Happy new year and welcome to the first employment law update of 2020. By now, most people will have returned to work. Many will have come back with the hope of having, and sticking to, a new year’s resolution. And if that resolution has been to go green and become vegan, some managers may well…

Updated: April 2020 IR35 postponed until 2021. To consider whether IR35 applies, there are four main tests: Mutuality of Obligation Here, they determine whether the organisation is obliged to provide work and is the individual obliged to accept the work offered? Under this test, they will look firstly at the written contract, if any, and…

Failing to offer a candidate a position because of a protected characteristic is unlawful and amounts to direct discrimination. We don’t need to explain the reasons why it’s important for employers to have an understanding of this, but we have pulled together a few do’s and don’ts to ensure that you do avoid discrimination in…

The most significant tribunal cases of 2019 saw decisions made in both the European and UK courts. We’ve put together a roundup of a few of the most notable Tribunal cases that are still under appeal, and therefore you might want to watch out for in 2020. To keep up to date next year, be…

It’s Christmas party day at the office. Christmas jumper day – done. Christmas quiz – won. Christmas lunch – devoured. Spirits are high as your colleagues leave to get ready for tonight’s party. Later, at the bar, you find a manager holding a bunch of mistletoe over their colleague’s head, gesturing for a kiss. That’s…

The Manchester Derby match this weekend sadly hit the headlines due to racist chanting and gesturing aimed towards players. The actions were captured on TV footage and the images went viral. One man was publicly identified and comments made via Twitter to his employer. The man has been arrested and his employer has suspended him…

With the general election looming, we’ve spent some time pulling together the statements from each of the main parties’ manifestos relating to employment rights and labour relations. We have included those statements that specify (to some degree of specificity!) a change to the existing legal framework and have organised our overview by broad headings. You…

It seems like just yesterday we were kicking off 2019 and wondering what the year would hold. Now we are at the final employment law update of 2019 and it is fair to say that it has been an interesting year. Key areas such as holiday pay and employment status have been a constant, but…

Managing people when physical or mental wellbeing is a factor is best managed by teamwork. This team should be made up of HR, the employee, the employee’s manager and possibly some specialist help in the shape of Occupational Health. Bringing in Occupational Health allows us to make better, more informed decisions; so, it’s really important…

The recent tribunal case of Conisbee v Crossley Farms looked at whether Vegetarianism should be viewed at as a philosophical belief under The Equality Act. We know already that The Equality Act protects religion and philosophical belief. However, whether a philosophical belief qualifies to be protected is determined by a number of factors: Is genuinely…