We may not think so, but an increasing number of companies are taking steps to prevent their employees from emailing out of hours. In recent years, particularly with the development of new smartphone technology, there has been increased pressure on staff and an expectation that employees will continue to engage with Read more…
It is relatively common for an employer to have redeployment opportunities arising from a restructure. However, difficult issues can arise in practice where the employee at risk of redundancy suffers from a disability which might disadvantage them during the redeployment selection process. How far must an employer go in adjusting Read more…
With 300 million users of LinkedIn, 1.28 billion active Facebook accounts and 500 million tweets per day, the statistics speak for themselves: social media has revolutionised the way that individuals and businesses are communicating. Whilst the value of social media to businesses cannot be underestimated – it is a relatively Read more…
Paying a flat rate for sleepovers in the care industry is common practice, but as two recent cases highlight, doing so could be unlawful. The National Minimum Wage (“NMW”) is not a new concept: it was introduced in 1999 by the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 and the supporting National Read more…
It is a common misconception that you are either, self-employed, employed or unemployed. But the wonderful and mysterious thing that is employment law recognises another category of employment status: the worker. Employees are the most protected category and self-employed people have virtually no employment rights. Indeed it is a strange Read more…
Rarely is a decision made in a case that has the potential to affect every single employer in the country. The decision of the European Court of Justice in Lock v British Gas is one of those decisions. If you are an employer who pays any form of commission, overtime, Read more…
It is well known that, under the Equality Act 2010, an employer is under a duty to make reasonable adjustments in relation to a disabled person. It is less well known what this means in practice and when the duty actually applies. The purpose of the duty is to assist Read more…
Flexible working is not a new concept and in fact, it has become more prevalent within businesses across the UK over recent years as employers seek to promote a good “work life balance”. At present, there is nothing to stop any employee from approaching their employer and requesting to work Read more…
6 April is the point in the year when the Government brings into force most employment law changes. 2014 is no different and I have summarised some of the key changes coming into force below: Mandatory pre-claim conciliation As I explained in my last blog the provisions relating to the requirement for Claimants Read more…
Conciliation is not a new concept: for many years employers and employees have had access to a voluntary conciliation and arbitration service, known as “ACAS”, to assist them (should they request it) with resolving employment disputes before they find themselves in front of an Employment Tribunal. So what’s changing? As Read more…