Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, mental health issues were the most common causes of long-term sickness absence from the workplace in the UK. While we cannot yet determine the full impact of the pandemic on mental health, it’s safe to say that its effects will certainly outlive the pandemic itself. Currently the direct health impacts
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As we approach the end of a year that was less of an escape from Covid-19 than we’d all hoped, having learned the multitude of ways that lockdowns affect different people, we have a greater awareness of the importance of accessibility and inclusivity when it comes to the workplace. Disabled people, whether in work or
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Last month, we published a Q&A on handling misconduct outside of the workplace. In the second blog of this two-part series, we will be focusing on the newest and potentially most complex form of misconduct – that which takes place on social media. Dealing with issues of social media conduct can be complicated, in that
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As employers, we have written rules, regulations and expectations for our employees’ conduct when in the workplace, which an employee agrees to when signing their Contract of Employment (in conjunction with the Company Handbook, where applicable). Conduct that does not meet these standards can result in disciplinary action and can even be grounds for dismissal.
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With the end of the furlough scheme approaching (on 30th September 2021) many organisations may find themselves in a position where their existing employment terms and conditions are no longer viable. A decades-old practice, receiving much publicity recently, is ‘Dismissal and Re-engagement’, more commonly known as ‘Fire and Rehire’; so much so that the Department
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The global occurrence of Covid-19 and the subsequent restrictions, regulations, safeguards and now vaccines created to combat it have raised many discussions on workplace health and safety, managing risk, personal choice and freedom, privacy, and many more that will undoubtedly develop as the year progresses. Therefore, this month’s blog is a Q&A, featuring the most
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Every year, UK Employment Legislation sees a number of changes, to accommodate new precedents set by cases and court rulings, and to reflect changes to lifestyles, societal needs, political landscapes and more. I think we can probably all agree that 2020, possibly more so than any other year in recent memory, handed those out in
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In a landmark ruling in January 2020, an Employment Tribunal found that a claimant’s ethical veganism qualified as a “philosophical belief”, and therefore, should be protected by law. Under the Equality Act 2010, it is unlawful to discriminate against an individual because of their religion or philosophical belief. The case, brought to Tribunal by vegan
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So that’s it. Possibly the most significant moment in our 21st century history was made at 11.00pm on 31st January 2020 when the UK left the European Union, after 47 years of membership. However, as an employer, you may be querying what to expect, and what implications this may have for your employees and your
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On the auspicious occasion of the arrival of Prince Harry and Meghan’s baby, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, it did leave a few of us in the hope of being granted an additional bank holiday, as we were for the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. But alas, no – even his timely arrival on
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