How to train your Hiring Managers to make accurate IR35 determinations

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When HMRC rolls out the IR35 Private Sector reform in April 2021 one thing is certain, they’ll be looking to organisations to ensure the legislation is being applied accurately and consistently.

Reasonable care is the terminology they use – expecting organisations to have a reasonable understanding of the legislation and to take care when applying it.

For all businesses this means investment in crucial staff training, to prepare Hiring Managers to accurately undertake IR35 status determinations.

“For Hiring Managers it’s going to be crucial that they understand the principles of IR35 and can evaluate the authenticity of off-payroll working.”

– Richard Hanson, Linx Client Services Director

Identifying the best learning environment

A 2019 learning and development survey by LinkedIn identified that organisations are continuously investing more of their training budget in online training over instructor-led programmes. These online platforms allow colleagues to access resources at a time that suits them, at their own pace.

This self-paced approach can provide a good solution to roll out legislative training programmes such as IR35 and allow a range of materials to be created to break down complex topics into manageable chunks.

Linx’s online IR35 training hub, developed for clients to share with their colleagues, includes videos and guides to offer a blended learning environment – so every Hiring Manager can approach training in their own way.

Whilst similar training platforms can be developed internally, the fast-moving changes that often incur when new Government legislation is developed means any online training hub must be kept up-to-date and accurate – often incurring further investment in time and resources.

Partnering with a consultancy service such as Linx to deliver your IR35 training takes away the heavy investment of establishing and maintaining an internal training programme, as well as giving the additional benefit of engaging an external supplier to demonstrate reasonable care has been taken to prepare Hiring Managers.

Reference: LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2019