Category: Employment

Heather Love May 2022

Hot Desking Policy - What you need to know

This Hot Desking Policy outlines guidelines for allocating working spaces among employees on an ad hoc and temporary basis. As a company, by hot desking we are able to save space and costs when employees use desks at different times, depending on their working pattern. The company has established guidelines set out in this policy to ensure that hot desking, or desk sharing, works efficiently.

Heather Love Apr 2022

COVID – 19 in the workplace

New guidance recently issued by HSE, UKHSA and the ICO signals a relaxation of COVID -19 restrictions with the workplace going through a transition process to return it to pre-pandemic times. However, whilst most will be relieved to see life return to something close to “normal”, the risk of infection has not completely vanished, which means that everyone shares some responsibility to reduce the risk of spreading infections. Under the new advice, COVID-19’s significance is downgraded. The new goal is to reduce the spread of any respiratory infection, which includes COVID -19.

Heather Love Apr 2022

Performance Development Reviews – Key Points for Employers

Every year, companies have the arduous task of carrying out performance development reviews for the staff.

Heather Love Apr 2022

Employment Law Changes April 2022

1 April 2022 – National Minimum Wage will increase

 The NLW and NMW rates from 1 April 2022 are:

David Seals Mar 2022

How did the Spring Statement affect the employment sector?

The Spring Statement that is fast becoming known as the “is that it?” statement certainly could have been worse. But, the tone was set right at the start as Chancellor Rishi Sunak reminded us of the grim backdrop of the war in Ukraine in amongst a slower-than-planned recovery post-pandemic. While many said not enough was done to help struggling families, businesses too look to be baring an ongoing struggle. 

Richard Clapham Mar 2022

The Spring Statement 2022: At a glance

The Chancellor Rishi Sunak has just delivered his long-awaited Spring Statement, with many holding out hopes for a brighter future as the cost of living continues to increase.

Richard Clapham Mar 2022

Spring Statement is the chance for Sunak to step up

The country really is in quite a predicament. The cost of living is skyrocketing, taxes have been raised to their highest point in 70 years, thousands of pounds are being added to heating bills and more people than ever are facing the choice between eating and heating.

Heather Love Feb 2022

What does “Living With Covid” mean for employers?

The Government has now released plans as to how society needs to move forward from the Covid-19 pandemic, including the relaxation of isolation rules and charging for covid testing. But what will it mean for employers?

Keith Potter Feb 2022

Company Directors: The Problems caused by Informality and Lack of Records

A recent case in the Employment Appeal Tribunal illustrates the type of dispute that is so often seen within small companies, frequently but not always family-owned ones. Such disputes occur where there is a complete lack of documentation recording the nature of the relationship between the directors and the company.

Heather Love Feb 2022

Covid continues to cause disparity

Just last week, we reported how John Lewis had leveled the playing field, publicly stating the company had no intention of penalising unvaccinated staff who were required to isolate due to being a close contact. Meanwhile,  other companies were stating that they would be paying unvaccinated staff only Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) as opposed to their full pay. But it looks as though new Covid disparities  are rising to the surface. In a recent blog we advised that a Manchester Employment Tribunal had held that employees cannot use a fear of catching Covid-19 as a reason not to return to working from the office on grounds that it is a ‘philosophical belief’ protected by the Equality Act 2010. However, we have now learned of a tribunal decision that the dismissal of an employee who refused to return to the office during the pandemic was automatically unfair. The clear message is what will be deemed fair or unfair or within or outside the remit of the law by a tribunal will be fact specific.