On the fourth day of Christmas, HR were asked, when do you say “no more” to the Christmas decorations? And HR said to me...a giant light up turkey is just too much for the Christmas tree! It is a common misconception that Christmas decorations should be banned for breaching health and safety rules ...
There’s a common quip in Washington that federal employees leaving their jobs to work in the private sector are “going to the Dark Side.” However, what is not so funny for federal contractors and former executive branch employees is when the application process for — or the performance of work at — the new job runs afoul of ethics laws and regulations. For example, Oracle America Inc ...
Recent announcements suggest the government has moved away from amending UK employment law via an all-encompassing Employment Bill. Instead, it is supporting changes proposed by backbench MPs through various Private Members’ Bills (PMBs). The Queen’s Speech in December 2019 announced the government’s intention to bring about various employment law reforms, in particular those recommended in the Taylor Review and subsequent consultations, via an Employment Bill ...
On the third day of Christmas, HR was asked “How do you deal with the morning after the Christmas party?” And HR replied…carefully! There will no doubt be a few sore heads following a work organised Christmas Party and it will be that bit more tempting for employees to switch off the early morning alarm and go back to sleep! But what should employers do if an employee turns up late for work or doesn’t turn up at all? If the employment contract allows for it, an emplo
On the second day of Christmas, HR was asked “How do you keep control at the Christmas party?” And HR replied...by setting clear boundaries! Christmas parties are designed to be fun, but a few festive drinks can quickly get out of hand if not managed correctly. A sobering thought is that employers can be vicariously liable for the action of employees during work events such as Christmas parties. So, what steps should employers take? Risk assessments are a pre-party essential ...
Our partner, Wong Kian Jun, from the Employment and Administrative Law Practice Group reviews the Election Offences Act of 1954 and its implications today and discusses factors that should be considered and actions employers can take to ensure compliance in this Employment Law Alliance Employment Matters Vlog. Click here to watch the vlog ...
Our Partner, Raymond Low, of the Employment and Administrative Law Practice Group, moderated an Employment Law Alliance podcast titled “Mental Health in the Thai Workplace”. In this podcast, Raymond and guest speaker Sophon Pathumratworakun from Price Sanond discussed current mental health issues in Thailand. Click here to listen to the podcast ...
On the first day of Christmas, HR was asked, “Who should we invite to the Christmas party?”. And HR replied...everyone! When it comes to Christmas parties, although it is rare for employees who are absent, for example on sick leave or maternity or other family leave, to be deliberately excluded from the invite list, it is often the case that they are overlooked, particularly if they have been absent for some time ...
Employers subject to the personalized rate or retrospective rate regime know how important it is to control the costs related to occupational injury cases in order to limit the impact on their annual premiums. One way to attain this objective is to apply for a transfer of costs under section 326 of the Act Respecting Industrial Accidents and Occupational Diseases ...
2022 saw the removal of all COVID-19 related restrictions. As we enter our first winter restriction free, we are likely to see a significant spike in COVID-19 cases in addition to other cold or flu viruses. So, what should employers do to manage this? It is imperative that employers consider what they can do to effectively manage COVID-19 within the workplace this winter and how best to protect their employees from associated risks ...
While originally opened to great fanfare between 2017 and 2019, over the course of 2022 Shell has discreetly closed down all of its UK hydrogen filling stations, citing that "the prototype technology had reached the end of its life". This decision is perhaps not surprising, given the low volume of domestic fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) on UK roads ...
On November 21st 2022, Law No. 21,505 that promotes electric energy storage and electromobility (hereinafter, the "Law") was published, which is a relevant element for Chile to reach the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. The Law, approved unanimously by the National Congress of Chile, promotes the participation of NCRE in the electric matrix, allowing its storage and avoiding the dumping of production ...
With all the changes to the world of work that we have recently experienced and are continuing to experience, our webinar programme this year is focused on the future of work and in particular the hot topics that HR teams are having to handle now in order to future-proof their organisations. Our latest seminar focused on menopause in the workplace ...
Shoosmiths’ head of energy and infrastructure (E&I) sector, James Wood-Robertson, details and reacts to the much-anticipated E&I developments and proposals set out in the UK government’s 2022 Autumn Statement ...
According to a recent Employment Appeal Tribunal decision, an employee cannot settle future statutory claims that have not arisen at the date of the settlement agreement. We review what this means in practice for parties entering into such agreements. In order for a settlement agreement to be valid, it must comply with the necessary statutory requirements ...
Commercial landlords and tenants have less than five months to go until the first major change comes into force following the government implementing the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) in 2018. Currently, a commercial landlord cannot grant a new lease of a property that has an energy performance rating of less than E - unless an exemption applies ...
November 15, 2022 By: Gwenneth O’Hara, Lillian Rafii, and Jonathan Kendrick On November 10, 2022, the CPUC issued its long-awaited and reworked net energy metering (NEM) “3.0” proposed decision on a successor tariff. The origin of California’s NEM tariff was to incentivize Californians to install on-site renewable energy resources such as rooftop solar to serve part or all of their own electrical requirements ...
A recent decision by a federal court of appeals found a New Orleans’ city code limiting short-term rentals of residential properties (such as AirBnB, Vrbo, Vacasa, etc.) to only landlords who lived inside the city was unconstitutional.In Hignell-Stark v. City of New Orleans, 46 F.4th 317 (5th Cir. Aug. 22, 2022), the Court held the city ordinance was an undue burden on interstate commerce ...
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has recently published its most recent Financial Services Survey, the results of which demonstrate the effect that Brexit is having on immigration of employees and expertise in to the UK in the financial services sector. There are an estimated 1.1 million UK jobs in the financial services sector. Historically, the sector obtained one fifth of its workers from outside of the UK ...
Employers will be familiar with the desire to settle a Tribunal claim before it reaches a final hearing, in fact the Tribunal itself actively encourages mediation and settlement. Swiss Re Corporate Solutions Ltd v Sommer EAT is an excellent example of why it is important to be careful in all without prejudice communication so that if a settlement is not reached, the without prejudice communication does not end up disclosed as part of the Tribunal proceedings ...
How can an employment disciplinary investigation findings determine fitness and propriety? Senior Managers & Certification Regime (SM&CR) firms are under a duty to consider fitness and propriety on an ongoing basis ...
On October 21, 2022, the IRS announced in Notice 2022-55 cost-of-living adjustments to the tax-qualified retirement plan dollar limits for 2023. Most of the applicable dollar limits currently effective for 2022 will increase substantially compared with prior years. Below is a summary of the limits that are generally relevant for most retirement plans. Effective January 1, 2023: The elective deferral limit for 401(k), 403(b), and eligible 457(b) plans is increased from $20,500 to $22,500 ...
