Blog

Dress code and the scope for discrimination

When it comes to dress codes and what to wear, your natural instinct may be to look to the catwalk or style icons. However, if you are an employer and you have, or are considering drafting, a workplace dress code, you need look no further than the Government Equalities Office’s recent guidance: Dress codes and sex discrimination- what you need to know (May 2018). A workplace dress code can be a key factor in achieving a professional look among your

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22nd May 2018

Hen parties, stag do’s and weddings – advice for employers on celebrations that get out of control

As excitement builds for a right royal celebration on 19th May, it’s not just Meghan and Harry who are making plans for their big day. Couples up and down the country are planning hen and stag parties and other celebratory events leading up to their own wedding day. Whilst we’re looking forward to the wedding party as much as the next person, as employment law gurus, we can’t help but consider the knock-on effects that weddings and wedding-related celebrations have

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18th May 2018

How to choose the best employee benefits package for your business

Employee benefits are a fantastic way of rewarding your employees for their contribution to your business. They’re also an attractive proposition for new recruits because offering them demonstrates that you care about your people. Providing a flexible benefits package has a number of proven advantages, including: A more engaged and motivated workforce Increased morale Improved employee retention Reduced absence levels What do we mean by employee benefits? When we talk about employee benefits, we’re referring to benefits like pensions, childcare

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10th May 2018

Is it right to express political views in the workplace?

This week’s local elections got us talking in the EML office about whether employees have a right to share their own political views at work. Have you ever been in a situation where someone got a little over enthusiastic in expressing his or her political allegiance? Perhaps you’ve witnessed disagreements or confrontation arising from this type of discussion. The subject prompted us to answer a couple of key questions: Would you reveal your own political views at work? What should

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1st May 2018

Training for young people in the workplace

Essential training for young people entering the workplace

Leaving school to join the world of work is a big step. When you’ve never had a nine to five job before, working long days in a new environment can be a shock to the system. From getting yourself up and in to work on time, to dealing with the expectations and demands of your new workplace culture, there’s a lot to learn. Government policy around apprenticeships encourages more people into work at a younger age, whilst rocketing university tuition

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6th April 2018

Calculation of holiday pay for workers with irregular hours

Calculating holiday pay for workers who do irregular hours can be daunting enough, but recent reporting by some publications of the recent Employment Appeal Tribunal decision in the case of Brazel v The Harpur Trust (UKEAT/0102/17) has left many scratching their heads as to the practical implications. In an attempt to make things a little clearer, here is a potted summary of the case and its practical implications. The claimant in this case was a visiting music teacher on

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5th April 2018

Latest Acas stats show significant increase in Early Conciliation cases

Acas have now released their Conciliation Update for the period of April to December 2017 and the results are somewhat unsurprising given the statistics released by the Ministry of Justice’s for the period from October to December 2017. The MOJ report showed a huge increase of 90% in Employment Tribunal claims (not including those where the claim is made by two or more Claimants) compared to the same quarter in 2016. This upsurge in claims has been widely, and

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4th April 2018

Fundraising physical challenges in the workplace

Employees fundraising by undertaking physical challenges has become increasingly prevalent in recent years and a client of ours recently asked us… ‘…from a company risk perspective is there anything we need to be doing, e.g. if someone gets ill / has an accident etc.’. We thought we would share our answer as it’s equally applicable to all employers. If the event is being organised by the Company, there are a number of factors to consider. Obviously, such initiatives

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3rd April 2018

When disciplinary processes go wrong, Part 7 – Adjournments

It’s time for the final instalment in our seven-part blog series about the disciplinary process. In our last post we take a look at the different types of adjournment, and when and how they should be used. There’s nothing we hate more than being the bearers of bad news, especially when it comes to telling employers who’ve dismissed blatantly guilty employees that they’re exposed to potentially valid unfair dismissal claims. However, we often are and so it makes sense for

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28th March 2018

How to reduce working mothers’ guilt in your workplace

Over recent months, we’ve witnessed a powerful celebration of female strength from working mothers and throughout the working world. In addition to the high profile #MeToo media campaign and issues raised by the gender pay gap, we’ve marked International Women’s day, which was closely followed by Mother’s day. Support for female empowerment has never been so strong, particularly for women in the workplace. Whilst there are several articles and blog posts published in support of working mothers, there is little

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21st March 2018

When disciplinary processes go wrong, Part 6 – Mitigating factors

There’s nothing we hate more than being the bearers of bad news, especially when it comes to telling employers who’ve dismissed blatantly guilty employees that they’re exposed to potentially valid unfair dismissal claims. However, we often are and so it makes sense for us to set out the main reasons why in the hope that we don’t have to hold the receiver away from our ears for fear of deafness as much in future. We’ll do this in a series

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19th March 2018

What does the recent ECJ ruling on ‘stand-by’ time mean for UK businesses?

If a worker’s obligation to remain physically present at a place determined by their employer limits that worker’s opportunities to devote him or herself to personal and social interests, that time should be regarded as ‘working time’ for the purposes of the Working Time Directive. This is a recent ruling from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in a case brought by a Belgian fire fighter and has implications for UK employers who operate on-call or stand-by systems of work,

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14th March 2018

MoJ stats indicate staggering increase in employment tribunal claims

Following the Supreme Court’s decision back in July 2017, which concluded that the Employment Tribunal and Employment Appeal Tribunal Fees Order 2013 was unlawful and that the fees set out therein should no longer be charged, the Employment Tribunal has seen a significant rise in the number of claims submitted. The Ministry of Justice have now released statistics for the period from October to December 2017 which show a staggering increase of 90% in claims (not including those where the

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13th March 2018

Restaurant chains named and shamed for failing to pay minimum wage

Are you paying your staff in line with the National Minimum Wage? Are you sure? Some 43 employers from the hospitality sector have appeared on the government’s latest list of companies, for having failed to pay their staff the National Minimum Wage. Among those on the list are Wagamama and TGI Fridays, both of whom fell foul of the legislation as a direct result of their uniform policy. It stands to reason that if you require staff to contribute to

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12th March 2018