Women’s History Month is an annual observance in the month of March that celebrates and recognises the contributions and achievements of women throughout history.
Tax Credits Ltd (TCL), a company that charged taxpayers to make claims for tax refunds, has been barred by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) from operating.
What happened?
HMRC found TCL had committed serious anti-money laundering breaches. As a result, the agency declared that it is now a criminal offence for TCL to trade as a tax repayment agent.
Significantly, the move comes just weeks after HMRC outlined greater protections for customers using repayment agents. The regulations are predominantly designed to prevent businesses from being exploited by criminals to launder money.
“TCL have ignored their responsibilities under the anti-money laundering measures designed to protect us all from financial crime. We will not allow a small number of bad actors to tarnish the reputation of the whole tax agent sector,” said Angela MacDonald, HMRC’s Deputy Chief Executive and Second Permanent Secretary. “It is crucial taxpayers understand the entitlements they can claim directly from HMRC and are properly protected from the misleading tactics used by some repayment agents. The greater protections we’re bringing in will help to stop people unwittingly losing their hard-earned money to misleading agents.”
Continue readingPeople are multi-dimensional in their identities and may identify with several different marginalised or minority groups at the same time. These overlapping identities can result in multiple and intersecting forms of bias, discrimination and disadvantage, both in the workplace and in wider society.
Intersectionality provides a framework for considering our different identities and experiences in order to understand the complexity of biases and prejudices that people can face and take steps to address any resulting inequality or discrimination.
In this webinar, we drew on expert insight, ‘lived experience’ interviews and original drama to look at how an intersectional approach can support inclusion and help to achieve more equitable outcomes.
The webinar covered:
- What we mean by ‘intersectionality’
- How our intersecting identities can overlap to create privilege or disadvantage
- Why taking an intersectional approach is key to more effective inclusion
- The importance of collecting and analysing data
- How to put an intersectional approach into practice
The Russian invasion of Ukraine which began on 24 February 2022 has displaced millions and killed tens of thousands of people. The war has also created several overlapping crises, from refugees to food supplies and massive supply chain disruption.
The conflict has also sparked waves of new laws around the world, from sanctions to tougher economic crime compliance. The main victims of the war are of course those directly caught up in it, but businesses all around the world are experiencing the effects of this unprecedented global event which shows no sign of slowing down in the next year.
VinciWorks has created a guide that reviews the key compliance challenges and lessons which have impacted on business one year into this devastating conflict.
Continue reading
VinciWorks proudly serves 42 of the top 100 firms who’ve dedicated themselves to LGBTQ+ inclusion
Stonewall’s annual top 100 Employers is the definitive list of workplaces who’ve dedicated themselves to supporting LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace. It’s always an exciting moment for VinciWorks to see just how many of our clients are represented on the annual list. These are firms who use our compliance software to monitor diversity for instance, or who train with our suite of equality, diversity and inclusion courses, or use our e-learning to make their workplaces better. This year, VinciWorks is thrilled to see that 42 firms out of the top 100 of the list is made up of VinciWorks clients.
Continue reading
What is intersectionality?
We are all multi-dimensional in our identities. Someone may be both a woman of colour and a lesbian, for example, or an older man from an economically deprived background may also have a disability. Both of them may well have a faith, and they may also be parents or carers. Few of us see our identity in terms of one sole defining characteristic, but initiatives around inclusion have often tended to take precisely that approach, failing to appreciate the complex interplay between the different characteristics and experiences that make us who we are.
Continue reading