Hmrc would be VERY interested indeed this is the job a relative of mine had and usually when a company is committing "minor" infractions like this quite brazenly and openly there's more going on in the background!
I would click "tax evasion" op
Or "fraud or scam"
HMRC likes these type of reports as illegal employee contracts tend to lead to tax evasion schemes crossing other tax classes as the employer has to disguise the payments
Exactly they tangle themselves in knots trying to conceal it
@ANameChangeAgain it's not just that, there are clearly defined rules on what constitutes an employee as opposed to self employed/contractor as linked by a few pps upthread
They can't just "decide" to pay op as a self employed person through choice she has to actually be self employed which retail workers generally aren't
If they expect her to work x hours for y pay in the way they wish and at the premises they wish etc she isn't self employed
@Ohmnomnom there are specific rules governing whether a worker is an employee or self employed
Gig economy at the moment just fall on the right side of the law on this because the way they use their workers is more flexible and (supposedly) because the workers can refuse shifts etc - they superficially have agency on how, when and where they work
Morally very questionable though!
Certainly not for long term staff, but I've employed people this way.
Doesn't matter how long you've been employing staff/plan to employ them for - you've said it yourself "I've EMPLOYED people this way" you employed them you didn't negotiate a contract with them as a self employed entity - you've been acting illegally