Is it okay to be “fattist”; to make workplace decisions; recruitment, dismissal etc. based on weight? What about a bit of innocent banter/ teasing by work colleagues? Far from being okay, recent case law also means that it is potentially unlawful discrimination. Is this new? There is no specific law prohibiting discriminating against an employee
A woman who said she suffered a mental breakdown after being subjected to degrading sexual harassment at work has been awarded £3.2m compensation. Svetlana Lokhova earned £750,000 a year as an equity saleswoman with Sberbank CIB in London. She said that for four years between 2008 and 2012 she was systematically abused by male colleagues
A woman on a zero-hours contract has won her claim of sexual harassment by her line manager despite initially being reluctant to bring a claim for fear of losing her job. The 22-year-old woman worked in the hotel industry. She became alarmed when her manager started touching her and asking about her sex life. However,
Many small businesses are unsure about how to deal with shared parental leave (SPL) according to a survey reported in The Times newspaper. Half of the 400 firms polled said they didn’t understand the legislation and how it would work. A further 17% said they were worried about the effect the new rights would have
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled against the employees and the union involved in the Woolworths redundancy case. It’s good news for employers because it could reduce the time they have to spend negotiating collective redundancies in the future. The case brought into focus the issue of when do employers need to negotiate
It has always been a delicate issue trying to check whether potential employees have criminal records and now it has become even trickier, leaving employers in danger of acquiring a criminal record of their own if they don’t follow the correct procedures. The official way to check is to use the Disclosure and Barring Service,
A whistleblower who was sacked after revealing what he regarded as unfair practices by his employers has won his claim of unfair dismissal. The Employment Tribunal held that the disclosure was in the public interest. The case involved a manager who worked at a branch of a large estate agency chain. He told his area
The new system of Shared Parental Leave (SPL) allowing mothers and fathers to share 52 weeks’ leave came into effect on 5 April 2015. Under the SPL scheme, mothers are still required to take two weeks’ compulsory leave immediately after the birth, but the other 50 weeks can be shared between both parents. The benefits
Robert Bedford, Past President and Council Member of the Hertfordshire Law Society, is an Employment Partner at Machins Solicitors, Luton. Here he considers the effects of the changes in employment legislation on vulnerable and low-paid employees The Introduction of Employment Tribunal Fees The introduction of fees to bring claims in the Employment Tribunal 18 months
Apprentices will get the biggest pay boost when the National Minimum Wage increases come into effect in October. The adult rate will rise by 20p from £6.50 per hour to £6.70, a 3% increase. However, the rate for apprentices will rise by 57p to £3.30 per hour. The government says the larger increase is designed