Business Compliance

What training does a small business legally need? Every employer must give staff the information, instruction, training and supervision their risks require: a health and safety and fire safety induction, first-aid arrangements, and training on screens, lifting, chemicals and personal data where relevant. Reaching five employees triggers written records, not extra training, and in England and Wales the fire risk assessment must now be recorded at any size. Includes an every-employer checklist, sector add-ons for food, care, early years, money laundering, construction, driving, alcohol and security, a five-step training plan and common mistakes.

Keeping a small team legally trained does not have to mean expensive classroom days. This guide covers what UK law makes employers pay for, free options such as HSE guidance, in-house induction, toolbox talks, Acas, FSA and NHS e-learning, 2026 government funding, what online awareness training can and cannot do, the hidden costs of training, and a worked example using published prices.

When whistleblowing is protected by UK law: what counts as a protected disclosure under Part IVA of the Employment Rights Act 1996, the public interest test and why personal grievances usually fall outside it, sexual harassment as a new category from 6 April 2026, who counts as a worker, who you can report to including prescribed regulators and the media, protection from detriment and automatically unfair dismissal, good faith, gagging clauses, the six-month time limit from 1 October 2026, how to raise a concern safely, and NHS Freedom to Speak Up.

How to report a personal data breach in the UK: what counts as a breach, which breaches are notifiable to the ICO, the 72-hour rule under UK GDPR Article 33, how to use the ICO online reporting form, when you must tell affected individuals under Article 34, the duty to log every breach, the separate PECR duty for telecoms providers, and the two-tier fines under the Data Protection Act 2018.

The nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 explained: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. What each one covers, the four types of discrimination, discrimination by association and perception, the 26 October 2024 duty to prevent sexual harassment, and the common myths about what is and is not protected.

How to report suspected money laundering in the UK: what a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) is, who must file one, the regulated sector and nominated officer, how to submit through the NCA SAR Portal, DAML requests and the moratorium period, the tipping off offence, what happens next, and the penalties under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Are appraisals a legal requirement? What Acas says, which jobs have a legal appraisal duty (CQC-registered care, maintained-school teachers, doctors), why appraisal records matter in capability dismissals, PIPs, discrimination risks, employee access to appraisal records, and how to run a fair appraisal.

Is unconscious bias training a legal requirement? What the Equality Act 2010 actually requires, how unconscious bias can become unlawful discrimination, why the government phased the training out of the Civil Service, what the evidence says, the Allay v Gehlen stale-training case, and what actually reduces bias in recruitment and promotion.

Customer due diligence explained: what regulation 28 of the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 requires, when CDD is triggered, the June 2026 changes to sterling thresholds, ID and electronic verification, beneficial owners, CDD on buyers for estate agents, letting agents, enhanced and simplified due diligence, PEPs, record keeping and penalties.

Is bullying at work illegal? Why bullying itself is not against the law but harassment is, the Acas description of bullying, when it becomes harassment under the Equality Act 2010, the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, constructive dismissal, employer and personal liability, what is not bullying, and how to raise and handle a complaint.