• IR35 compliance firm IR35 Shield has launched an IR35 Academy designed to equip businesses with the knowledge and skills to navigate the complexities of the off-payroll working rules (IR35) that will help protect them from future tax risks. The academy’s core modules provide comprehensive instruction on the origins of IR35, understanding employment status tests, the difference between the original IR35 and the reformed off-payroll rules, who is affected, determining tax status through compliant processes and HMRC’s requirements for reasonable care.

The academy offers training tailored to each business based on where they sit in the supply chain. Modules are based on business and give practical guidance aligned with their real-world operations.

• Oyster, a global employment platform to hire, pay and care for distributed teams, has launched Oyster Shell, offering companies an additional layer of protection from potential contractor misclassification risks. When organisations hire contractors on the Oyster platform, they have the option to enrol in contractor misclassification insurance for coverage up to $500k (£393k).

• Rubicon, a 100% employee-owned company, has relaunched its Senior Appointments sub-brand as Rubicon Executive, aiming to enhance the recruitment of C-Suite executives for UK businesses. Rubicon Executive focuses on diversity & inclusion in its recruitment process, noting that companies with diverse executive boards perform better financially. Additionally, Rubicon Executive stresses the importance of succession planning to maintain business resilience. The relaunch aims to distinguish Rubicon Executive’s specialised recruitment services from the broader Rubicon Recruitment portfolio, with a mission to place top-performing leaders who drive business success across the UK.

• Wave has launched its Candidate Attraction Playbook to help recruiters find the right candidates at the right time using data-driven strategies. The playbook, leveraging exclusive data from WaveTrackR, offers guidance on where to source candidates (eg. CRMs, job boards, websites, socials), when to post job ads for maximum exposure and what content to include in job ads to attract high-calibre applicants. This free resource aims to enhance recruiters’ effectiveness in a competitive and evolving job market by combining data insights with recruitment expertise.