With employment tribunal claims rapidly soaring, HM Judiciary plans to start a recruitment campaign this summer, to hire over 50 employment judges to keep up with growing caseloads. In 2013, the Government introduced fees for starting a claim in an employment tribunal or submitting an appeal to … [Read more...]
The Election 2017 – Manifesto’s and Employment Law
With June the 8th General Election looming, Political Parties are reiterating their Manifestos in the hope of attracting Voters. By nature, these are large documents, and as such your key points of concern are not always easy to pinpoint. Below we have outlined where the two lead party's stand in … [Read more...]
Can you ask your employees not to speak their native language in the workplace?
With many businesses having a diverse workforce of different cultures and nationality, where do you legally stand with employees who choose to speak their native language or indeed a foreign language whilst at work? Is it unreasonable to ask them not to?While most employers recognise the benefits of … [Read more...]
Disability Awareness for Employees – Is this the Employer’s Responsibility?
A long running case brought by a wheelchair user in Yorkshire against a bus company, FirstGroup Plc v Paulley concluded earlier this year. However, a lot of criticism was placed on the bus company as the employer for their actions. So why was this?Background:In February 2012, Mr Paulley was unable … [Read more...]
The Importance of Exit Interviews
A disruptive and unproductive employee tenders their resignation, at last, you may say. A week later a model employee also tenders their resignation. Why? you may ask yourself. So, you take the opportunity to have a chat with this employee to understand their reasons for leaving as it has come as a … [Read more...]
Controversial yet arguably unsurprising sacking of Leicester City Manager Claudio Ranieri
Following the some what controversial yet arguably unsurprising sacking of Leicester City Manager Claudio Ranieri, regardless of your opinion on Leicester City, Claudio or football it raises the issue of where an employer stands in the circumstance of dismissing an individual on the grounds of poor … [Read more...]
Restrictive Covenants in Employment – Security blanket or not worth the paper they are written on?
Employment restrictive covenants are widely used in an attempt to protect the interests of a business, but many employers come unstuck when they try to enforce their contractual restrictive covenants because they are being used too widely! General rule for Employment Restrictive CovenantAs a general … [Read more...]
As an employer it is legal to ask women to wear heels in the workplace?
There has been much discussion following Nicola Thorp's debate with Piers Morgan during Good Morning Brittan, regarding her recent dismissal from a London Accountancy firm, for failure to comply to their somewhat extensive dress code.Sent home for not wearing heels in the workplaceNicola was sent … [Read more...]
How can the recruitment process be improved?
An efficient recruitment process demonstrates a good ethical and business practice, which will help develop a positive reputation for the Company and recruit the right person for the role, whether you advertise in the local newspaper or online. The law requires employers not to discriminate during … [Read more...]
12 Tips to help make sure you are making Redundancies Fairly
When making employees redundant, you have to make sure that the redundancy selection process is fair, otherwise, you could leave yourself exposed to a costly employment tribunal claim.Retaining the right people with the right skills, attitude and experience are crucial in a redundancy situation. … [Read more...]
Uber Ruling – Is It The Right Decision For The Self-Employed?
Uber drivers have been classified as Workers following a London tribunal hearing. What this means is that around 40,000 drivers working across England and Wales are now entitled to being paid the national minimum wage, holiday pay and paid rest breaks.What does the GMB Union think?Whilst the GMB … [Read more...]
National Living Wage – A Double Edged Sword?
The National Living Wage (also known as NLW), (not to be confused with the Real Living Wage which employers can choose to pay on a voluntary basis), was introduced in April 2016 and was set at a rate of £7.20 per hour for all workers aged 25 and over with a projection of it increasing to £9.00 per … [Read more...]
What should you consider when employing students?
Students and young workers can be a popular choice for employers when hiring. This is even more transparent in University towns where students are in high numbers amongst applicants for both part-time and casual work. Although there are great advantages to employing students, and employers may feel … [Read more...]
New Prime Minister, New Cabinet, New Departments, New Approach?
When the new Prime Minister was appointed, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Department for Energy and Climate change were merged to form the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Along with the Prime Minister, Alex Chisholm was subsequently … [Read more...]
Uncomfortable Employee Performance Discussions
You are faced with a situation where one of your line managers is hesitant to tackle a performance discussion with one of their employees - how do you manage the situation you may ask? Simple response, deal with it and don’t let it fester!Some managers fear how an employee may react to a discussion … [Read more...]