HR Managers and in-house lawyers frequently face the task of navigating and protecting legal privilege. Issues around privilege often arise during internal investigations, data subject access requests and discussions of...more
Settlement agreements are a pragmatic and effective tool in resolving workplace disputes. The employee benefits from financial support and a dignified exit, and the employer achieves a clean break. However, when used...more
9/30/2022
/ Appeals ,
Business Disputes ,
Confidentiality Policies ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) ,
Harassment ,
HMRC ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
PILONs ,
Post Employment Notice Pay (PENPs) ,
Settlement Agreements ,
UK ,
Unfair Dismissal ,
Whistleblowers
On 31 August 2022, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (the “High Commissioner” or “OHCHR”) published its long-awaited Assessment of Human Rights Concerns in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China....more
Last week, the UK Supreme Court issued a significant holiday pay decision, Harpur Trust v Brazel, ruling that part-year workers (who only work certain weeks of the year) should not have their paid holiday entitlement...more
Most employers are now seeing staff return to the office for at least a portion of the working week. Most have chosen to do so gently and to rely on encouragement, reminders of the importance of in-person collegiality and...more
Many of you will have read the Sue Gray report published last week into the investigation into alleged gatherings of Number 10 staff on UK Government premises during Covid restrictions. It makes a sobering read...more
Following the removal of all domestic COVID restrictions and regulations, on 1 April 2022 the government issued new workplace public health guidance as part of its “Living with COVID” strategy. The guidance sets out new...more
Redundancy and consultation processes have made headlines this month after P&O Ferries made around 800 of its staff redundant with immediate effect via a pre-recorded video message....more
Key Takeaways for Employers -
The UK’s Court of Appeal has issued a significant holiday pay decision, Smith v Pimlico Plumbers [2022] EWCA Civ 70, ruling that workers who were misclassified as independent contractors can...more
2/24/2022
/ Appeals ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Digital Platforms ,
Employment Rights Act ,
EU ,
European Court of Justice (ECJ) ,
Gig Economy ,
Holiday Pay ,
Independent Contractors ,
Paid Leave ,
UK ,
UK Employment Appeal Tribunal
On-demand workers (“gig workers”) represent a growing portion of the global workforce. While the continued growth of this category presents opportunities for employers to recalibrate their workforce strategy, it also creates...more
Employers with 250 or more employees are required to report on the gender pay gap in their organisation by no later than 4 April each year. This is with the exception of the last two years, when the April 2020 reporting...more
Everybody loves a list at this time of year. With the end of year fast approaching, everyone is working through their gift lists, to-do lists and grocery lists for their holiday celebrations. For the 12 Days of Christmas,...more
12/16/2021
/ #MeToo ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Appeals ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Diversity ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Equality Act ,
HMRC ,
Long-Term Care ,
UK Employment Appeal Tribunal ,
Unpaid Leave
The festive season is almost upon us, bringing with it the (in)famous office holiday party. This event is a great opportunity for employers to reward hard work, strengthen team culture and blow off steam. Additionally, this...more
It is an understatement to say that much has changed in the employment space over the past 18 months. We have seen significant changes in employment legislation in response to the pandemic (most notably the furlough scheme,...more
As the “return to the office” push gathers steam, case law relating to the COVID-19 pandemic is now filtering through the UK’s Employment Tribunal system. The decisions made by employers in respect of staff who refused to...more
The UK Government has recently published its long-awaited response to its 2019 consultation on measures to combat sexual harassment in the workplace and strengthen existing legal protections.
Most significantly, the...more
One would assume if an employee were to openly use highly offensive racists slurs, unashamedly display Swastika tattoos, leave fake drugs on their desk, encourage children to physically abuse a colleague or urinate in public...more
What are the legal issues for employers to consider?
During the pandemic, many employers have been dealing with requests from employees to work abroad. With the move to remote working, employees have asked to work from...more
6/30/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Protection ,
Employment Contract ,
Foreign Workers ,
Income Taxes ,
Lawful Permanent Residents ,
Remote Working ,
Social Security ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
Visas ,
Workplace Safety
COVID-19 has had a profound impact across all workplaces and sectors, with a rise in unemployment, economic inactivity and redundancies. Several global studies have shown that women have been disproportionately impacted by...more
Many of our clients are increasingly faced with internal investigations, some with complex compliance or whistleblowing features. Our April client alert looks at some of the key considerations before embarking upon any...more
For some employers, widespread remote working this past year prompted by the COVID-19 lockdowns has radically revamped working practices and, as a consequence, how employees are assessed and managed.
One critical aspect...more
A huge thank you to all those who participated in our survey earlier this month on how your workplace has responded to the unique challenges presented by the pandemic for working parents and carers. As promised, we report...more
2020 was a year of exceptional change for employers and their staff. As the pandemic unfolded, businesses navigated their way through adjusting to a remote workforce to furloughing to creating COVID-secure workplaces and...more
1/29/2021
/ #MeToo ,
Audits ,
BEIS ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cybersecurity ,
Employment Tax ,
Equal Pay ,
EU ,
HMRC ,
Independent Contractors ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Relief Measures ,
Trade Agreements ,
UK ,
UK Brexit
A new Job Support Scheme has been announced in which the U.K. Government will top up the wages of employees working reduced hours due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
What is it?
The U.K. Chancellor Rishi Sunak has unveiled...more
HMRC has issued further guidance on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), including key changes to eligibility requirements. The Treasury has also issued a direction, which formally sets out the legal framework for the...more