Guaranteed Hours, Umbrellas & Risk: What Recruiters Must Prepare For | Theresa Mimnagh of Lawspeed
In this episode of RecTalk, host Nitin Sharma sits down with Theresa Mimnagh, partner at specialist recruitment law firm Lawspeed, to unpack some of the biggest legal and regulatory changes the recruitment industry has faced in years. Fresh off the back of Lawspeed’s recent industry seminar, Theresa breaks down what recruiters really need to understand about the proposed Employment Rights Bill, including guaranteed hours for agency workers, joint and several liability with umbrella companies, right-to-work changes, flexible working, unfair dismissal reforms, and why temp-heavy recruitment models may soon face serious pressure. This is not headline-level commentary — it’s a practical, recruitment-specific conversation about risk, margins, contracts, business models, and how agencies can still influence legislation before it’s finalised. What you’ll learn in this episode: * What guaranteed hours for agency workers could mean for temp revenue, transfer fees, and margins * Why these changes could be bigger than AWR for recruitment businesses * How government consultations actually work — and why recruiters still have a real chance to shape the outcome * The reality of joint & several liability when working with umbrella companies * Why accreditations alone don’t fully protect agencies from HMRC risk * Upcoming right-to-work rule changes and the growing liability for agencies, RPOs, and supply chains * How flexible working laws are evolving — and what “reasonable refusal” really means * Why more agencies are moving toward consultancy, RPO, retained search, and hybrid models * The importance of having fit-for-purpose contracts that reflect modern recruitment models Theresa also shares real-world insight from Lawspeed’s decades of involvement in shaping recruitment legislation — explaining why early engagement beats reactive panic every time. 🔗 Connect with the guest Theresa Mimnagh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresamimnagh/ Find out more about Lawspeed: https://www.rectools.io/product/lawspeed/ Contact the Lawspeed team for expert advice and support: https://www.lawspeed.com/contact-us/ 🔗 Connect with the host Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/ Discover recruitment tools and services: https://www.rectools.io/ New episodes of RecTalk, including Founder Diaries and Talking Talent, currently drop on Wednesday and Friday. Look out for new episodes of The Mixed Grill — the official podcast of the Recruitment Curry Club — dropping on Thursday. https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recruitment-curry-club/ Listen on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/ 🔗 Get in touch with these recommended suppliers Robert Woodford — The Marketing Junction: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marketing4recs/ Barry Cullen — recLAW: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrycullen/ Andrew Philipson — JOBBA: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewphilipson/ Ross Thompson — Infinity Staff Global: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossnthompson/ Dougie Loan — SourceWhale: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougieloan/ Andrew Constantinou — Nodex: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apconstantinou/
