Employment Law

In the UK around 12 million people are “under saving” for their retirement or not putting aside anywhere near the amount that they need in order to live comfortably in their later years. Pension schemes have always been available to employees, however the Government have realised that not enough is being done to encourage individuals […]

The Christmas party should be a great event at which colleagues can let their hair down and get together for a night of eating, drinking, singing and dancing that would rival David Brent himself. However, what happens if somebody goes too far? What is the employer’s liability in respect of a Christmas party faux pas? […]

In February 2013, the Government invited views on how the system for shared parental leave (and pay) should operate. Changes had been delayed after Conservative ministers urged the Liberal Democrats to make proposals more business-friendly. On 29 November 2013 the Government responded to its Consultation on the Administration of Shared Parental Leave and Pay. The […]

According to current news reports severe weather is on its way this winter. If and when it hits, it can cause a number of issues for employers and their employees regarding pay, leave, health and safety and employment rights. British weather can range from brutal winds and flash floods to black ice and relentless snow. […]

Earlier this year, the High Court had to decide on an application for interim relief in a case that will provide comfort to employers about their ability to prevent employees and ex-employees from using the employer’s social media databases to gain an unfair competitive advantage for the employer’s competitors. The facts of the case The […]

The final battle between Lord Sugar and Stella English has left the Apprentice star ‘over the moon’ that she has not had to pay the £50,000 legal costs after losing the claim against Sugar for constructive dismissal. Following the case from the beginning, the 2010 winner claimed the show was a sham after resigning from […]

This summer, the House of Lords accepted the proposal of introducing the employee-shareholder contract, after the Government agreed to make the necessary concessions to the Growth and Infrastructure Bill (http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2012-13/growthandinfrastructure.html). As my colleague Paul Kelly explained on 10 March 2013, under employee-shareholder contracts, the individual employee shareholder will now be given shares in the employer […]

Earlier this year, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) decided on a case, which is likely to have far reaching consequences for employers seeking to make multiple employees redundant over several different offices. The Case The case in question (one of two linked cases) was called USDAW v Woolworths and concerned employees who had been made […]

I was involved with a case earlier this year (HMRC Commissioners v Whiteley) which involved the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) considering what approach should be taken by employers in making adjustments for employees that suffer from conditions which have a close interaction with day-to-day afflictions. The Circumstances of the Case The EAT hearing related to an […]

Those of you who read my blogs with enthusiasm will recall that I have been avidly following the case brought against Lord Sugar by his former “Apprentice”, Stella English. As I suggested previously, Lord Alan Sugar is pursuing the unsuccessful English for his legal costs of around £35,000, following her failed constructive dismissal case against […]

Earlier this month the Defence Secretary, Phillip Hammond, published a white paper setting out his plans to support the UK’s armed forces reservists and drive up the numbers of reservists. The paper (called ‘Reserves in the Future Force 2020’) sets out various incentives that will be offered to reservists, reservists’ families and reservists’ employers alongside […]

The Extremes of Whistleblowing Googling ‘Edward Snowden’ will reveal that the news pages are littered with stories and updates on the world’s most controversial whistleblower.  This whole affair has brought about significant debate regarding civil liberties in the US Recent UK Changes It must be purely coincidental that changes have just been introduced which could […]