tips for avoiding contractual disputes over office equipment

We are frequently approached by clients that have found themselves locked into expensive, fixed-term contracts for office devices which they can’t easily get out of. The considerable costs which arise from such contracts are a particular issue at the moment with many charities and companies facing financial difficulties as result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Although …
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The Children’s Code is now in place -here’s what you need to know.

The ICO’s new Age Appropriate Design Code (“the Children’s Code”) is now effective. Children are defined widely under the Code as anyone under the age of 18. This marks a significant change in the UK where, for some years, additional data protection obligations have been triggered only in relation to children under the age of …
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