Management consultancies and head offices are office-based businesses with relatively low physical risk. The core workplace duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 still apply — you must protect your people from the risks that office work brings, including display-screen equipment, workstation assessment, stress and mental health. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regulates in Great Britain and HSENI in Northern Ireland.
Where your business markets its services by email, text message or automated telephone calls, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR) add specific consent and screening duties, enforced by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) UK-wide.
What you need to do
-
Set up a safe consultancy and meet your employer duties
Start with the universal spine. Follow "Set up and run a safe management consultancy" for your health and safety, fire safety, employers' liability insurance, equality, data protection and PECR electronic-marketing duties.
-
Confirm you have covered everything
Finish with the "Management consultancy: compliance checklist" to confirm your obligations are met.
If you form companies or provide registered-office services
Management consultancy is not itself supervised for money laundering. But if you provide trust or company service provider (TCSP) activities — forming companies, or providing a registered office, business address, nominee director, secretary or shareholder, or trustee services — you must register with HMRC for anti-money-laundering supervision (unless you are already supervised by another body) before you start trading. See GOV.UK: money laundering supervision for trust or company service providers.
Legal basis
Primary legislation and key regulations
Read it on legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab) legislation.gov.uk