This is the latest in a series of blogs about the so-called “gig economy” and the rise in flexible jobs which do not neatly fall into any of the existing definition of employment status. In a move to address this issue the Government commissioned the Taylor report which has recently been published. Read more…
This is essentially the principle that came out of the case of Whittlestone v BJP Home Support Limited. The Case In this case, Mrs Whittlestone was employed as a care worker. She was paid £6.35 per hour for all time that she spent providing care to a service user. She Read more…
Well publicised cases (such as that of Uber) involving what is fast becoming known as the “gig economy” have brought into sharp focus an issue which Employment Tribunals have been grappling with for sometime. The issue of employment status. Employment law entitles individuals to different legal rights and imposes different legal Read more…
Successful whistleblowing claims can attract heavy compensation for employers to bear, and do not require the claimant to have a minimum period of service. Employees who have made a ‘protected disclosure’ regarding their employer’s malpractices are protected from dismissal and detriment (which is unfavourable treatment short of dismissal). As such, Read more…
With the upcoming referendum now less than a month away (taking place on 23 June 2016), what are the potential implications for UK Employment Law of an exit from the EU and how much of the media coverage is fact or fiction? It is fair to say that there has Read more…
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) have recently made a decision in relation to the provision of childcare vouchers during maternity leave, which addresses a previously grey area of the law in relation to maternity rights. The fundamental position when it comes to maternity leave is that an employee is entitled to the benefit Read more…
Not necessarily, according to the recent Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) ruling in Kelly v Covance Laboratories Ltd, which will be of interest to employers with an increasingly diverse workforce. Covance Laboratories Ltd (R) operated animal testing in their laboratories and had been subject to unwelcome attention from animal rights activists including Read more…
You may recall the case of Chesterton which we discussed in our last blog about whistleblowing. In Chesterton the EAT considered the meaning of the “public interest” test. This test was inserted into the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (the Act) in the hopes it would prevent employees making allegations about Read more…
HR and people managers who regularly deal with disciplinary and grievance issues will be familiar with the situation where an employee requests to be accompanied to an internal hearing by someone who isn’t a trade union representative or work colleague. The usual position is that they do not have this right Read more…
Following on from the success of a previous popular blog on employer’s obligations to sleeping employees and whether it is permissible to pay a flat rate for sleep overs, this blog brings you the very latest on the issue. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has recently updated Read more…