Blog

bumping redundancy

To bump or not to bump?

The legal definition of a redundancy is ‘the dismissal of workers as a result of the closure of a business or workplace, and/or the reduced requirement to undertake work of a particular kind’. According to the law, the dismissal of an employee whose job is still required, but is given to an employee whose job is no longer required, still falls within the redundancy category. In such circumstances, it does not matter that the type of work for which there

Read Full Article Here »

3rd December 2020

The art of picking and choosing….

In our previous feature, we mentioned the need for employers to adopt a fair selection process when effecting redundancies, i.e. via the use of a robust selection matrix, consisting of several criteria which are consistently applied to each employee in the pool. Any measure which puts those with a particular protected characteristic at a disadvantage (e.g. sex, age, disability) can lead to an unlawful discrimination claim if not adjusted to remove such impact. A common example is the use of

Read Full Article Here »

26th November 2020

Last in, first out?

Employers have certain obligations when considering redundancy, whether it relates to a standalone position or larger numbers. Whilst redundancy is a potentially fair reason for dismissal, it can be found unfair if the employer doesn’t follow the correct procedure in the following areas: Fair selection – An employer must adopt a fair means of selecting which employee(s) will be put ‘at risk’. Individual consultation – 1-2-1 consultation should be carried out with each affected employee regarding the reasons for redundancy

Read Full Article Here »

24th November 2020

When it comes to redundancies, it’s good to talk

With the continuing challenges of COVID19, many employers may find themselves planning redundancies for the first time… Any redundancy dismissal in the workplace can give rise to a successful unfair dismissal claim if not managed correctly. If 20+ redundancies at one establishment are contemplated within a 90-day period, the employer has extra obligations to carry out collective consultation before taking any action. This needs to take place with a recognised trade union or with employee representatives elected by the affected

Read Full Article Here »

19th November 2020

furlough fraud

Furlough Fraud: It pays to be prepared…

As we’re all aware the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has been extended yet again to now run until March 2021. Another hasty government decision that was put into effect just a day before the proposed JSS Scheme was set to start. Over recent months, MPs have expressed their apprehensions over the speed at which the furlough scheme was drawn up, leaving the economy victim to a concerning number of fraudulent claims. HM Revenues & Custom have now estimated that “up

Read Full Article Here »

16th November 2020

working safely at home

If working from home is here to stay, what are the risks?

With recent government advice changing (again) to ‘work at home where possible’, it’s not surprising that many companies have decided to implement permanent home working for the foreseeable. However, in terms of health & safety, employers must understand the duty of care they still have for employees. Although the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) states that there is no increased risk from Display Screen Equipment (DSE) for those temporarily working at home, as an employer, you have the same health

Read Full Article Here »

5th November 2020

Many of us are drinking more at home, but how is it affecting your workplace?

The number of people drinking at high-risk levels has almost doubled since before lockdown. According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP) “An estimated 8.4 million people drinking high-risk amounts of alcohol in June, compared to 4.8 million people four months earlier”. So now is as good a time as any to consider your approach to alcohol misuse in the workplace. Although alcohol dependency in itself is not considered to be a disability under the Equality Act 2010, physical and

Read Full Article Here »

29th October 2020

cyber snooping

Working from home and cyber snooping

The COVID-19 pandemic has meant more of us than ever have been working from home. However, this is a new territory for many, and some employers have been left wondering how productive their staff are whilst working remotely. It may be that some employees are working efficiently and to full capacity, whilst others are not motivated enough or too distracted to do so. In this regard, some employers have taken to using surveillance apps and programs to monitor productivity. Indeed,

Read Full Article Here »

22nd October 2020

Domestic abuse and how employers can help

The workplace is often the only safe place for victims of domestic abuse. Employers are legally bound to take reasonable care of the health, safety and wellbeing of its employees, both in respect of their physical and mental health, and are therefore required to take all steps which are reasonably possible in this regard in the context of the knowledge they either have or ought to have. Ensuring a safe work environment and protecting staff from domestic abuse is part

Read Full Article Here »

22nd October 2020

kit sponsorship

Helping local community ambitions become a reality

Striving to live by our values at EML, to support each other and our wider community, we are proud to have maintained an affiliation with Timperley Villa, a local sports club based in South Manchester. We are delighted to have sponsored the football club for 3 years by keeping them in kits and training tops throughout this period. Timperley Villa Coach Richard McIlroy commented: “Without company sponsorship of individual teams, some of them wouldn’t be able to keep running at

Read Full Article Here »

20th October 2020

self isolation

New Coronavirus Regulations – What employers need to know

As of 12.00am on 28th September 2020 the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation) (England) Regulations 2020 came into force. They set out mandatory periods for self-isolation, and a duty to notify the Secretary of State of the names of people in the same household as anyone who has tested positive for Covid-19. So, what do you need to know as an employer? Under the new regulations (regulation 7 to be precise), it is an offence for an employer to knowingly

Read Full Article Here »

29th September 2020

job support scheme

The Job Support Scheme

With the much publicised ‘Furlough’ scheme drawing to an end on 31st October 2020, and the seemingly inevitable second spike of Coronavirus, there has been the understandable concern about what this will mean for employment within the UK, and this has been accompanied by the expected demand that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) should be extended. On 24th September 2020, as expected, Rishi Sunak confirmed that the furlough scheme would not be extended, but instead replaced with the ‘Job

Read Full Article Here »

28th September 2020

working from home

Now work from home if possible…

Another u-turn, as the media like to tell us? Or is the Government reacting like you, as business owners and leaders. The PM’s statement in Parliament, Tuesday 22nd September, on raising the UK’s Coronavirus Alert Level to 4 had not yet ended and employers were asking the question – “does that mean all office staff are working from home again?” It is a political and media frenzy, with everybody pushing their views about the Government and their Advisers; who in

Read Full Article Here »

24th September 2020

Employee Self-Isolation – Guidance for Employers

The most important symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of any of the following: a new continuous cough a high temperature a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia) For most people, COVID-19 will be a mild illness. However, if an individual has any of the above symptoms, as an employer you must advise them to stay at home and arrange to have a test to see if they have COVID-19. The website

Read Full Article Here »

10th August 2020

redundancy and notice pay for furloughed employees

Calculation of redundancy and notice pay for employees who have been furloughed

Friday saw the coming into effect of further employment regulations dealing with the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Their purpose is to ensure that various statutory entitlements based upon the calculation of “a week’s pay” and connected with the termination of employment are not reduced as a result of an employee being furloughed, including: notice pay redundancy pay time off to look for employment or arrange training Put simply, in calculating a week’s pay for these purposes the employer must use

Read Full Article Here »

3rd August 2020

Privacy Notice - Cookie Policy - Terms & Conditions

EML Limited ©2018. Website managed by Beech Web Services