Blog
From garage to unicorn – Employment law lessons for scaling tech teams
Catherine Bourne
31 January 2014
Parental leave - a problem shared is a problem halved
I so enjoyed Mariella Frostrup’s programme on Radio 4 the other night (Wednesday 29 January 2014). It was called “Bringing up Britain” and the focus was on parental leave, which from April 2015 can be shared between mum and dad largely in whatever proportions they choose. However, this was not a programme about the change in the law per se, but rather on the social effects the new regime may have.
30 January 2014
Employment Heads Up - January 2014
Welcome to the January edition of Employment Heads Up, our monthly review providing you with an update on current trends, cases and developments in employment law.
In this month’s edition, we look at cases involving:
- dismissal whilst an appeal against a final written warning is outstanding;
- employment status and contractual terms; and
- what constitutes a 'reasonable' request to be accompanied by a companion at a disciplinary or grievance hearing
28 January 2014
Sexism, politics, education & the City
Last week, Nigel Farage expressed the sexist and outdated view that City women cannot "have it all" and need to make a choice between having a career or a family. He said that women who have children are worth less to their employer than women without children who can be as successful as men if they sacrifice a family life. On that basis, he refuted the idea that discrimination exists against women in the City.
22 January 2014
Occupational health referrals in disability cases: lessons from recent case law
An employer has a duty to make reasonable adjustments when it knows or can be reasonably expected to know that an employee is suffering from a disability. Determining whether or not an employee has a disability for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010 is rarely straightforward, particularly where mental illness is concerned. It is for this reason that employers often seek guidance from medical professionals and make a referral to occupational health. Recently, cases have highlighted a couple of salutary lessons to bear in mind when doing so.
16 January 2014
Are you ready for the changes to Employment Law in 2014?
2013 was a year of considerable upheaval in employment law and we are all still waiting to see what the impact of some changes such as the introduction of fees in the Employment Tribunals will mean in practice.
2014 is set to follow suit and is not a year for complacency as further changes are due to come into force. I thought a little reminder about what is expected to happen this year would be helpful.