Pinsent Masons' Diane Nicol appointed to Taylor Review panel

Diane, an employment law specialist with over 20 years of experience, has been appointed as the sole lawyer on a panel of three engaged as part of the Taylor Review on modern employment practices.

She will sit alongside alongside Paul Broadbent, CEO of the Greater London Authority and Greg Marsh, an entrepreneur and CEO of onefinestay.

The Taylor Review comes after the UK Prime Minister, Theresa May, commissioned Matthew Taylor, the Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Arts, to look at how employment practices need to change in order to keep pace with modern business models and in particular the 'gig economy'.

The Taylor Review will undertake a tour of the UK to engage with employees and employers across the UK's labour market. It will look in particular at: security, pay and rights; progression and training; the balance of rights and responsibilities for new business models; employee representation; and opportunities for under-represented groups.

Diane Nicol says:

"The Taylor Review is an initiative which will look at how employment law and practices can best reflect the modern working environment. I feel privileged to be involved in this review which will engage those most concerned with the challenges and opportunities which modern working brings- including workers and employers across the UK."

Matthew Taylor said:

"I am delighted to announce the other members of the review team; they bring a wealth of experience and insight to our work. We have a lot of research and policy to discuss but the most important part of our process is getting out and about to talk to businesses and workers across Britain about their experiences of modern work.

As well as making specific recommendations I hope the review will promote a national conversation and explore how we can all contribute to work that provides opportunity, fairness and dignity.

The review will consider the implications of new forms of work on worker rights and responsibilities - as well as on employer freedoms and obligations.

With 15% of those working in the UK’s labour market now self-employed, there has been a rise in the number of people doing ‘gig’ work – short-term, casual work that is increasingly sought by people through mobile phone apps when they want to work. These roles can include driving, delivering items and DIY tasks.

The explosion of ‘disruptive’ businesses – where new ways of working and technology come together to create new products and services to better meet consumer demand – is also leading to a change in working practices.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is also to launch a research project into the scale of the gig economy – the first piece of government-commissioned research into the practice. The project will also look at the motivations of people engaging in ‘gig’ work."

Business Minister Margot James said:

"The Taylor review is a hugely important step towards us ensuring fairness for everyone in work. Helping us to understand what impact modern employment practices have on workers will inform our forthcoming industrial strategy and also help us ensure our labour market and wider economy works for everyone.

We recognise the importance of being open to new and innovative ways of working – and having a skilled and flexible workforce is part of what makes the UK an attractive place to do business. But it is also crucial that workers receive a decent wage and that people working in all sorts of jobs are able to benefit from the right balance of flexibility, rights, and protections.

The government is determined to create an economy that works for all, not just the privileged few. On Tuesday (29 November 2016), a green paper on reforming corporate governance was launched to ensure there is greater representation for workers and consumers in the boardrooms of Britain’s biggest businesses. The forthcoming industrial strategy will build on our economy’s strengths and look ahead to creating an environment where emerging industries such as disruptive businesses can flourish – with workers at the heart of this."