Nearly half of all working mothers would consider sharing their parental leave with their partners, according to a recent survey. The new system of Shared Parental Leave (SPL) allows the mother and father to share 52 weeks of parental leave and comes into effect on 5 April 2015. Mothers whose Expected Week of Childbirth (EWC)
The government is calling on businesses, unions and employees to help it ensure there are no loopholes in the law banning exclusivity clauses in zero hours contracts. Ministers fear some unscrupulous employers may try to get round the ban by methods such as offering contracts guaranteeing one or two hours’ work a week. The issue
The number of sex discrimination claims has risen over the last two years. There were 13,700 cases in 2013 compared with 10,700 in 2012. Research from the Times newspaper shows that they now make up 55% of all discrimination claims, whereas they made up just over 33% two years ago. Sex discrimination claims are now
The administrative burden on small businesses involved in takeovers could be eased by the latest changes to the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE). TUPE regulations are designed to protect the interests of employees if their company is sold to new owners. The regulations come into effect on 31 July to allow
Exclusivity clauses in zero hours contracts are to be banned so that employees can no longer be tied to a company that may not have any work to offer them. Some firms, including recruitment agencies, have been using exclusivity clauses to prevent an individual from working for another employer, even if the firm has nothing
A further 25 employers have been named and shamed for failing to pay the minimum wage. It’s the latest move in the government crackdown on rogue businesses who fail to treat their staff correctly. The measures were introduced in October last year and several firms have already been named and shamed. In June, the government
You have two employees both want to work shorter hours, starting late and finishing early. One, a father for school drop offs/pick-ups and his colleague who wants the same flexibility to train for triathlons. What do you do if you can’t agree to both? Previously, employers only have to consider requests from employees caring for
From 30th June 2014 all employees, provided they have 26 weeks’ continuous service, will have the statutory right to request working flexibly. Employers need to be fully prepared. In order to protect against employment claims, we recommend employers have an updated flexible working process in place. Some businesses can easily accommodate flexible working but your
A police officer has lost an unfair dismissal claim after it was ruled that his conduct in making a legitimate complaint had resulted in him becoming “unmanageable”. During his time with the police force, the officer made several complaints about the attitude towards victims of rape, child abuse and domestic violence that he witnessed in
Wednesday 2nd July 2014 7.45am-9.30am, Putteridgebury Conference Centre, Room 6, Hitchin Road, Luton. 2014 has been a busy year for changes in employment law. With these changes coming in to force the need to keep up to speed with how these affect you, and your workforce, is becoming more of a challenge. What about the