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 ...
On the twelfth day of Christmas, HR asked with heavy hearts “should we delay dismissing an employee until the New Year starts?" After much deliberation, they decided … no Dealing with redundancies or other dismissals is challenging at any time of the year, never mind in the run up to Christmas when everyone is already feeling the pinch of their purse strings whilst trying to stay afloat with festive joy ...
On the 11th day of Christmas, HR heard management say…“if they all work at Christmas, how much must we pay”? A weary HR team replied - whatever the contract says! Once again employers should initially turn to the contract of employment for the answer, which will vary from employer to employer and could include any of the following: You will receive normal salary for any time worked on a public holiday but will be rewarded with an equivalent day off in lieu to be taken at a
On the tenth day of Christmas, HR were again dismayed… ”Can we make everyone work the Christmas bank holidays? In response to this question most employers will be able to turn to the contract of employment to find the answer. The contract will typically state whether or not the annual leave allowance is in addition to the usual statutory bank holidays ...
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 ...
In conversation with... Our panel of experts - Nina Pindham of No.5 Chamber, Sam Grange and Will Thomas from Shoosmiths and Rhys Bradshaw from DLP Planning took a fresh look at the new "Planning" Bill and gave us their thoughts. There are many questions that many have about the new ‘Planning’ bill... Is this the final Act for s ...
Unlike the position in England, in Scotland there is virtually no statutory protection for a commercial tenant at the expiry of their lease.Provided sufficient notice has been given by their landlord, the lease will come to an end on the expiry date and, unless a deal can be struck with the landlord, the tenant is required to leave the property on or prior to that date ...
S111A ERA 1996 allows an employer to conduct confidential discussions with an employee to agree terms for the employee’s exit. A decade on from the introduction of this provision, we consider its application in practice and why it remains underused ...
The government has announced a series of measures to tackle ongoing shortages of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers and poultry workers in the UK. This includes relaxing immigration rules to offer over 10,000 temporary visas in the run up to Christmas. Brexit, the Coronavirus pandemic, tax changes and additional factors such as an ageing workforce have all contributed to a shortage of food processing workers and HGV drivers in the United Kingdom ...
At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this year, leaders from the telecoms sector gathered to discuss pressing issues, conduct business - and launch their latest products. A consistent message heard from those in Barcelona is that there is a rapidly approaching 'data capacity crunch' and that major investment in telecoms infrastructure is needed. The Teleport chief executive has estimated that, globally, mobile network operators will need to invest $1 ...
The Court of Appeal has partially clarified a significant loophole in the Telecoms Code, which was threatening to prevent the redevelopment of some telecommunications sites. The previous iteration of the Telecoms Code was infamously labelled ‘not one of parliament’s better drafting efforts’ by the High Court ...
Tech Nation is a government-backed organisation which has supported digital-tech start-ups and scale-ups as well as offering global talent visa endorsement for over a decade. At the end of January, it announced its closure, effective from 31 March 2023. Tech Nation received its core grant funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), but this funding will now be awarded to Barclays Bank ...
Exclusion and limitation clauses are central to any IT or technology contract. When a dispute arises exclusions and limitations of liability are invariably key to determining whether there is liability and the extent of it. When a dispute arises exclusions and limitations of liability are very often key to determining whether there is liability, and the extent of it ...
Employment cases involving teachers can involve particularly nuanced considerations for schools. It is not easy to balance safeguarding duties with employment law obligations. We look at a recent case which highlights this very issue. The welfare and safety of children is at the heart of every educational establishment’s ethos, but balancing safeguarding duties with the legal rights of teachers can present difficulties ...
We've become familiar with the Met Office issuing “traffic light” warnings about potentially disruptive weather. Couples contemplating divorce or separation could face similarly rough going when it comes to their tax affairs, especially Capital Gains Tax (CGT) when property or a business is involved. The alert level right now would be considered “amber” - think before you separate as you might not be able to complete a settlement in time for this tax year ...
Whether you are a property professional or otherwise, you would have had to have lived in a hole to have missed the EWS1 saga. In the four years following the tragic Grenfell disaster, the industry and the government have been grappling with how to deal with a generation of potentially defective tall buildings ...
At the end of last week, the FT published a guest article on quantum computing. For those unfamiliar with quantum computing, it is the technology that will be capable of harnessing the powers of quantum mechanics to solve problems which are too complex for ‘classical’ computers (the computers of today). Classical computing employs streams of electrical impulses to encode information: an electrical impulse may be only 1 or 0 (i.e. on or off) – a classical 'bit’ ...
Since the UK left the EU there have been monumental changes to immigration law that employers should consider while planning future recruitment and team structures. The free movement of people has ended and with it comes the need for EU workers to register under the European Settlement Scheme by 30 June 2021, the Skilled Worker visa and changes to other existing routes under the points-based system and even new routes ...
Much has been reported about harassment in the workplace, not least the Fawcett Society report in 2021 which showed at least 40% of women experience sexual harassment during their career. Progress in this area is slow as recent case law demonstrates ...
We are seeing an increase in the use of warranty and indemnity insurance (W&I) on transactions, which is a theme we expect to continue as buyers target companies that are in financial distress in the wake of Covid-19. W&I has become commonplace in the UK M&A market as a way to ‘bridge the gap’ between buyer and seller when allocating risk ...
Now the dust has settled on this year’s hugely influential SCV2UK Summit – which brings together global entrepreneurs, investors, and tech leaders the UK and Bay Area - Partner James Klein reflects on another successful event which the firm has again supported ...
Why is green hydrogen important and what is its role in energy transition? The UK’s first official Hydrogen Week takes centre stage this week, bringing together stakeholders across the UK to celebrate and promote the role of hydrogen in reaching net zero (NZ) ...
More recently, many more people are using fertility treatment to conceive; particularly same sex couples, single women and surrogates (Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority data). This echoes a societal shift in so far as relationships, the formation of families and lifestyles are concerned. As such, there needs to be more emphasis on the development and evolution of the law and sector generally ...
As we have previously commented, once COVID came along force majeure became, understandably, a hot topic but case law on the subject was light. We are now however starting to see a trickle of cases emerging which consider force majeure. In RTI Ltd v MUR Shipping BV however, the Supreme Court has now handed down a significant judgment that clarifies the rights and obligations of contracting parties under a force majeure clause ([2024] UKSC 18) ...
The Supreme Court will decide if historic holiday pay claims can be brought where there are gaps of three months or more between a series of underpayments. The outcome could have significant implications for employers across the UK ...
