You have to make cuts. The restructuring is happening. The selection criteria are ready, complete with performance, conduct, and… qualifications. One person does not have a degree. They are also the oldest in the team. You score them lower, they are selected for redundancy, and you move on. Or so you think. What happened? That…
[ READ MORE ] from How should you avoid age discrimination when selecting for redundancy?
Scenario Imagine this: Geri works in a mid-sized professional services firm. She is a mid-career project manager with two young children, a solid performance record and a hybrid working policy that allows staff to work from home two days a week. She puts in a formal request to work from home four days a week….
[ READ MORE ] from Hybrid working: Who gets it? Who does not? What if they want more?
Case: Campbell v Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2025] EAT 42 This case provides a rare example of an employer successfully relying on the ‘all reasonable steps’ defence against a discrimination claim. What happened? During a workplace dispute, a white employee made a racially abusive comment to a black union representative. The representative claimed…
[ READ MORE ] from The ‘all reasonable steps’ defence – it can be done!
Case: De Bank Haycocks v ADP RPO UK Ltd [2024] EWCA Civ 1291 This case clarifies a critical issue for HR professionals: What does a ‘fair’ consultation look like in small-scale redundancy exercises? What happened A recruitment consultant, Mr De Bank Haycocks, was part of a 16-person team serving one client. Following a 50% reduction…
What is new? Under the proposed Equality (Race and Disability) Bill, employers with 250 or more employees will be legally required to publish: Ethnicity and disability pay gaps (mean and median hourly pay). Bonus differentials. Proportion of employees receiving bonuses. Workforce composition by ethnicity and disability. This marks a significant evolution from gender pay gap…
[ READ MORE ] from Closing the gaps: ethnicity and disability pay reporting ahead
Case: Handa v Station Hotel (Newcastle) Ltd [2025] EAT 62 The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has provided a thoughtful judgment that reassures external HR professionals that they can complete investigations and disciplinary processes without inheriting liability for dismissal decisions. What happened? Mr Handa, formerly a director, blew the whistle on alleged financial irregularities. Shortly after,…
[ READ MORE ] from HR consultants not liable for employer’s decision to dismiss
The headline The Home Office has announced that right to work (RTW) checks will be extended to cover gig economy workers, zero-hours contractors, and workers supplied via third-party platforms. This represents a substantial expansion of the illegal working regime and imposes new burdens on sectors that traditionally rely on informal labour supply models. What is…
[ READ MORE ] from Right to work checks: the gig economy gets caught in the net
The Supreme Court has ruled that ‘man’, ‘woman’, and ‘sex’ under the Equality Act 2010 (EqA 2010) refer to biological sex, not acquired gender. The legal meaning of sex is now firmly anchored to biology, not gender recognition certificates. The ruling will reshape how businesses approach equality, recruitment, and single-sex services. Background The case arose…
[ READ MORE ] from Supreme Court clarifies ‘Sex’ in Equality Act 2010
In a key decision for contractors and employers, Mantides v His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the Upper Tribunal (UT) clarified how IR35 applies to healthcare professionals working via personal service companies. Do you think a flexible contract alone protects against IR35? Think again. The UT’s ruling shows that personal service and control still tip…
[ READ MORE ] from A wake-up call for employers on IR35 compliance
The government has taken a significant step towards introducing mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for large employers in Great Britain. A consultation is now open, closing on 10th June 2025, on proposals that mirror the familiar gender pay gap reporting system but with critical new complexities. Who will be affected? The new requirements…
[ READ MORE ] from Mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting: what do you need to know?
Building a truly inclusive workplace means understanding the diverse ways our brains work. How can you support your neurodivergent employees and strengthen your business in the process? What is neurodiversity? You are familiar with the term ‘neurodiversity’, but understanding it and creating a truly neuro-inclusive workplace are very different. Neurodiversity is the natural variation in…
[ READ MORE ] from Beyond compliance: building a neuro-inclusive workplace that works
What happened? Ofsted dismissed Mr Hewston, one of its school inspectors, for gross misconduct after a single incident in which he brushed rainwater off the head of a Year 8 pupil who had come in soaking from a PE lesson in the rain. He lightly touched the top of his shoulder and asked if he…
