Follow Us
Category Archives: Employment
Helping Employers Avoid a Constructive Dismissal Claim
Constructive dismissal has become “sexy” following the highly publicised tribunal decision in the case of Stella English v Amshold Group Limited. Miss English (2010 winner of The Apprentice), brought a claim of constructive dismissal against Lord Sugar’s company stating that she had no choice but to resign as she had no real role at the
Retirement – essential steps for a smooth transition
With the announcement that football management royalty, Sir Alex Ferguson, will be hanging up his gaffer’s hat and settling down to a life of retired bliss, my thoughts turned to the employment aspects of retirement and how an organisation can support an employee during this period. Unless it can be objectively justified by your organisation it
Employee shareholder legislation – third time lucky?
Following three re-drafts by the Government, a consensus was reached on employee shareholder legislation. Last week the House of Lords and the Government agreed on wording of the Growth and Infrastructure Bill which introduced a new employment status – employee shareholder. First proposed by the Chancellor George Osborne at the Conservative Party Conference last October,
Should you have a social media policy?
The potential employment risks around social media was highlighted this month after the resignation of the first Youth Police and Crime Commissioner, Paris Brown, following racist tweets on her Twitter account. Although the tweets were sent before she applied for and accepted the job, they were there to be scrutinised by her future employers and
Disability Discrimination – A Weighty Issue
We are often asked by employers to advise on disability discrimination. Equality Act 2010 states ‘a person has a disability if he has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal day to day activities’. Long term means the impairment has lasted,
Internal Discplinary Procedures – Getting It Right
The case of Christou(C) and Ward(W) v Haringey Council focused on internal disciplinary procedures and involved an appeal to the Court of Appeal by 2 social workers. They were found to be at fault in the handling of the Baby P case. C was a team leader responsible for a number of social workers, including
Shared Parental Leave – Children and Families Bill
In February 2013, the Children and Families Bill was introduced in the House of Commons. It implements, among other things, the family-friendly proposals contained in the government’s Consultation on Modern Workplaces. The Bill will introduce a new system of shared parental leave. Under this system, an eligible mother will continue to receive 52 weeks’ maternity
Dealing with workplace sickness absence
In 2011 a review of workplace sickness absence was carried out by Dame Carol Black, the Government’s national director for health and work, and David Frost, director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce. The Government has responded to that review by announcing that it will introduce a new independent assessment and advisory service in order
Employment law 2013, 6 things you need to know
2013 is shaping up to be another busy year for employment lawyers and HR professionals alike. With a raft of changes expected, we have summarised the most important, and will of course keep you updated throughout the year with regular blogs and tweets. 1. From 1st February: - the Unfair dismissal compensation award limit will increase
Facebook – Employment Advice & Disciplinary Action
The rise in the use of social media in both business and in private is stratospheric. Often the lines between what is work related and what is truly ‘private’ can become blurred however. Employees have been dismissed because of inappropriate comments (which have amounted to bullying and harassment) being posted on Facebook about colleagues, or
