The Fit for Work scheme, which is intended to help employers manage staff sickness, is now being piloted and is expected to be rolled out across England and Wales over the next few months. Government figures suggest more than 140 million working days are lost because of staff sickness each year. This causes stress for
A government minister has urged employers to keep up with changes in society and help older staff to keep working beyond the normal retirement age. Minister for Pensions Steve Webb said: “How we all look at retirement is changing and the way in which government and business help older workers needs to keep up with
We tend to associate flexible working with women but it should also be available to men on an equal basis. Otherwise male workers may be entitled to bring a discrimination claim as happened in a recent case before the Employment Tribunal. It involved a man who was employed by a large accountancy firm. He had
The emergence of E-cigarettes has set a new challenge for employers who need to ensure they have clear rules about how they might be used in the workplace. The electronic cigarettes have become a popular replacement for many smokers, but there are some health professionals who warn they could still be damaging to health. Smoking
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that obesity can constitute a disability in certain circumstances if it impairs a person’s ability to work. The ruling will have major implications for employers in the UK who may have to make adjustments for overweight employees or run the risk of discrimination claims. The court made
A bus company has won its appeal against a ruling that it had discriminated against a disabled passenger. The issue arose after 36-year-old Doug Paulley from West Yorkshire was unable to board a bus because the area designated for wheelchairs was occupied by a woman and her baby who was in a buggy. The woman
The government is launching an ‘older workers champion scheme’ to tackle age discrimination in the workplace. The move follows concerns that older workers have to cope with much higher levels of long-term unemployment than younger people. The scheme, which will begin trials in April, will offer older jobseekers a career review, online support and a
The recent ruling by the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) that overtime earnings must be taken into account when calculating holiday pay has alarmed many employers who fear they may now be liable for compensation claims dating back several years. That, however, doesn’t seem to be the case. The issue over holiday pay entitlement was raised
The trade union Unison has suffered a major setback in its challenge to the introduction of fees for people wanting to take cases to an employment tribunal. The High Court rejected its application for a judicial review because of a lack of evidence showing that fees were making it more difficult to bring cases to
A firm has been awarded more than £50,000 compensation from one of its employees who set up a rival business with his two sons. The court heard that the three had all worked together at the same glass recycling business. The father didn’t have written terms of employment until February 2013, when he signed a