A management consultancy company has been granted an interim injunction to prevent its staff being poached by a rival agency. The issue arose after two of the company’s staff resigned to join another agency operating in the same line of business. While they were working their notice period, the company discovered that they were providing
A company has lost its appeal to make some of its drivers redundant because their place of work had changed. The case involved EXOL Lubricants. It employed a number of drivers who lived in Manchester but had to go to the company’s premises in Wednesbury every day to load up. Their contracts stated that Wednesbury
The Government has “named and shamed” a further 37 firms that have failed to pay their staff the National Minimum Wage. It’s part of an ongoing campaign against rogue employers, which began in October 2013. The 37 firms between them owe their employees a total of more than £177,000 in wage arrears. They have been
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