January 16, 2019
In December 2018, the government announced the ‘Good Work Plan’. This forms part of the government’s response to Matthew Taylor’s Review of Modern Working Practices. Greg Clark, the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary described the changes as the “largest upgrade in a generation to workplace rights”. In 2016 the government set up a commission chaired…
View Post
January 8, 2019
2018 saw a significant increase in referrals to the Information Commissioner and fines doubled – even under the old legislation. The penalties are higher under the new legislation. Plus there’s the risk of you being made vicariously liable for your employee’s actions. With this in mind, now is undoubtedly the time to revisit the adequacy…
View Post
January 3, 2019
A significant number of clients are telling us about letters they’ve received from the Home Office. These threaten to “name and shame” them for failure to meet legal obligations under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 if they don’t comply by 31st March 2019. The UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 – what are the requirements? This…
View Post
December 21, 2018
If your work Christmas party was a bit of a blur, you’re not alone. New research reveals over 25% of workers were so drunk at their work Christmas party, they couldn’t remember getting home. The survey of over 1,000 adults, carried out by Moorepay, also found that over 25% planned to have more than 10 alcoholic…
View Post
December 17, 2018
When thinking about how you should prepare for your work Christmas party it’s important to have a clear understanding of your roles and responsibilities as an employer. Whilst rules may relax when the drinks are flowing, there’s very clear guidance in employment law that you as an employer are vicariously liable for the behaviour of…
View Post
November 30, 2018
We have stocked up on grit for our driveways, had snow tyres fitted on our cars and stockpiled the fridge within hours of the Met Office issuing a weather warning that snow is forecast. But while most of us agree that snow is picturesque, adverse weather conditions can have a catastrophic effect on businesses that do not have…
View Post
November 26, 2018
Christmas may be ‘the most wonderful time of the year’, but for many employers it can be a time-consuming and administrative nightmare. With an influx of annual leave requests, increased employee absence levels and coordinating Christmas rotas it can be difficult for employers to keep track of it all. Plus there’s the pressure of organising the…
View Post
October 3, 2018
The term ‘flexible working’ is becoming a popular one. But what actually is it? Who is doing it? How are requests made? And must you agree to a flexible working request? What is flexible working? Flexible working is a way of working that suits an employee’s needs. It might involve an earlier or later start…
View Post
September 10, 2018
Organisations should treat any form of harassment seriously – not just because of the legal implications and because it can lead to under-performance, but because people have the right to be treated with dignity and respect at work too. Employers should foster a fair and inclusive working environment that enables everyone to feel they can…
View Post
August 28, 2018
In July 2017, the Government launched a national survey of LGBT people. The survey received more than 108,000 responses, making it the largest national survey of its kind anywhere in the world. Some of the most important findings: 23% of survey respondents employed in the 12 months preceding the survey had experienced a negative or mixed reaction…
View Post
August 15, 2018
The National Minimum Wage (NMW) celebrates its 20-year anniversary in April 2019, but age and the NMW has been an issue in the media for a very different reason. The Odeon cinema chain, Card Factory and ten sports clubs were among more than 200 employers named-and-shamed by the Government for failing to pay the national…
View Post
August 13, 2018
Home Office research published at the end of July reveals that modern slavery costs the UK economy an estimated £4 billion annually. Consequently, the Government has announced an independent review of its 2015 Modern Slavery Act. This is to ensure that what it describes as “world-first legislation” keeps in step with this evolving crime. But surely slavery ended with the Abolition of Slave…
View Post