A polite knock at the door.

A woman with ID. From the Fair Work Agency.

She'd like to see your records, pay slips, hours worked, holiday taken, contracts, and right to work checks. For everyone you employ. And everyone you've employed in the last six years.

She doesn't need a complaint to be there. She just is.

The Fair Work Agency launched on 7 April 2026. It can recover six years of arrears with penalties up to 200 per cent. Most small business owners haven't fully clocked yet what this means.

This episode is the wake-up call, and the calm action plan.

In this episode:

• What the Fair Work Agency actually is, and what powers it has under the Employment Rights Act 2025
• The five places small businesses most often trip up (it's not where you think)
• A four-week plan to get tidy without panicking, pay, holiday, contracts, and right to work
• Four myths that keep owners exposed, including "they only go after big employers"
• Seven actions to take this week, none of which require new software

If you employ anyone in the UK, this applies to you. There's no minimum business size. There's no quiet exemption.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Fair Work Agency overview — full blog post with the legal details

GOV.UK — National Minimum Wage rates

GOV.UK — Right to Work checks

Employment Rights Act Advice

Free HR Health Check — short, jargon-free, tells you what needs attention

Join the newsletter — plain-English HR updates, no waffle

If you’re not 100% sure how your HR is really holding up, take our free HR Health Check. It’s short, jargon-free, and gives you a clear score on what’s working — and what needs a bit of love.

And if you do it before 1st April 2026, you’ll get a bonus 7 Pillar Strategy-on-a-Page, tailored to help you manage HR brilliantly for the year ahead. That’s it for today, but if you fancy a bit of friendly HR advice in your inbox (with zero waffle), come and join our newsletter.

We send out bite-sized tips, plain-English updates, and handy things you’ll actually use — no spam, no fluff.

You can sign up here 

If you're not sure how your HR is really holding up, take the free HR Health Check. It's short, jargon-free, and gives you a clear score on what's working and what could do with a bit of love.

Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe so you never miss one, and leave a review if you've got thirty seconds. It honestly does help more small business owners find the show, and it's the cheapest good deed you'll do all week.

Got a question or need actual HR support? Find Kate at kateunderwoodhr.co.uk, email [email protected], or follow along on social.

Until next time, keep buzzing, and take care of your people.