Shared parental leave comes into effect in April, giving families more flexibility than ever before. Under the scheme, working couples will be able to share untaken maternity leave and pay, following the first 2 weeks’ recovery period that mothers have to take off after birth. It means that up to 50 weeks leave and 37
Leeds United Football Club has won a legal dispute involving an employee who was first selected for redundancy but then summarily dismissed after it was discovered that he had sent out obscene emails several years earlier. The case concerned the club’s former technical director Evan Williams. Mr Williams was made redundant in July 2013. A
The government is introducing a series of new measures to deal with the growing problem of late payment of invoices. It could lead to trade bodies being given the power to take legal action against large firms that impose unfair terms on smaller businesses. Large supermarkets may also face fines for breaching regulations. The proposals
An obese employee has won a disability harassment claim after being taunted about his weight by a work colleague. It’s the first case of its kind in the UK since the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled last year that obesity could be considered as a disability in certain circumstances. This latest
The disabled are given wide ranging protection in the workplace under the Equality Act 2010. Employers are obliged to make reasonable adjustments to cater for disabled employees and disabled job applicants. This raises the question of what constitutes a reasonable adjustment. A recent case before the Employment Appeal Tribunal provided some useful guidance. It involved
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