Managing the menopause at work
According to the latest UK data, there were five employment tribunals referencing the claimant’s menopause in 2018, six in 2019 and 16 in 2020. There have now been 10 in the first six months of 2021 alone. Women aged 50 to 64 are the fastest-growing economically active group in the UK, and many of them […]
Sexual harassment in the workplace – tightening up the law
While sexual harassment in the workplace has been illegal for decades, in recent years, more people, primarily women, have felt empowered to share their experiences, demonstrating that there is still a real, concerning problem with sexual harassment at work and in other settings. According to the TUC, one in two women have been sexually harassed […]
‘Long COVID’ – managing sickness absence effectively
With the continuing relaxation of COVID restrictions, we have already seen an increase in infection rates and we are told we are likely to experience waves of infections for some time to come. While great progress has been made in terms of the national vaccination programme, we know that being vaccinated does not prevent you […]
Dismissal of teacher found to be unfair by Employment Tribunal
Last year an Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) case highlighted again the importance of employers following the correct procedure prior to dismissing an employee for misconduct. The case serves as an excellent reminder to employers that they must assess a situation on the balance of probabilities unless there is substantial doubt, and that unknown risk does […]
Should employers brace for a wave of legal claims from staff over the return to the office?
Much has been written in the national press regarding businesses bracing themselves for a succession of legal challenges from staff reluctant to return to the office. The i newspaper recently reported that fewer than 1 in 5 employees want to return to the office full-time. Now that “Freedom Day” on 19 July 2021 has passed […]
Gary Lineker caught in IR35 offside trap
While we sit back and enjoy the football, one of the latest twists in the IR35 saga has arisen. Fittingly, it relates former star player and TV presenter, Gary Lineker. HMRC have been pursuing him for an eye watering £4.9 million in respect of Income Tax and National Insurance they claim he owes. This is […]
Thomas Mansfield Solicitors launches Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice
We are excited to announce that we have extended our range of services with the recruitment of new partner, Paula Kumar, the former head of Dispute Resolution and Employment at Ignition Law, a leading law firm focused on start-ups, scale-ups and entrepreneurs. Thomas Mansfield Solicitors has grown steadily since it was set up in 2004 […]
Top five tips for avoiding social media disciplinaries and dismissals
According to Statista.com, there were 53 million social media users in the UK as at January 2021 and the number of social media users increased by 2.3 million between 2020 and 2021. Most of us are using it but the use of social media in the workplace can be a minefield. We see problems at […]
Can ‘fire and rehire’ be fair?
“Accept these worse terms or lose your job.” That is the crux of ‘fire and rehire’ – the strategy that some employers have turned to in recent months. In isolation and out of context, it’s an unpalatable concept. In fact, ‘fire and rehire’ has been labelled by one trade union as ‘a dirty, bullying tactic […]
