Christmas is upon us, and the magic is in the air. Employees are eager with anticipation for a chance to let loose at the upcoming office party, while managers, including HR, are on edge. While employees plot spiking the eggnog,…
Some misbehaviour at office social events is usually tolerated, but workplace rules continue to apply and those who go over the top can be lawfully dismissed. Exactly that happened in one case where a bank worker punched a colleague in…
In a warning to expatriate workers that the small print of their employers’ insurance policies needs careful perusal before they move abroad, the widow of an IT specialist discovered that her husband was not covered when he died in a…
The Department for Work and Pensions has published a guidance note for employers on the new Fit for Work service (FFW). The service will be introduced on a phased basis and is due to be completed by May 2015. In…
Given IT developments, it is now possible for employees working for British businesses to work remotely from other countries. Businesses that use remote workers in other countries should take note of an Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) decision which examined the…
Two devoutly Roman Catholic midwives who refused to take even supervisory roles in the termination of pregnancies have failed to convince the Supreme Court that their NHS employer trampled on their right to conscientiously object. The women pointed to the…
Following the introduction of Employment Tribunal (ET) fees in July 2013, the UK's largest public service trade union, Unison, supported by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, brought judicial review proceedings challenging the lawfulness of the new regime on the…
Following a consultation seeking ways to prevent the abuse of zero hours contracts whilst also maximising opportunities both for employers seeking to create jobs and for individuals to obtain work that suits them, the Government has announced that it will…
Businesses that use flexi-time schemes should take note of a recent EAT judgment that an employee, who was not paid on termination of employment for over 1000 extra hours worked under a flexi-hours scheme, had not suffered an unlawful deduction…
Businesses should be made aware of a number of changes to employment law that will take effect on 6 April 2014. These include: Employment tribunals will be given the power to impose a financial penalty on employers who lose at…
