Tapfin

Where SSE have outsourced a load of infra roles to HCL, these are being onshored via Tapfin BUT only with contractors prepared to work via umbrellas.

Dear colleague, As you may already be aware, from April 2020 the contingent/off-payroll worker rules (or “IR35”) are expected to change in respect of individuals providing their services through a Personal Service Company (PSC). We value our contingent workers and the contribution they make to SSE’s business but, like other companies, we need to manage the risk and potential cost arising because of these changes. As a result of this impending legislative change, SSE have taken the decision that we will not engage the services of contingent workers via PSCs beyond 5 April 2020. This includes circumstances where the worker provides services to SSE via a PSC which is engaged by an agency or third-party service provider. What happens next? If you are currently providing your services to SSE via an agency and are subject to payroll tax deductions by the agency, we would not expect these changes to impact upon those arrangements. There is no action needed from you. If you are currently providing your services directly to SSE via a PSC, we will provide further information to you during January and February to advise how this will affect your engagement with SSE. If you have any questions in the meantime, you should approach the HR Business Partner for your business area. If you are currently providing your services to SSE by way of a PSC via an agency, we are in the process of contacting our partner agencies to explain our new approach. Your agency will in due course be able to advise you of the options that are available to you. Please contact your agency if you have any questions.

Blanket Ban on all PSCs, go PAYE or Umbrella. Date now moved to end of March for decision. Projects will be at risk as key SMEs and Project Managers will leave. For those that stay, beyond 6th April, will only remain till they find an alternative position.

Knee-jerk blanket ban on PSCs, absolute refusal to assess or even begin to understand the IR35 process. Aggressive emails deliberately sent at 1655 on Fridays to maximise distress. Projects already stalling as people bail out. SSE recently outsourced IT to the subcontinent and disposed of their permies in a mass redundancy. That outsourcer has not paid any of their contract staff since they started, so I guess I could be in a worse place than I am. Still sad to be leaving what was until recently a great client.

This is the text of the email they've sent out end of play on Friday, no warning, no help desk, just get out on end of February or risk HMRC investigation! Shocking! Not even personalised!!! "Dear Contingent Worker Further to recent communication from SSE, please see below an update to the position with regards to IR35 and a timeline of events leading up to the implementation of the regulations in April 2020 It will be a requirement that from 29th February 2020 all workers must be engaged via either PAYE or an Umbrella Company; no PSC engagements/assignments will be allowable beyond this date. Therefore, please take this as formal notification that should any worker fail to transition to a PAYE/Umbrella Company arrangement beyond 29th February 2020 their employment will cease at SSE on this date. Timeline 31 January 2020 – Formal notice of last date of engagement via PSC at SSE 28 February 2020 – Last date of engaging via PSC at SSE 29 February 2020 – All workers must be engaged via PAYE / Umbrella Company at SSE 5 April 2020 – All payments to workers for time worked as PSC must be made by this date In order to make this a smooth transition, the CWMS Support Team will be in constant contact with your Supplier over the coming weeks to ensure that SSE are kept abreast of the status of your Workers and their intention to transfer/terminate. If you have any questions, please contact your Supplier in the first instance".

Tapfin/ manpower -terminated all contractors and served notice at close of business today. Beware - you cannot trust this agent. The worst treatment I have seen in years of highly skilled mobile labour. Very disappointing behaviour from Tapfin/Manpower/ Experis. I advise all contractors to avoid these agents.

Given the IR35 changes in April 2020, GSK have decided to enforce the policy that no CWs will be engaged through PSCs. We have the option to be PAYE directly with our agency or an umbrella company. It has been a real struggle for many of us to gain answers to our many questions from our agencies. We are being pushed to make decisions by 31 Jan without being given the full facts on which to base our decision. GSK state they are not making anIR35 determination but stating how we will be engaged and paid. Interesting! I am choosing to stay currently but waiting to see if there are projects for me to work on. It is very distracting and a very unsettled time for many.

No one wishes to discuss individual determination . Comply or leave

Blanket approach, even for short term contingent labour who come and go as they please. Manager expectations and control is outside IR35 but contract will not be from end March.... I'm out of here.

Very short sighted measure, the most talented leaving en masse

sse is extremely anti-risk and hence the stance they are taking with effect from end of March