News & commentary

On this page you will find the latest news on employment law, HR and health & safety matters. They are updated regularly and you will find new content here on a weekly basis.

Latest news & commentary

03 April 2012

Employment law changes - April 2012

It is that time of year again and we thought we thought it prudent to remind our readers of the changes coming into effect this Friday, 6 April 2012.[...]
28 October 2011

‘Protected Conversations’ & other possible reforms

The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, has recently announced proposals designed to reduce bureaucracy in the workplace, including the notion of "protected conversations" which could not be referred to in any subsequent tribunals. [...]
16 September 2011

Ministry of justice hopping mad over false leg blunder

An English offender has found a novel way of getting round a court-imposed tagging order − by having security officers tag his false leg.[...]
02 September 2011

New guide in the client area

Until April 2011 an employee could be automatically retired when they reached the age of 65. Given that the transitional arrangements end on 30 September 2011, our guide runs through the implications of working without the Default Retirement Age.[...]
19 August 2011

Ignorance of tribunal time limits

Tribunals traditionally have enforced time limits in relation to the lodging of claims very strictly. [...]
10 August 2011

Riot guidance for concerned employers

The recent rioting across the UK has affected many businesses, raising a number of HR and health & safety concerns for employers. We thought that it would be helpful to provide you with some guidelines on the difficult issues that may arise as a consequence.[...]
26 July 2011

Women made redundant so "they can stay at home and look after the children"

An Italian engineering firm has provoked outrage by openly acknowledging that during a recent redundancy procedure the roles selected for redundancy were only those belonging to women.[...]
22 July 2011

Employer liable for harassment by a child in its care

It is well known that the Equality Act provides that an employer will be liable in certain circumstances where a third party harasses one of its employees.[...]
18 July 2011

Disability discrimination costs firm almost £400K

A man dismissed from his job following a stroke has been awarded nearly £400,000 in compensation for disability discrimination.[...]
21 June 2011

Ooooh Matron!

Doctors and nurses could face disciplinary action if they wear clothes exposing their ''midriff'' or ''excessive cleavage'' which will come as unwelcome news to those needing a little cheering up after surgery.[...]
16 June 2011

Employing European Workers – closure of the Worker Registration Scheme

Under regulations introduced in May 2004, most workers from any of the eight EU accession countries (Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia or Slovenia) had to register with the Home Office under the Worker Registration Scheme if they planned to work in the UK for longer than one month. This scheme closed on 30 th April 2011.[...]
07 June 2011

New policy in the client area

Clients can now access our new Business Gifts, Anti-Corruption and Bribery policy in the client area of the website.[...]
03 June 2011

Employee sending offensive email from home is dismissed fairly

It should be obvious to most employees that the outcome of emailing offensive images or jokes within the workplace is potential dismissal.[...]
24 May 2011

Exams, iPods and the Equality Act

One lucky school pupil was granted permission to listen to music on her iPod while sitting school exams, it has been reported.[...]
18 May 2011

Modern workplaces consultation launched

The Coalition Government has just published a consultation document on its plans for flexible and family friendly working patterns.[...]
26 April 2011

Wife sues husband over unpaid wages

The Aberdeen employment tribunal has recently had to wrestle with a somewhat unusual set of circumstances when a wife sued her husband for reneging on an agreement to pay her £3000 a month to manage his dental surgery.[...]
15 April 2011

No liability where dismissing manager ignorant of facts

In an unfair dismissal case involving misconduct, a tribunal will take into account all the circumstances, including provocation directed at the employee, in determining whether a dismissal was reasonable in the circumstances.[...]
31 March 2011

Review of long-term sickness absence launched

A major review of long-term sickness absence has been established by the government in an attempt to reduce the £100 billion annual cost to the economy.[...]