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 ...
Following the 2018 enactment of regulations governing contractual terms contained in vehicle hire-purchase agreements, the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (“OCPB”) has recently resolved to adjust such regulatory scheme as part of their initiatives to alleviate the ongoing economic downturn and financial hardships suffered by consumers as a result of the pandemic, and to prevent consumers being subject to any unfair contractual terms in this respect ...
On 17 November 2022, the State Administration Council (“SAC”) enacted the Law Amending the 2022 Union Tax Law (“2022 UTL Amendment”). This law provides tax exemptions for Battery Electric Vehicles (“BEVs”) and increases the corporate income tax rate of companies engaged in the oil and gas exploration and production sector in Myanmar. We highlight below the major changes under this law: 1 ...
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 ...
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 ...
As the regulation system on human genetic resources ("HGR"), biosecurity and laboratory animals is experiencing continuous improvement, enforcement actions of the Ministry of Science and Technology ("the MOST") have become more active and tight in recent years ...
On appeal, the trademark infringement was no longer in dispute. Still, the decision has a fundamental interest in the intellectual property legal space. The judgement deals with principal issues related to compensation claims for trademark infringement where the infringement and alleged damage merely relates to a subpart of the infringer’s ads and turnover. Norgesgjerde and Vindex (the original plaintiffs) claimed total damages and compensation in excess of NOK 10 million ...
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 ...
Fast-growing e-commerce has changed lifestyles and invented new ways of consumption, amid which demand has rapidly increased for Internet-based medical services such as online drug sales and online medical diagnosis. Since the regulation and promotion of "Internet-based healthcare services" was included as part of the Outline of the "Healthy China 2030" Plan, China's Internet healthcare industry has been flourishing, channeled by a series of favorable policy decisions ...
Since 2013, the National Medical Products Administration ("NMPA")Center for Drug Evaluation("CDE")has been releasing a Drug Review Annual Report ("Report")each year, which summarizes its work on drug review of the previous year ...
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 ...
On December 3, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) will make a major change to how it processes trademark applications, which is anticipated to affect filing strategies, work flow, and even budgets. Brand owners in the U.S. might be wondering what they need to know about the Trademark Modernization Act’s (“TMA”) shortened office action response deadline ...
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has held that legal privilege does not apply retrospectively to an original version of a report produced before legal advice was sought ...
When we talk about discrimination, most people think of those with protected characteristics such as disability, race or sex being treated less favourably. Should we be considering people being treated less favourably because of their height? What is heightism? The general premise of heightism is the act of forming beliefs subconsciously about someone’s mental and physical qualities because of their height ...
With increased cost of living and ongoing economic uncertainty, more and more workers are being forced to take on two (or more) jobs to cover soaring energy bills and pricey food shops. What do employers need to know and watch out for when this happens? Is having a second job permitted? It is not necessarily unusual for employees to have more than one job at the same time ...
