Last year, we reported on the Employment Tribunal’s decision in Walker v Innospec Limited (ET 2411316/2011) that a pension scheme’s failure to provide survivor’s benefits for civil partners equal to those provided for spouses was unlawful discrimination ...
The question of 'employment status', continues to concern many employers working within today's 'gig economy'. The UK Supreme Court recently provided guidance on the correct "label" to be bestowed on 'gig economy' workers. Pimlico Plumbers recently lost an appeal in the UK Courts against a finding that one of its plumbers was a "worker" for the purposes of relevant UK employment legislation – not a self-employed independent contractor ...
Have we reached the tipping point in the fight against sexual harassment in the workplace? In late August 2017, Hurricane Harvey struck the Caribbean and the United States, causing unprecedented devastation and destruction. Less thantwo months later, a very different “Hurricane Harvey” followed, one that precipitated a renewed global consciousness over issues of sexual harassment ...
Texas recently enacted a new Workplace Violence Prevention law to protect healthcare employees from violence in Texas healthcare facilities. Texas also implemented a complementary notice requirement applicable to all Texas employers to encourage reporting incidents of workplace violence. Texas implements statutory protec- tions to prevent workplace violence against healthcare workers ...
Under a new proposed rule, certain required disclosures could be provided electronically to all retirement plan participants, including former employees and beneficiaries. On October 23, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a proposed rule intended to expand the use of internet technology to furnish ERISA-required disclosures to plan participants, and to reduce printing and mail expenses ...
The resurgence of the #MeToo campaign highlights that sexual harassment comes in all variations, affects all classes of people, and cuts across all industries. While employers could dismiss the social media moniker as a “them” not an “us” problem, they do so at their peril. People, some of whom may be your employees, are talking, posting, and tweeting, and employers would be wise to listen and revisit their anti-harassment policies ...
One year later, the #MeToo movement has caused a seismic cultural shift in American society and in the workplace. It continues to gain momentum and attracts wide-sweeping media coverage keeping the issue of sexual misconduct against women at the forefront of our national dialogue ...
Telemedicine and telehealth are newer and ever-expanding components of health care.[1] There are many viable arrangements for companies who wish to engage in telemedicine and/or telehealth and these arrangements can offer many benefits to the patients they serve. However, companies and licensed individuals who provide services should be careful to understand the state and federal regulatory framework under which they operate ...
Another wave of COVID-19 has spread all over Thailand and is raising understandable concerns and generating uncertainty among the business community. With our series of infographics, we take this opportunity to guide you on the key measures and best practices to help you mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on your business ...
Another wave of COVID-19 has spread all over Thailand and is raising understandable concerns and generating uncertainty among the business community. With our series of infographics, we take this opportunity to guide you on the key measures and best practices to help you mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on your business. Today, we highlight 4 practical steps with noteworthy considerations when implementing workforce restructuring options available to employers in Thailand ...
Another wave of COVID-19 has spread all over Thailand and is raising understandable concerns and generating uncertainty among the business community. With our series of infographics, we take this opportunity to guide you on the key measures and best practices to help you mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on your business ...
The UK government has announced proposals to make flexible working requests a ‘day one’ right for employees, as part of reforms to the Flexible Working Regulations 2014. Over the past 18 months, the pandemic has been a catalyst for increased flexible working. Although this has meant ‘working from home’ for most, flexible work can include other arrangements such as flexitime, job-sharing, condensed hours and part-time work ...
“Another game changer!” — Your takeaway from reading this summary of Washington’s Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1795, commonly known as the “Silenced No More Act,” which becomes law June 9, 2022, and has some important retroactive effects ...
Category B has been extended until the end of August 2020 and the government has approved a new form of support – Category C! Are you considering how to maintain employment of your employees and minimize economic losses? Take a look at what financial instruments the state has prepared for entrepreneurs whose employees have been affected, directly or indirectly, by government measures taken to combat coronavirus ...
The conversation around Artificial intelligence (AI) regulation is set to go into a “supercharged” phase globally. At least, that’s the conclusion one can’t help drawing from the hype around the UK’s AI Safety Summit, which takes place in early November, and from comments this week by Senate Leader Chuck Schumer around upping the pace of AI regulation in the US ...
In the last few years, many multinationals are implementing in their organizations so-called “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) policies. What is “BYOD”? It is a new trend in the management of technological infrastructure within companies where employees bring their own devices to the workplace, thereby reducing the number of devices that companies have to provide to employees, with the consequent reduction in costs ...
When negotiating a settlement agreement in an employment dispute, “no rehire” language is often a standard term. This language typically bars the litigating employee from seeking re-employment with the former employer. However, in California, at least one “no rehire” provision was invalidated because it was not narrowly tailored to the employer at issue. In Golden v. California Emergency Physicians Medical Group (“CEP”), CEP terminated Dr ...
With everything from alpacas, pigs and turkeys, to even a snake being claimed as service animals, it is not surprising that many business owners are asking what truly qualifies as a “service animal” under the law. Just last fall, a Wisconsin McDonald’s encountered a situation where a patron wanted to dine with her service kangaroo ...
You’ve probably heard about the dangers of second-hand smoke. But what about the employment-related danger of “second-hand” harassment? Consider this scenario: Mr. Jerk, a bank manager in the credit department, repeatedly harasses his administrative assistant, Gina. He invites Gina to have drinks with him, repeatedly touches her shoulders, and brushes up against her. Gina never complains to anyone in bank management about Jerk’s conduct ...
Under a new proposed rule, certain required disclosures could be provided electronically to all retirement plan participants, including former employees and beneficiaries. On October 23, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a proposed rule intended to expand the use of internet technology to furnish ERISA-required disclosures to plan participants, and to reduce printing and mail expenses ...
An employer faces a difficult situation when a temporarily disabled employee who cannot perform his or her essential job functions requests an accommodation. This situation becomes significantly more complicated when the employee receives the “accommodation,” but never recovers enough to resume performing the essential job functions ...
As employees start to push the boundaries and consider travelling abroad to profit from a ‘working vacation’, it is essential that UK employers are aware of their obligations and the checks that must be carried out. Visa requirements should not prove an issue if the employee is remaining within the UK, but there are numerous visa considerations and contractual terms that should be reviewed before approval is given to work overseas ...
In the third instalment of our series, we consider the practical elements of the ‘workcation’ concept. As we have seen, working elsewhere may seem like an attractive proposition to employees. They will undoubtedly be keen to take advantage of the opportunity to save precious annual leave entitlement, but it is important an employer sets some ground rules ...
We are now several years post-pandemic, and it seems remote working, at least in part, is here to stay. Employees, however, are taking things one step further and last summer, we saw a growing trend of workers interested in working remotely from a holiday property, either in the UK or abroad. We started to see the increasing popularity of the ‘workcation’ where employees work remotely in their location of choice, combining work and leisure ...
The Bitcoin ‘halving’ event is rapidly approaching, anticipated to occur around the 19th or 20th of April. Currently, there’s an unprecedented level of attention on Bitcoin due to this event. So, what exactly does ‘halving’ entail, and why is there such a buzz surrounding it? The term itself evokes the intrigue of a suspenseful horror film, one that could be straight out of a Stephen King story ...
