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New Flexible Working rules from 6th April 2024
With effect from 6th April 2024 all employees, regardless of their length of service, will have the right to request flexible working. The Flexible Working (Amendment) Regulations 2023, which were published last December, make it clear that flexible working will, for...
How should you deal with time off to donate blood?
Many employees choose to donate blood. Blood donation centres generally open beyond normal office hours so it is arguable that employees should not need to take any time off work in order to donate blood. However, what should you do if you are faced with a request...
The importance of early consultation with the workforce in redundancy situations
A recent Employment Appeal Tribunal decision reminds employers that it is important to share redundancy proposals with the workforce at an early stage. Failure to do so could make any resulting dismissals unfair. In Joseph de Bank Haycocks v ADP RPO UK Limited, the...
Payroll department get a short lie-in on New Year’s Day
The government has announced the outcome of its consultation on holiday pay entitlement and calculations for management of EU and domestic regulations
Employee Monitoring
Taking employee monitoring to a whole new level, LBC have reported that a boss in Spain was arrested after a tracker was planted on the car of an employee as part of a long-running row over sick leave. The employee unexpectedly discovered the GPS device, planted on...
Dismissal occurs when it is communicated – even if the communication is in error
A recent tribunal case provides a useful reminder that, when someone is fired, it counts from the moment they are told by their boss. Usually, this happens in a meeting or a letter that clearly says that employment is being terminated. But what if someone just gets a...
TUC to partner with leading employment lawyers, academics, politicians and technologists to fill legislative gap in AI regulation at work
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has launched a new AI task force and is calling for new legislation to safeguard workers’ rights and to make sure Artificial Intelligence (AI) benefits all. It is putting together a group of specialists with the aim of drafting and...
Government publishes response to proposal on reforming paternity leave and pay
The government has published a response to a 2019 consultation on proposals for reforming parental leave and pay. The response sets out substantive changes to paternity leave which will be implemented in due course: Employed fathers and partners will be able to take...
An introduction to the different types of disability discrimination
The legal rules relating to disability discrimination in employment are set out in the Equality Act 2010. There are six different types of disability discrimination covered by the Equality Act 2010: Direct Discrimination: This happens when an employer treats someone...
Guidance on the use of anonymised statements in disciplinary investigations
When employers are dealing with misconduct allegations, it's crucial to conduct a thorough investigation. In some cases, witnesses who are interviewed as part of an investigation will ask to remain anonymous. How might this impact on the fairness of any resulting...
Introduction of variable working pattern was indirect sex discrimination but could be justified on the facts
In the recent case of Dobson v Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, the respondent changed its work schedules, requiring the claimant, a community nurse and mother of three (with two disabled children), to work different days and weekends. The claimant couldn’t...
Three ways discrimination can occur even where the employee does not have the relevant protected characteristic
UK discrimination laws identify nine specific characteristics that it's illegal to discriminate on the grounds of: age, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy, disability, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. It’s important to...
Part-time workers rights
In the UK, part-time workers have a number of legal protections to make sure they are treated fairly and not less favourably than comparable full-time workers: The Part-time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000 is the key piece of...