If you haven’t run a thorough safety check on your doors in the past few years, this recent story might shock you. In a traumatic turn of events, a four-year-old primary school pupil’s fingers were trapped in a toilet door, resulting in partial amputation. The board of governors pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act etc. 1974 and was fined £4,000 plus costs of £1,750. Where did the school go wrong and what can you do to prevent…
With the number of sexual harassment cases currently in the news, you may be under the impression that such claims and allegations only occur in Hollywood, the media or Parliament, but think again. These cases may well be prominent, and have highlighted issues that may or may not be prevalent in the workplace, but is your business or organisation protected? And do you have the right support/policies in place? A UK-wide problem Recent media exposure of film directors such as Harvey Weinstein, actors such as…
Following the ruling removing tribunal fees for claimants, we’re taking an in-depth look at four key questions the ruling raises. In this fourth-and-final blog from Employer Services Manager Andy Weir, we look at the potential consequences for employment law adjudication post-Brexit: 4. With Britain’s most senior Judge Lord Neuberger requesting more clarity from the Government about how UK law will be developed after Brexit, will previous ECJ rulings be interpreted for these claims? The Great Repeal Bill is likely to be “one of the largest…
A new legal precedent has been set across Europe following a ruling that employees are allowed a certain amount of privacy when sending and receiving workplace emails. The case, heard in the European Court of Human Rights, originally relates to a Romanian engineer who was dismissed in 2007 for exchanging messages on an office account about his sexual health with his fiancée. The ECHR judges agreed that the Romanian courts had not struck a “fair balance” between the worker’s right to a private life and…
Following the recent ruling removing tribunal fees for claimants, we’re taking an in-depth look at four key questions the ruling raises. In this third blog from Employer Services Manager Andy Weir, we look at the knock-on effects for the ACAS Early Conciliation Scheme: 3. How will Acas handle a ‘flood’ of demand for the Early Conciliation Service, especially when it is already considered (in some quarters) to be under-resourced? We are hearing unofficial and unconfirmed reports that certain Employment Tribunal offices have seen an increase…
Disgruntled, frustrated and even furious are feelings most employees will experience at some point in their careers. Yet, when they bring such feeling to the attention of their superiors, many managers panic for fear of falling foul of employment law or other repercussions. Often, all the employee wants is to be listened to or given an opportunity to speak. If managers are prepared and deal with the issues in the correct way they can be solved quickly and effectively, meaning employees are unlikely to raise…
Following the recent ruling removing tribunal fees for claimants, we’re taking an in-depth look at four key questions the ruling raises. In this second blog from Employer Services Manager Andy Weir, we look at early trends in the market that could point to longer-term changes as a result of the decision: 2. Will we see an increase in historic, ordinarily out-of-time cases brought because employees were denied justice due to the (un)affordability of the unlawful fee regime? Over the years the now-unlawful employment tribunal fee…
Absenteeism is having a big impact on profitability at UK small and medium enterprises (SMEs), according to 71% of firms questioned in our latest absence survey. The research found many UK SMEs are experiencing higher than average absenteeism in their business. According to the Office for National Statistics, the average number of sick days for a UK employee is 4.3 days a year – yet almost half (49%) of small business owners said staff take more than five days off each year. And for 1-in-7…
Following the recent ruling removing tribunal fees for claimants, we're taking an in-depth look at four key questions the ruling raises. In this first blog from Employer Services Manager Andy Weir, we look at early trends in the market that could point to longer-term changes as a result of the decision: 1. When should we expect to see the ‘flood’ of new cases from this ‘burst dam’ (if it happens at all)? This question is very difficult to answer at this point, yet as recently…
We’re about to hit peak holiday season in the UK, so how can employers manage an influx of holiday requests to minimise the risk of disgruntled employees? Understanding leave entitlement In most cases employees are entitled to 28 days holiday a year, often referred to as annual leave, details of which are specified in the employee’s contract of employment or hand book. Sometimes overlooked are the other types of leaves such as Unpaid Leave, Exceptional Leave and Special Leave. What is central in the granting…
