Hello everyone, can you believe we’re already in December? It doesn’t seem like 5 minutes ago since we were gearing up to go to the Etihad for our Christmas Party, and now we’re only two weeks away from it again – this time at The Colony. I’m looking forward to seeing as many of you there as possible, and celebrating what has been another exciting year for the business.
Since our last newsletter, we have achieved our SafeRec certification. This is an independent 3rd party audit by WTT, which verifies our payslip accuracy as well as our full onboarding processes being robust. SafeRec is being increasingly mandated by larger blue-chip agencies and MSPs as a requirement to do business with them, in advance of PAYE shortfall liability falling on agencies from April 2026. The process involved quite an intense audit, so my thanks go to Jon, Dan and the team involved in securing our accreditation.
In preparation for an increase in the contractor base as agencies move away from non-compliants, we have also gone live with a new onboarding platform. This platform allows a contractor to complete their onboarding and sign their contracts fully online, in their own time, without needing to speak to a member of the team. It has been designed to onboard large volumes of contractors without putting strain on current resources, and is already proving a success, with 86 contractors completing the process fully online.
There’s work now ongoing to expand this platform into other areas of the business to improve processes, so keep an eye out for updates on those in future editions!
All that’s left for me to say is that as we approach the end of the year, I want to take the opportunity to thank you all for your continued hard work and dedication, and wish you Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Nick H.
It’s been a busy and productive period across the company, with every department contributing to our progress in different ways. Here’s a snapshot of what’s been happening and the key news from teams around the business.
It’s been an exciting few weeks for marketing and operations. We have gone live with a fully automated, online registration process for umbrella contractors. They can now onboard fully online, providing us with their details through a dedicated link, which, when completed, will send them their terms to sign electronically.
With the help of Harvey, we have also just completed filming a bank of ‘explainer videos’ which will help answer some of the most common questions that the Customer Service team sees. A big shout-out to Jane and Dan for being the face of these videos – I’m expecting a few nominations come awards season!
We’ve had a fantastic year in Customer Services, taking on new workstreams, launching a new phone system, and adopting a new CRM with minimal disruption. These changes have helped reduce worker issues and complaints and highlight the strong collaboration across teams. As our customer base grows, we’re focused on working smarter and improving efficiency, so please continue to come to us with any questions.
With Rishath and Laura on maternity leave, we’ve welcomed our new CSA, Emilie Redfearn, and George, who joined in July and has fit in seamlessly. A special thanks to Nic Hartley for excelling with extra responsibilities and providing outstanding support throughout.
November has been spent getting used to the new portal. It has made it much easier for us as terms are now automatically sent to the workers before they are added to Merit. It should have also improved the journey for the workers. We are looking forward to the next stage, where CIS and restarts will all be added to the same process.
Payday lunch receipts should be given to Finance by 3rd December, with funds being paid on Friday, 5th December.
Our annual Financial Audit is underway, keeping the team busy; the auditors are based in the room to the right of Nick’s office, and everything is progressing well, with completion expected early in the new year.
Finance has also introduced new processes for Umbrella Ireland, which continues to grow as we support businesses operating from the ROI. We’ve aligned procedures with our UK operations for consistency. As part of our Black Friday offer, £50 Amazon vouchers are available through our refer-a-friend scheme—see Jane or our website for details.
HR reminder for the month – if you are absent, you must notify your manager by telephone on the first day of absence, as early as possible and no later than 9.00am. Text messages and emails are not acceptable, and the call should be made personally, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
You should provide an indication of your expected return date and update the company if this changes. You must continue to follow the daily reporting procedure for each day of absence, unless you have provided a medical certificate. If your sickness lasts more than seven days, you must continue to notify the company of your incapacity at least once a week thereafter.
We’re always looking for ways to improve — and your feedback matters. Whether it’s a new idea for an event, a small change, or just something on your mind, we’d love to hear it. Use the form below to share your thoughts or suggestions with the team. All responses are welcome and can be submitted anonymously.