In Trench v Performance Bar Limited, a tribunal decided that an employee who was sacked for liking and sharing a Facebook post which criticised her boss was unfairly dismissed. It awarded over £3,000 in compensation. What happened? Drinking on shift Demaris Trench (DT) began working at Trebles (T), a bar in Lincoln, in 2018. Her…
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To adopt or not to adopt. Some businesses have abandoned probationary periods. They take the view that all of the employees are on probation all of the time. Their managers should be continually assessing and managing their employee’s performance. If you live in the real world where people don’t always do what they should do,…
In Jandu v Marks and Spencer plc, an employment tribunal ordered M&S to pay the claimant over £50,000 for breaching its duty to make reasonable adjustments. It failed to discount any disability-related effects when assessing the employee against the redundancy selection criteria. What happened? Ms Jandu, a clothing and home planner, has dyslexia. Her managers…
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The Government has announced an additional bank holiday on 8th May 2023, to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III. So, there will be three bank holidays this May: 1st, 8th and 29th. So, what should you do? Review your contracts of employment. Employees do not have an automatic right to paid time off on…
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Do you have a diversity and inclusion (D&I) strategy? Have you checked that it’s working? Well done if you answered yes to both. You’re doing better than most. Of 2,009 employers who responded to a Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) survey, only 48% have a stand-alone D&I strategy. It gets worse. Of those…
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It’s time to eat, drink and be merry as you plan your company’s Christmas party. And have your lawyers on speed dial. Festivities can lead to fallout unless you plan. If your colleagues already consider you to be the ‘fun police’, then you may as well make a good job of it. So, what should…
A global survey conducted by Sage found that the term ‘human resources’ is seen as outdated by around three-quarters of HR leaders. Some felt that ‘People and Culture’ more accurately described an HR team’s responsibilities. Responding to the survey, Eszter Lantos, Head of People at TCC Global, said ‘it’s an old-school view to look at…
The Government has announced minimum wage increases of between 9.7% and 10.9%. The increases will take effect from 1st April 2023. The National Living Wage, paid to those aged 23 and over, will increase from £9.50 an hour to £10.42. This is the largest increase in the National Living Wage since it was introduced in…
A study by the Sutton Trust, which aims to improve social mobility, found that nearly half of UK workers have been singled out or mocked about their accents in work-related social settings and a quarter have been mocked for their accents at work. 19% of employees were concerned that their accent could affect their ability…
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World Cup 2022 takes place in Qatar from 20th November to 18th December and many of the matches will take place during working hours. What should you make clear to homeworkers who’ll be able to watch games easily? Decide An outright ban may be unrealistic and difficult to enforce but you should adopt a clear…
A survey by comparethemarket.com has found that nearly half of all working adults in the UK, around 16.5 million people, are considering taking on some form of paid work in addition to their primary employment. Many employees may not be permitted to do this without their employer’s consent. This could be due to an exclusivity…
In September, ACAS published advice on suspending staff. Although it lacks legal status, those you suspend may refer to it. Your policy may describe suspending as a neutral action but if today you heard that I had been suspended what would you think? ‘That’s just a neutral action by Watershed’ or ‘I wonder what he…
