It can be difficult to determine the true status of volunteers and organisations can unwittingly be treating their volunteers as workers meaning that, should the status ever be challenged, the individuals would be entitled to paid annual leave and the National Minimum Wage for the hours worked - a cost unlikely to have been budgeted for!

We were delighted to represent this Respondent (MB Architects Ltd) at the Employment Appeal Tribunal last week having supported the Respondent to successfully defend the Claimant's claims at the Employment Tribunal early in 2023.

A recent decision at the EAT highlighted a legal point that often gets confused by Respondents and Tribunals alike.  When should the reverse burden of proof in a discrimination claim be applied?

A Tube driver who opened the doors on the wrong side of the station was unfairly dismissed but will not receive compensation.

A new survey of 2,000 employees by Personio has found that one in ten of those questioned have witnessed or experienced sexual harassment at work, but just less than half (49%) do not report it

The Carer’s Leave Regulations 2024 come into force on 6 April 2024.  They set out the statutory scheme under which employees can apply for up to one week of unpaid carer’s leave in any 12-month period.

During Ramadan, many Muslims are faced with the challenge of balancing their religious commitments with work, so now is an ideal time to remind managers of the importance of supporting any staff who are observing the Islamic holy month. 

Compensation limits for certain tribunal awards and other statutory payments (including statutory redundancy payments) will rise from 6 April 2024.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has named 524 employers for failing to pay the national minimum wage.
 

With the extra day coming up in February, many employers are wondering if they need to pay their staff more in a leap year.  The answer is not entirely clear cut, but failing to pay the correct amount could see the employer facing legal risk and fines.

The Government has just issued a consultation paper on re-introducing fees for claimants wanting to bring employment tribunal claims or appeals to the EAT.

An employer was not required to allow their employee work entirely from home. The employee in this recent case worked for the Financial Conduct Authority and, during the pandemic, had worked entirely from home.  When pandemic restrictions eased the FCA decided on a policy of staff working two days a week in the office.

The draft Paternity Leave (Amendment) Regulations 2024, which are proposed to come into force in March 2024, have been laid before Parliament.

The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023, which received royal assent a few weeks ago and will come into effect in Autumn 2024, signals a major shift in sexual harassment laws, with very new responsibilities for employers.

There is a whole raft of new employment laws due to hit the statute books in April 2024 making next year very interesting (dare we say exciting!) for those of us who are involved with advising people teams. 

McDonald's UK boss has admitted the fast-food chain is receiving between one or two sexual harassment claims a week following a BBC investigation.

The Government has published its response to the consultation ‘Retained EU Employment Law’.

The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Bill, received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023, becoming the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023.

Acas is launching their ‘Flex at Work’ campaign in preparation for the new flexible working law in 2024 and their upcoming updated guidance and Code of Practice on handling request for flexible working.