The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has published new guidance for employers on the duty to prevent sexual harassment at work, containing a checklist, action plan and monitoring logs.

This is an interesting decision in the recent case of Finn v (1) British Bung Manufacturing Co Ltd (2) King [2023]. Mr Finn brought claims including a claim of sex-related harassment in relation to Mr King’s comment referencing his baldness.

In Hunter v Carnival plc the Employment Appeal Tribunal looked at the protection provided by regulation 10 of the Maternity and Parental Leave Regulations 1999 and whether it should ‘bite’ to keep an employee in role where the number of roles was reducing but not disappearing completely. 

The right to guaranteed hours is the mechanism the Government has chosen to 'ban' zero hours contracts.  There is a consultation on this but we do have a strong steer from some of the provisions in the Bill.

A deeper dive into the Employment Rights Bill and what this means for employers.

The Government has announced details of the Employment Rights Bill, which will be introduced in Parliament later today.

The Bill will bring forward 28 individual employment law reforms, including measures on ‘exploitative’ zero-hours contracts and ‘fire and rehire’ practices, and establishing protection from unfair dismissal from day one of employment.

 The government has already published a statutory Code of Practice, providing guidance to employers and workers in tipping industries, on the fair and transparent allocation and distribution of tips. Last week, the government added to this by issuing non-statutory guidance.

On 19 September 2024, it was reported by the Financial Times that, in connection with Labour's pledge to provide protection from unfair dismissal as a "day one" right, employers will be able to put new employees on probation for up to six months.

The Employment Rights Bill timeline outlined by the Government allows for a gradual transition with lots of time for consultation.   With most reforms not taking effect until 2026, it is nevertheless a perfect time to start reviewing your policies and considering how and when you might want to make adjustments to ensure you’re ready when the changes come into effect.

The consultancy PwC has told its employees it is going to begin tracking their working locations to ensure that all workers spend “a minimum of three days a week” in the office or at client sites.

This new Act (or rather new s40A of the Equality Act 2010) will come into force exactly one year after it received Royal Assent, in other words it will be in force on 26 October 2024.

Any company whose customers are likely to leave tips for the staff should be mindful of the new Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 and its accompanying statutory Code of Practice will come into force on 1st October 2024.

Nearly half (47 per cent) of UK managers reported feeling “too overwhelmed” with their routine responsibilities in the last six months to perform their duties effectively.

In the largest public sector trial of the four-day week in Britain, fewer refuse collectors quit and there were faster planning decisions, more rapid benefits processing and quicker call answering.

Labour has won a big majority in the general election. That means the party should be able to pass the new laws it wants easily. But what are those likely to be, and how will they impact employers?

The recruitment process is a critical aspect of organisational success, and how interviews are conducted plays a significant role in this. One evolving debate is whether employers should provide interview questions to candidates in advance. While some argue that it fosters a fairer, more productive interview process, others contend it undermines the spontaneity and true assessment of a candidate's abilities. 

Clients who ask Starford to manage a DSAR they've received are always concerned about what information can be redacted, and particularly the rights of others who don't want their identities revealed. The High Court recently ruled that a company can rely on the ‘rights of others exemption’ under the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018).

Research conducted by the University of Warsaw has found that people in the UK who work from home are less likely to get pay rises and promotions than purely office-based workers.