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Are your employees working from home safely?

The Coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a permanent shift towards hybrid working for many employers. However, as we navigate our working week between the office and home, it is important to remember that employers still have the same duty of care to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all their employees, both in the workplace and at home. Following an accident whilst ‘working from home’, a German court has recently ruled that a man who slipped and broke his back

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21st April 2022

Will a 4-day week make us more productive?

The Coronavirus pandemic impacted all our lives considerably and, among other things, resulted in a permanent shift towards hybrid working for many employers. As we return to a ‘new normal’, some employers are going further than this and are now looking at other ways to provide a better work-life balance whilst simultaneously improving productivity. A model which has been the subject of quite a bit of discussion is the introduction of a 4-day working week. Let’s face it, everyone loves

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4th April 2022

Why workplace Mental Health First Aid makes sense

According to the Mental Health Foundation, a staggering 70 million working days are lost each year in the UK due to mental health problems, costing employers approximately £2.4 billion per year. During 2020/21, the Health & Safety Executive recorded 822,000 workers suffered with work-related stress, depression or anxiety (new or long-standing), with each worker taking on average 21.6 sick days. The COVID pandemic has resulted in mental health support and employee wellbeing becoming more of a priority than ever before.

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29th March 2022

National Minimum Wage: Are you getting it right?

Paying in equal instalments? Deducting for goods purchased? Check your practices are compliant with the National Minimum Wages Regulations. And of course, think about the upcoming pay rise! With the cost of living rising high, the next hot topic is bound to be the planned increase to the national minimum wage / national living wage rates. The Government has announced that as of the 1st of April 2022, the National Living Wage (applicable to workers from the age of 23)

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17th March 2022

Employee’s dismissal for eating company stock was unfair due to poor investigation and inconsistent practices

Cassidy v. Iceland Foods Limited (2019) The Claimant was dismissed after 15 years of good and loyal services, for eating company stock. The Claimant worked at a small store owned by the Respondent. The Respondent had a policy, common in the industry, stating that any consumption of company property required the prior purchase of the goods and should only be done during break times. Any unauthorised consumption of company food on company premises to be considered gross misconduct. The Claimant

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10th March 2022

Is your organisation ready for this years’ extra bank holiday?

To mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 there will be an extra, one-off bank holiday in the UK, with the spring bank holiday at the end of May moving to Thursday 2 June 2022 and an additional bank holiday on Friday 3 June. However, as the nation comes together over a four-day weekend to celebrate the Queen’s 70-year reign, have you considered how this extra bank holiday may affect your business? Who is entitled to this extra bank holiday?

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8th March 2022

Local Authority discriminated against employee by asking her to re-apply for role

Local authority discriminated against employee by asking her to re-apply for role

Healey v. Lancashire County Council (2021) – Manchester Employment Tribunal The Claimant had been employed by the local authority (the Respondent) since 1995 as an early years’ consultant. In 2012 she was promoted into the role of “lead senior early years’ consultant”, as a “temporary” step up only due to planned restructures. Said restructure did not happen until 2018. She was previously a senior early year’s area team leader, along with 2 colleagues. In 2014 the claimant was diagnosed with

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24th February 2022

holiday pay entitlement

Pimlico Plumbers taken to the cleaners over holiday pay

Smith v Pimlico Plumbers Ltd [2021] CA The facts of the case Mr Smith worked for Pimlico Plumbers between 2005 and 2011. For much of that time he was considered “self-employed”. In line with this apparent status, he was informed that any leave taken would be unpaid. He did take leave from time to time, for which he received no remuneration. The relationship broke down in May 2011 and in August 2011 he submitted a claim for holiday pay. More

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14th February 2022

changes to the highway code employees of drivers should be aware of

Highway Code updates: Actions for employers

Employers that employ staff in a driving role, or employees who are expected to drive in the course of business, are being advised to take note of recent updates to the Highway Code, ensuring that the changes are communicated to relevant employees and that their Road Safety Policies are amended accordingly. The controversial Highway Code amendments, which were introduced on 29 January 2022, saw updates to nine sections of the code, with 50 rules added or changed. Significantly, the code

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9th February 2022

Don’t mention retirement! Employers warned to be more mindful

A recent case to hit the employment tribunal has highlighted the need for employers to take care in relation to discussions around retirement, after it was ruled that a 73-year-old Asda worker had been constructively unfairly dismissed. The employment tribunal upheld that Asda worker Mrs Hutchinson had been constructively unfairly dismissed and discriminated against on the basis of age and disability after she was repeatedly asked if she wanted to retire. What are the facts of the case? The case centres

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3rd February 2022

COVID: New year, same challenges

When we consider the likely HR and Employment Law developments for 2022, COVID is still top of the agenda and continues to present unprecedented challenges for people and the organisations they work for. HR and Employment Law developments linked to the pandemic have been coming thick and fast of late and show no signs of slowing down. As such, we thought we’d take stock and compile a quick-reference guide to some of the most common issues that we’ve been advising

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10th January 2022

employe assistance programme

Racial discrimination within the workplace and how you can eliminate it

Racism in the workplace was once again in the headlines last month following the accusations of harassment and bullying of cricketer Azeem Rafiq during his time at Yorkshire County Cricket Club due to his South Asian heritage. Rafiq stated that he was subject to “institutional racism” while playing for one of the top cricket clubs in Britain. Not only did Rafiq’s teammates refuse to call him by his real name and referred to him with racial slurs, he also reported

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20th December 2021

Déjà vu: What the latest instruction to work from home means for employers

On 8 December 2021, Boris Johnson announced that the guidance for office workers in England to work from home if they can was to be introduced from the following week. When is it effective? This instruction will be effective from 13 December 2021 and will run until at least mid-January 2022, with a review taking place early in the New Year. Why is it being introduced? The measure is part of England’s move to what the Government has christened ‘Plan

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9th December 2021

At what point is a person with cancer deemed to be disabled under the Equality Act 2010?

The Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful to discriminate against someone on the grounds of a protected characteristic, one of which, is disability. Under the Act, a disability is a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term impact on the individual’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. There are a handful of conditions, one of which is cancer, that are a disability regardless of that test. According to the statutory guidance (ref page 10), a person

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23rd November 2021

Calculating Deductions for National Minimum Wage

On the surface, the concept of a National Minimum Wage (NMW) may appear a simple one. For every hour worked an employee or worker aged 23 and over must receive a minimum of £8.91 (as from April 2021) with lower rates applicable to those aged between 16 and 22. However, the waters are somewhat muddied when an employer makes deductions from wages of payments which will need to then be accounted for as they ultimately reduce the amount of total

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16th November 2021

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