From 1st September 2025, the new failure to prevent fraud (FTPF) offence takes effect. It marks a shift: fraud prevention is no longer just about protecting your business from being a victim. It is about preventing fraud committed for your benefit. Under section 199 of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, a large…
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When the Coldplay ‘kiss-cam’ lingered on two senior executives from a US start-up, the crowd cheered. The internet did what it always does: it dug, shared and speculated. Within hours, their private relationship was public property. The question was not whether they broke the law, but whether they broke trust. With staff, shareholders or their…
[ READ MORE ] from Private lives, public risks: what can employers learn from Coldplay kiss-cam?
If your organisation manages competitive events or provides single-sex facilities, how can you balance inclusion with fairness, without falling foul of discrimination law? This dilemma is no longer theoretical. In Haynes v Thomson and others [2025] EWCC 50, the County Court dismissed a transgender woman’s claim of direct gender reassignment discrimination after she was excluded…
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The government has launched WorkWell, a pilot in 15 regions designed to move fit notes beyond ‘not fit for work’. With 93% of last year’s 11 million fit notes saying exactly that, the scheme aims to turn General Practice (GP) surgeries into hubs for return-to-work support rather than off-ramps to long-term absence. What is different?…
Proposed restrictions on non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in the Employment Rights Bill could change how UK employers handle discrimination and harassment claims. Here is what Human Resources (HR) needs to know. What is happening? A government-backed amendment to the Employment Rights Bill would make certain confidentiality clauses void. Specifically, those that attempt to prevent workers from…
[ READ MORE ] from Is this the end of confidential settlements for harassment?
You have rolled out a new productivity tool to your customer service teams. It logs keystrokes, flags long idle times, and uses webcam verification to confirm who is at the desk. It is billed as ‘smart management’. Then someone notices a pattern. The system alerts seem to cluster around a small group of employees, many…
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How should you handle redeployment in a redundancy? You are managing a redundancy process. One employee, well-liked, long-serving, clearly capable, is at risk. There are other vacancies around the business, but you tell him to check the internal jobs board and wish him luck. He is not offered help, no one tells the hiring managers…
How should you manage self-employed contractors without drifting into worker status? If you hire casual staff – drivers, delivery couriers, hospitality workers – you might be relying on a substitution clause in their contracts to argue they are not workers. They can send someone else, the clause says. So, they are not personally obliged. So…
[ READ MORE ] from If no one has ever used a substitute, do you really have a substitution clause?
The Employment Rights Bill is in the final stages of its journey through Parliament and the Government has published a roadmap setting out when its provisions are expected to come into force. This is good news for employers, as many of the bigger changes in the bill are delayed, which will give them more time…
Scenario Let us imagine a scenario. Victoria, a senior recruiter at a healthcare charity, is proud of her organisation’s progressive values. Pressed for time, she signs off on a new AI-powered tool that screens CVs and ranks candidates by ‘fit’. The provider says it uses anonymised data and ‘learns’ from successful hires. So far, so…
[ READ MORE ] from Bias in, bias out: how artificial intelligence (AI) recruitment can cost you
You have serious misconduct allegations. The employee in question is signed off with stress and depression. What now? Do you push on, pause, or tweak the process? The recent High Court decision in Woodhead v WTTV Ltd is a cautionary tale for HR. While unusual (it was a personal injury claim, not a Tribunal case),…
[ READ MORE ] from How should you run a disciplinary process when the employee is clearly unwell?
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?
