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Flexible working requests update

George Miller
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A recent story caught the headlines because the Employment Tribunal upheld the decision of the Financial Conduct Authority that an employee should not be allowed to work entirely from home. The employee had been working from home since the beginning of...

Employers, would you benefit from a free employment contract review?

Shola Khan
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Employers, we are still regularly coming across contracts of employment that are not compliant with the changes to employment legislation that were introduced in April 2020. If a case ends up in the employment tribunal and you have issued non-compliant...

A guide to calculating holiday entitlement & pay

Shola Khan
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With the new changes to the Working Time Regulations (introduced on 1 January 2024), we thought now would be a good time to recap on the basics of calculating holiday entitlement and pay. The changes are supposed to have made details of holiday entitlement...

New duties on employers to prevent sexual harassment at work

George Miller
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A new law has recently been passed that will place a legal duty on employers to take “reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment at work. The duty will come into force in October 2024, giving employers time to review what they are already...

Government's response is released in relation to consultations on retained EU Employment Law

Laura Hill
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The Government has confirmed how they intend to deal with various retained EU employment law issues, including: There will be an introduction of “rolled-up” holiday pay, which enables workers who work irregular hours or part time hours to...

Are you calculating holiday pay correctly?

Shola Khan
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There has recently been an important case ( Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland v Agnew ) in relation to holiday pay in the Supreme Court.  The case is outlined below but shows that a gap of 3 months between underpayments does not...

Banker is fairly dismissed for trying to claim for partner's sandwich

Laura Hill
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Citibank has successfully defended an unfair dismissal claim by an employee who was dismissed for claiming expenses for sandwiches and coffee for his partner. The Claimant brought his unfair dismissal claim against the bank after he was dismissed for gross...

New rules for Flexible Working requests

George Miller
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This week, Parliament passed legislation that will change how employers need to deal with flexible working requests and simplifies the process for employees. The key changes are: Employers cannot refuse a request without consulting with the employee; ...

Searching staff for hidden cameras

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Many employers are concerned about staff covertly filming footage from, for example, inside factories which may show confidential information or misrepresent their activities.  We are often asked by employers whether they can search employees for such...

Government intends to impose limits on post termination restrictions

George Miller
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The Government has published a policy paper  setting out various changes it intends to make to the law following Brexit. One of these changes has caught the eye of employment lawyers – they intend to limit the duration of any non-compete clauses...

New Anti-Strike Laws: A Lawyers View

George Miller
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With the government set to introduce new strike laws, employment lawyer at Roythornes Solicitors, George Miller discusses what this actually means for unions and employers. "Strikes are a public right in the UK and recent industrial action has led...

How to Start a Redundancy Process

Desley Sherwin
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Redundancy can be necessary for a wide variety of reasons, but many employers find it difficult or simply don’t know how to start. From the redundancy selection process to communication and execution, there are many things you need to know in order to...

New Proof of Sickness Time Period

Laura Hill
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In order to free up GPs to help with the booster roll out, from today, if an employee starts sick leave between 10 December 2021 and 26 January 2022, they are not required to provide medical evidence of sickness absences for Statutory Sick Pay purposes until...

Flexible Working Requests

Shola Khan
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With the end of the furlough scheme, there is no doubt that people might be re-thinking their working arrangements, whether that be working from home or a hybrid between working from home and in the office. Please note that this note does not cover...

No Covid Vaccination, No Job...?

Desley Sherwin
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About a year ago, the hot topic in employment law was the new Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme that we all got to know and love as the furlough scheme.  The hot topic currently is the debate about mandatory vaccination. At the time of writing,...

EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement - Short Term Work in the UK

Desley Sherwin
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With the Brexit/Withdrawal Agreement coming into effect, freedom of movement between the EU and UK has ended. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens entering the UK for work purposes may need to apply for a visa through the UK’s points-based immigration system....

'Good Work Plan' Update - 6 April 2020

Desley Sherwin
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The main provisions of the Good Work Plan come into effect today. Firstly, a reminder of what had already been implemented previously: Two changes took effect on 6 April 2019: All employees and workers became entitled to an itemised payslip setting out...

Homeworking - The New Normal?

Desley Sherwin
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In ordinary times, the proportion of workers in the UK who work entirely or mainly from home is relatively low. We find ourselves in something of an extraordinary time when the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic has resulted in the majority of non- key...

Good Work Plan Update

Desley Sherwin
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With less than two months to go before the main provisions of the Good Work Plan come into effect, it’s time to make sure you have everything ready. Firstly, a reminder of what has already been implemented: Two changes took effect on 6 April 2019: ...

Ethical Veganism Recognised as a Philosophical Belief

Laura Hill
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Last week, an Employment Tribunal ruled that ethical veganism constitutes a philosophical belief and ethical vegans stand to be protected by the Equality Act 2010 (“EqA 2010”). The case of Casamitjana v League Against Cruel Sports. The law ...

The Good Work Plan

Desley Sherwin
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In the same time as it takes to boil an egg, let me present an overview of "the biggest package of workplace reforms for over twenty years". Following an independent review of employment practices undertaken by Matthew Taylor - the Head of...

Workers' Rights to Itemised Payslips

Desley Sherwin
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With effect from 6 April 2019, all workers (not just employees) will have the right to receive an itemised pay statement. This will include, for example, workers on zero-hours contracts. Employers are currently required to keep a sufficient record of...

Adverse Weather and Travel Disruption Policies

Laura Hill
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Bad weather and issues with travel arrangements can cause significant amounts of disruption to a business and employers are often put in a position where they have to decide at the last minute what to do to adapt working arrangements to ensure that...

Review of GLAA Licensing Regime

Phil Cookson
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The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) has recently launched a consultation on its Licensing Standards. Whilst the GLAA still covers the same regulated sectors (agriculture, horticulture, shellfish gathering and associated packaging and...