Legal Insight: The implications of sacking a BNP member

In the summer of 2006, the Court of Appeal confirmed that Serco had acted lawfully in dismissing one of its mini-bus drivers, Arthur Redfearn, following his election onto the local council on behalf of the British National Party. But Redfearn subsequently took his case to the European Court of Human Rights.   He argued that […]

News: Christian demoted for gay marriage opposition wins breach of contract case

A Christian man who was demoted at work for posting his opposition to gay church weddings on Facebook has won a breach of contract lawsuit against his employer. Adrian Smith found himself in trouble with the Trafford Housing Trust after linking an article on the BBC News website entitled ‘Gay church marriages get go ahead’ […]

News: Sainsbury’s to pay £10,000 for wrongfully dismissing coffee drinker

Sainsbury's will have to pay out around £10,000 in lost earnings and severance pay to a worker whom it sacked after leaving the store for just two minutes to find money for a coffee. According to the Daily Mail, Steven Tyler, who had worked as a baker at the supermarket for 11 years before being […]

News: Employers unaware of fitness-to-drive responsibilities

A worrying number of employers are unaware that they have a shared responsibility to ensure that employees are fit to drive if doing so in the course of their work. According to a survey conducted among more than 200 employers by Specsavers Corporate Eyecare, however, 57% believe that responsibility for ensuring that their eyesight is […]

Ask the Expert: What holiday pay are staff entitled to if off sick?

The question I was looking through our sickness policy the other day and saw it stated that "when sickness absence is over four weeks, holiday pay will cease to accrue".   Further along, it also said that "if you fall sick during a time that has been booked for holiday, you will not be able […]

News: Mixed response to EC’s watering down of gender quota proposals

The European Commission’s decision to significantly water down plans for legally-binding quotas in order to boost the number of women on company boards has met with a mixed response. The original aim had been to impose strict 40% quotas on both executive and non-executive board positions within public companies.   Under the new proposals, however, […]

News: Flexible parental leave branded an “administrative nightmare”

Government plans to introduce flexible parental leave have been variously described as “disappointing” and an “administrative nightmare” for employers. The legislation, which is due to come into force in England, Scotland and Wales in 2015, will enable parents to share up to a year’s leave in order to look after their new-born children.   New […]

Relationship building – The power of feedback

Everyone has issues with people at work that make them angry, dissatisfied, annoyed or distracted such as a boss that doesn’t provide clear expectations or appreciation. Work can be a nightmare when relationships are in trouble.   Equally, there are pleasant teams where people are kind, respectful and cheerfully collude with ideas that are ultimately […]

News: Impact of flexible working extension will be “limited”, says lawyer

Government plans to extend flexible working rights to all employees in a bid to stop women being “locked out of the workplace” and boost GDP may have a “more limited” impact than expected, a lawyer has warned. The government estimates that the forthcoming changes will bring a net benefit of £222.5 million to employers as […]

Blog: Dealing with tax and the contractor issue

The BBC have recently announced their intention to review the type of contract they provide to their staff following a tax review.  Issuing the correct type of contract is important to avoid the heartache of tax implications for both employer and employee if it’s wrong.   The BBC currently have lots of staff who are […]

News: CIPD 2012 – Four ways to ensure positive industrial relations

Even with just a threat of industrial action, the stakes are high because people are forced to take sides, which is damaging for employee engagement and the credibility of the organisation and its managers. This was just one of the insights provided by Darren Hockaday, HR director for London Overground, at the Chartered Institute of […]

Redundancies and how to reduce the risk of insider fraud

Last week, UBS announced plans to cut 10,000 jobs. This week, companies as diverse as Ericsson, ING and steel group, Kloeckner, have also announced big job losses.   But managing large-scale redundancies clearly presents a number of challenges for HR, not least the increased likelihood of staff fraud taking place. In fact, the latest figures […]

Ask the Expert: Am I employed as a temp or a perm?

The question I started work for a company in January 2011 on a contract basis, working three days per week. The contract ran out at the end of March 2012. I was then verbally offered the job on a permanent basis and I accepted. Although I asked several times, the situation was never confirmed in […]

Legal Insight: Mind your language

In recent years, the influx of migrant workers from Eastern European countries in particular has resulted in a highly diverse range of cultures and identities within the United Kingdom’s labour force. In certain lower paid sectors such as agriculture and hospitality, there is a particular reliance on those whose first language is not English. The […]

News: Gender bias alive and well, survey finds

The average gender pay gap for UK executives stands at £10,060, with women also receiving less than half of what men are awarded in bonuses, according to the findings of the Chartered Management Institute’s (CMI) latest annual Gender Salary Survey. Despite government pledges to address inequalities between the sexes, the gender pay gap across the […]

Blog: Unsigned employment contracts carry weight, high court rules

It is always good practice to ensure that a contract of employment is signed following a change in role or promotion so that there is no doubt that the employee has understood and agreed to the terms associated with the employment.  However, the recent case of FW Farnsworth Ltd v Lacy considers whether an employee […]

News: Living Wage Week – Labour to offer employers financial incentives

The Labour Party intends to make the ‘living wage’ issue a core economic policy going into the next election and is currently evaluating what financial incentives might encourage employers to take it up voluntarily. According to an article in the Observer newspaper to coincide with the start of Living Wage Week (Sunday 4 to Saturday […]

Ask the Expert: Do staff have to attend grievance appeals if off sick?

The question After a decision to overrule a grievance raised against another member of staff, the originator of the grievance is now on sick leave due to the stressful situation at work.   What are their rights in relation to refusing an invitation to an appeal hearing while they are signed off by a doctor […]

Legal Insight: The implications of the SFO’s latest Bribery Act guidance

Since becoming director of the UK’s Serious Fraud Office, David Green has not wasted time.  The honeymoon period that, under the previous director allowed for self-reporting in relation to corruption and bribery, is over.   As one commentator put it: “There will be no more chats with the SFO over coffee and biscuits.” But what […]

Blog: How to deal with equal pay after the Birimingham ruling

The recent high profile case where 170 women have been given the right to take an equal pay case against Birmingham City Council brings equal pay firmly in the spotlight. The workers, mainly women who worked in traditionally-female roles, such as cooks, cleaners and care staff won the right to seek compensation in the civil […]