Wedding blues

Will you be celebrating the royal wedding from your desk, in front of a computer screen or in the garden with a glass of Pimms? This is the question on many employees’ lips as the second four day break approaches. With the exception that it is a one off, the holiday granted to the nation […]

Fed up of commuting to work?

Well now may be your chance to do something about it.The Department for Transport (DfT) is asking businesses to provide their views on alternatives to travelling to work, to inform its development of long-term alternatives to travel strategy. The calls for evidence seeks views on alternative methods of working, including home and remote working, flexible […]

April 2011 changes to employment legislation

Thefollowing changes come into force today Additional paternity leave and pay New fathers employedfor six months or more already have the right to take two weeks’ paternity leave with statutory paternity pay. New additional rights are due to come into force for employees whose child is due (or adoptive parent who is notified of a […]

Employed by God

In the case of Moore v President of the Methodist Conference the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has held that a Methodist minister was an employee and so could bring an unfair dismissal claim. It may surprise you to learn that in previous cases the courts have considered the spiritual nature of a minister’s roleandfound that […]

No more employment law?

Now that would be a thought. This is not quite what Vince Cable the Business Secretary has proposedbutwhat he has suggested isa three year moratorium on all new domestic regulation for businesses with fewer than 10 staff. Mr. Cable is proposing to abolish the promised extension of flexible working rights affecting thousands of parents and […]

Is there a right to privacy?

The expectation of privacy in the workplace is often misunderstood. Generally speaking employees should have no such expectation when using work computers. In the case ofGosden v Lifeline Project Limitedpublished this week however, the Employment Appeal Tribunal went a step further in establishing that dismissal of an employee for sending an offensive e-mail from a […]

All aboard

Despite advances in equality and diversity over the last 30 years, women are still under-represented at board level, a new report by Lord Davies suggests. In its report, the government has revealed the disparity between male and female decision makers and explores the reasons why such inequality should exist at the highest level. The report […]

Crime does pay

In what some might call a cruel twist of fate, an employer found he was on the wrong end of an award of compensation of £5,000 plus £8,000 costs when his employee took him to court for psychological injury, despite the fact that the employee admitted to stealing £845 from him. In an incident redolent […]

Default retirement age to be abolished

The Government has today confirmed that the long anticipated abolition of the default retirement age of 65 is to become reality with effect from 1 October 2011. The changes will be phased in from April. At the moment, employers can terminate employment at 65 without penalty. Provided the employer follows a set procedure it can […]