Article Category: Employment Law & HR – Insight & Opinion

In Ms H Munro v Sampson Coward LLP, the Employment Tribunal considered whether comments regarding Ms Munro’s birthday amounted to age discrimination and harassment. Ms Munro also claimed that she suffered detriment and dismissal on the grounds of whistleblowing when she informed her employer of the comments. Background Ms Munro, a legal secretary in the… Read more »

If you are an employee, Salaried Partner or Director and have been offered a settlement agreement but you are unsure what to do next, here are some FAQs to consider: 1. What is a Settlement Agreement? A settlement agreement is a legally binding document that, in most circumstances, will set out the terms on which… Read more »

10th October 2019 marked World Mental Health Day, an annual campaign designed to raise awareness of mental health illness. According to the most recent statistics provided by Mental Health First Aid England, there were 526,000 cases of work-related stress, depression or anxiety in Great Britain which accounts for approximately 72 million working days lost, costing… Read more »

My employee has not turned into work for the last couple of days with no phone call. Can I presume that he has resigned and process him as a leaver?  Unfortunately, no you can’t. When considering whether termination of employment has occurred, either by resignation or dismissal, both parties should understand what has taken place… Read more »

Employers most importantly need to be aware of the statutory framework that governs the flexible working process. Flexible working requests are often not dealt with properly by employers who are unaware of these obligations. Flexible working indeed can promote a happier, dedicated and more productive workforce and therefore has benefits for both employees and employers… Read more »

What lead to the Unfair Dismissal of a Pregnant Employee? For the following article, we look at the case of Peart v Care Preference Ltd, which demonstrates a series of events that lead to the unfair dismissal of a pregnant employee. It is also important to be aware of how to ensure you treat pregnant… Read more »

On 23 September 2019, Thomas Cook entered into compulsory liquidation after last-minute rescue talks failed. This resulted in Thomas Cook ceasing to trade with immediate effect and its board of directors being replaced by a court-appointed liquidator known as the Official Receiver (OR). The OR’s task over the coming months will be to liquidate Thomas… Read more »

In 2015, the Government decided to enforce public sector pension changes due to the overbearing costs and change to average lifetime earnings. By moving away from final salary pension schemes, a ‘transitional protection’ scheme was introduced instead. This new scheme kept public sector workers closer to retirement age on a more generous pension. It also… Read more »

Most employers understand that the purpose of an appeal hearing following a dismissal is to review the decision for dismissal and deal with any appeal points raised. However, what if the employee provides new information at the appeal stage that the original decision maker was unaware of at the time of making the dismissal decision?… Read more »

Most employers are aware that if an employee is dismissed with two or more years’ service, the employee will be able to bring an unfair dismissal claim within the Employment Tribunal. Therefore, it is often assumed that, if the qualifying length of service isn’t met, then there is no risk of a claim arising from… Read more »