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Labour’s New Deal

18th July 2024

From an employee’s perspective, these proposed changes are wholly positive. For employers the changes will require careful consideration and some work to ensure that recruitment and HR processes are both legal and effective. Labour’s plans are not inherently novel, but they will extend your duty to ensure that dismissals are fair and properly handled from the first day of employment.

Unfairly dismissed for smelling of alcohol

1st July 2015

Can you summarily dismiss an employee for smelling of alcohol? The answer is not as straightforward as you think and will depend to a great extent on the content of your policies and the way you apply them. In Mr McElroy v Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust, a judge found Mr McElroy to have been […]

How does the Qualifying Period work?

10th May 2011

The concept of the Qualifying Period is well known to employers. It is the length of time an employee must work with their employer to acquire a number of statutory rights, most notably the right to claim unfair dismissal. There is however, still a lot of confusion about the Qualifying Period. We often hear employers […]

Taking a sickie: how will you deal with weddingitis?

14th April 2011

With the Royal wedding looming, our thoughts turned to those employees who are not getting the day off and just how many of them might suffer from a sudden stomach bug or bad cold. Short-term sickness absence can cost a business a lot of lost time and money, particularly if you pay full salary for […]

When do you ask for return of company property and disconnect from intranet access?

14th March 2011

On Friday I sat through a meeting where an employee went through half of a box of tissues, recounting the trauma of her removal from her employer’s premises in the context of a termination by way of a generous compromise agreement. At the start of a redundancy or disciplinary process, we are often asked to […]

Why don’t my clients let me have my day in court?

4th February 2011

I was due to represent an individual client in a three day tribunal hearing on 16, 17 and 18th February. Once again, the case has settled shortly before the hearing, just as I was clearing my desk of other work in order to prepare for the case. Whilst we have a very successful track record […]

Christmas party hall of fame..

17th December 2010

Despite the financial gloom, many businesses are still holding a Christmas get together with their staff. It’s a chance to celebrate this year’s successes and to look forward to next year’s challenges. So it may come as a surprise that December is a busy month for employment lawyers. Earlier this month we dealt with the […]