Early last month, all companies, charities and public sector departments with 250 or more employees were required to submit their gender pay gap reports for the financial year 2020/2021. So what did the reports show? Progress is slow The initial analysis by the BBC showed little change since the last financial year. Whilst there were more businesses reporting in time for the deadline, this hasn’t affected the overall gender pay gap of 10.4%, which remains as it had been ...
With the 5 October 2021 deadline for reporting 2020 gender pay gaps now passed, the impact which the pandemic has had on progress to reduce gender pay gaps can clearly be seen. The effect of furlough and childcare on women over the past 18 months coupled with the financial strain many organisations have been under has resulted in, at best, no change in gender pay gaps and, at worst, an increasing gap between the average pay of men and women ...
Our Shoospeak HR podcast welcomes special guests Peter Morris (Partner in the Shoosmiths' family team) and Mahdiya Malik (HR and CSR Manager at Vaultex). Shoosmiths colleague Andy Graham chats to special guests Peter Morris (Partner in the Shoosmiths family team) and Mahdiya Malik (HR and CSR Manager at Vaultex) about Vaultex's recent introduction of a domestic violence policy ...
Defined contribution (DC) pension schemes will soon be required to disclose more information than ever before in a bid to assess and improve value for their members. On 16 September 2021, The Pensions Regulator (TPR) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published a joint discussion paper on developing a common regulatory framework for measuring value for money (VFM) for DC members. Background VFM has become a key element of DC governance in recent years ...
Calculating holiday pay can be a difficult and complicated area of employment law to navigate. There have been a number of notable cases handed down over the last five years, and it’s fair to say that further clarity is still needed for employers. In this article, we discuss five different areas that employers often have to grapple with when tackling holiday pay issues. 1 ...
Following the government’s consultation on calorie labelling for food and drink served outside of the home in 2018, qualifying businesses in the out of home (OOH) sector will be required to display calorie information per portion from 6 April 2022. What is changing? Currently, businesses serving non-prepacked food and drink in the OOH sector are not required to provide calorie (energy) information ...
As it draws to a close, COP26 has seen world leaders aim to reach a consensus on actions to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and the adoption of electrical vehicles (EV) has been cited as a critical step in achieving that aim. According to data from the Scottish Greenhouse Gas Statistics published by the Scottish Government, the transport sector is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in Scotland, accounting for around 30% of all emissions ...
New regulations are in force that require occupational pension schemes providing defined contribution (DC) benefits to demonstrate value for members or face consolidation. The New Regulations The Occupational Pension Schemes (Administration, Investment, Charges and Governance) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 (the new regulations) came into force on 1 October 2021 ...
In this update, we consider the draft Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill published yesterday and in particular the proposed binding arbitration scheme for resolution of rent arrears under business tenancies. As discussed in our update yesterday, the Government has now published draft legislation which is intended to resolve payment of the estimated £7.5bn rent arrears still due across the real estate sector ...
As we begin to move beyond the pandemic, flexible work looks set to remain the norm. We consider how employers can successfully navigate long-term hybrid working models and ensure that they minimise any associated disadvantages. We recently commented in a previous post on the detrimental effect that a ‘day one’ right to flexible work could have - in particular, highlighting the potential impact on junior employees ...
In Lloyd v Google, the Supreme Court denied claims for mere 'loss of control' and ruled against mass class actions for data claims. Here, Philip Tansley and Matthew MacLachlan consider the court's reasoning and the broader implications for such claims. Case In its landmark judgment today, the Supreme Court unanimously held that a representative class action brought on behalf of approximately 4 ...
In Kabab-Ji SAL v Kout Food Group, the UK Supreme Court recently considered the question of which system of law the English courts must apply to decide whether there is an enforceable arbitration agreement. This case illustrates the different approaches taken in determining questions of applicable law and the consequences this can have for both annulment and enforcement proceedings in different countries ...
The financial sector has seen its fair share of discrimination cases and the trend continues. In Lacatus v Barclays Executive Services Limited the Employment Tribunal turned its mind to sexism. A female Analyst in the Rates Options Structured Trading Middle Office department brought a number of claims against the bank, including a sex discrimination and harassment claim centred around her line manager’s repeated use of the word “bird” to describe a woman ...
In this update, we’re looking at the hot topic of returning to the office post-pandemic. Q: What’s the direction of travel on working from home in financial services? While many industries have embraced hybrid working, financial services has generally been less enthusiastic about the idea of staff continuing to spend a significant proportion of their working time at home ...
Hot off the press, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy are today introducing a new Code of Practice, and a draft Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill ...
The FCA has updated its guidance on remote and hybrid working – firms (and applicants) need to ensure they are up to speed with the revisions. On 11 October 2021, the FCA published an update on its guidance to firms (and applicants) on remote and hybrid working models ...
To mark Charity Fraud Awareness Week on 21 October Shoosmiths hosted a webinar with Jonathan Taylor, head of charities and care at Innovation Broking, entitled ‘Charity fraud and cybercrime: prevention and cure’. New figures show charities reported £8.6 million of lost funds in the last financial year and more than 1,000 incidents of fraud to Action Fraud, but the true scale of fraud against charities is believed to be much higher ...
In association with Macmillan Davies and led by Employment Partner, Emma Morgan and Associate, Lauren Bholé, this webinar focused on the menopause in the workplace. With World Menopause Day having just passed (18 October 2021) and a parliamentary debate on the menopause having entered the House of Commons in September 2021, the menopause has been a focal point for media coverage ...
Technological advancements coupled with a desire to reduce inefficiencies in the workplace, has led to an increase in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by employers, typically in recruitment and performance management. Data protection considerations However, employers need to be aware of their data protection obligations and great care is needed when contemplating the use of AI processes to make decisions without human involvement ...
Do you have a unionised workforce? If so, the Kostal (Kostal UK Ltd v Dunkley and others [2021] UKSC 47 (27 October 2021)) decision is a must read. If you are an employer which recognises a union - or unions - then the Kostal decision is unlikely to have escaped your notice. The case was brought because an employer ‘went around’ the recognised union and made a pay offer direct to employees despite there being an agreement with the union in place ...
There is no doubt that the pandemic catapulted society and businesses into a new and different world, which saw old working practices replaced by new and which advanced the adoption of new technology at a rapid pace. However, one thing didn’t change at law firm Shoosmiths, and that was how Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) considerations still firmly lay at the heart of the business strategy ...
With the COP26 climate summit taking place in Glasgow this week, we thought it would be timely to look at the practical challenges facing businesses wishing to reduce their emissions and become sustainable in alignment with the government’s net zero strategy. Setting targets is crucial for companies with complexity across sectors, technologies and business structures ...
The lack of detail in the Budget speech on investment in renewable energy (nothing on hydrogen for example) was disappointing, and surprising to many given the timing of the Autumn Budget with COP26. However, the Comprehensive Spending Review did give a bit more detail. Whether it goes far enough or fast enough to meet ambitious targets is still up for debate ...
The recent decision to quash planning permission for a major urban extension in Canterbury has raised a number of concerns highlighted by the Government in its recent planning White Paper, namely the lack of certainty over delivery, with some 36% of planning decisions relating to major applications overturned, as well as inefficiency and that such decisions simply lead to not enough homes being built ...
Josh Cavallo has demonstrated enormous bravery by becoming the only current male professional footballer to come out as gay. We consider how employers can foster a workplace environment that is supportive of LGBTQ+ employees who choose to come out. This week Josh Cavallo of Adelaide United showed incredible courage by publicly announcing his sexuality ...
