Digital Right to Work Checks Incoming

The Digital Right to Work Checks are on their way and very soon will be in use by employers.

Right to Work Checks have been in place for many years. If a business employs someone who does not have a right to work in the UK, they face hefty fines. These checks pre-covid were done in person with the business taking a copy of the employee’s documentation.

During covid, temporary methods were brought in to allow for an alternative. Well from 1^st October, there are now permanent solutions for these checks to be done online. This will be useful for anyone not physically at their place of work.

This seems like a particularly good solution for those such as contractors. It is also convenient and should be easy.

What kind of reception is expected for this with contractors and employees? Well, there do not seem to be many issues at all. Some might expect issues to arise around the security of documents, but it does not seem so.

Yet looking at it from the other side paints a different story. Some businesses have said they do not yet feel they have all the information they need to begin this process. The government have recommended the use of an IDSP or Identity Service Provider to provide this service.

What would IDSP or Identity Service Provider mean for businesses?

This will ensure protection of the sensitive information belonging to that worker. It is not a mandate, but it is likely that businesses will want to use IDSPs. Yet many do not even know this is an option currently.

Even when they do, there is another issue. There are hundreds of thousands of businesses in the UK. Many of them have employees or contractors working with them. There are currently only eleven IDSPs in the entirety of the UK.

So far, they have been doing trials and responding to a much smaller demand than they will need to do. Some of them have very much struggled with this. In addition, the reforms are reasonably new and implementation has been quick.

Has there been enough time for the government to expect every business to be on board with this? It is certainly something businesses can be concerned about. While it will provide benefits, it is still a new process to complete within the limits of resourcing.

As with most things brought in by the government, there are both good and bad aspects to this change. It could be particularly beneficial for contractors and freelancers who may save a trip to the office. It may also be useful for those who primarily work from home.

However, if businesses are using an IDSP there could be some delays to getting the checks done. This might mean later than expected start dates for example. It is hard to be sure what these issues will be until it happens.

Perhaps more IDSPs will sprout up quickly and meet the demands of businesses that want to use them. Hopefully these will be teething problems that are easily rectified.