During our recent webinar on Handling Workplace Investigations, we received several questions via the chat facility that we will address in a number of blogs over the next few weeks. First off, we have some questions about who should carry out a workplace investigation. If your policy states that a different manager will do the … Continue Reading
The government’s long awaited White Paper Restoring Control over the Immigration System has been published today. As part of the Home Secretary’s foreword in the Paper, she states that the plan will “restore order, control and fairness to the system, bring down net migration and promote economic growth”. The proposals signal a marked tightening of … Continue Reading
After long negotiations between the Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats, the parties agreed to establish a coalition to form the new government and Friedrich Merz was eventually elected on 6 May 2025 as new Chancelor of Germany. The coalition agreement published by the parties offers insight into their agenda. While not the primary focus … Continue Reading
EU member states have until 7 June 2026 to introduce local legislation implementing the Pay Transparency Directive. As per our recent blog, to date there have been very few developments on this front, but we are now starting to see the publication of draft legislation. The Dutch government recently issued a Bill aimed at implementing … Continue Reading
On Sunday, the government announced an extension of Right to Work (RTW) checks to businesses hiring gig economy and zero-hours workers, which we covered here. Just two days later, it released a report – an essential safeguard against illegal working. Key Findings from the Report Commissioned by the Home Office and conducted by Verian, the … Continue Reading
The government has announced the latest instalment in its ‘crackdown’ on illegal working by extending right to work checks to businesses hiring gig economy and zero-hours workers. In principle, this is logical and reasonable – prevention of illegal working should rightly apply to anyone working in the UK regardless of their worker status label. However, … Continue Reading
Over the last few months, we have done a lot of sessions with clients on the Pay Transparency Directive. Chief among the questions that inevitably comes up is implementation of the Directive in the different Member States. Clients wonder if and how they can prepare for June 2026 when – as per usual – most … Continue Reading
In 2020, Ms Korpysa was told that because of the COVID lockdown, her workplace would be closing. She thought that meant that she was being dismissed, and asked her employer, Impact Recruitment Services Limited, for details of her contract, accrued holiday pay entitlement and (said Impact) her P45. Impact took that as meaning that she … Continue Reading
So here it is, 2025’s first serious contender for the What On Earth Were They Thinking? Awards, an unfair dismissal case with a common-sense answer so clear you could see it from Mars, but which it nonetheless took five years and the Court of Appeal to arrive at.… Continue Reading
As was widely reported in the press, the FCA and Prudential Regulation Authority both recently issued announcements (FCA announcement / PRA announcement), the contents of which are variously being reported as “a retreat from efforts to help under-represented groups” (as per the Guardian) and, by contrast, a welcome “response to criticism that [the proposed new … Continue Reading
On 19 March, the UK Home Office announced increases to visa and sponsorship fees to take effect from 9 April. There are increases for most fees listed which will impact almost everyone including Skilled Worker visa holders, sponsors, and those applying for settlement and citizenship. The increases range from as little as £8.50 (which leads … Continue Reading
2023’s EU Directive 2023/970 to “strengthen the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women through pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms”, also known as the Pay Transparency Directive, must be implemented by European member states by no later than 7 June 2026. With such … Continue Reading
In 2019 a Mr Easton applied for a role with the Home Office to work in the Border Force. As part of that process he was required to fill in (without guidance) a blank box headed “Employment History” which he completed with details of prior roles held and the years in which each had begun … Continue Reading
In these days of fevered and angry social media comment on almost everything, it is always wise for HR to keep its feet anchored firmly on the ground when all that online bile and indignation washes up at the employer’s door. Here to help with that is this week’s Court of Appeal decision in Higgs … Continue Reading
It’s still not too late to make a fool of yourself over a colleague for Valentine’s Day, so here’s a brief reminder of what may happen if you do.… Continue Reading
It is clear from the press in recent weeks that there has been a widespread shift in terms of how much homeworking employers are willing to allow and indeed, in some cases, an almost complete volte face – with numerous house-hold name employers reportedly mandating their staff to work four or five days in the … Continue Reading
A couple of weeks ago we asked readers of this blog to answer a couple of questions on their organisation’s use of (generative) artificial intelligence, and we promised to circle back with the results. So, drum roll, the results are now in.… Continue Reading
On 1 January, the Fourth Bureaucracy Relief Act (Viertes Bürokratieentlastungsgesetz – “BEG IV”) came into effect. This legislation introduces significant changes to requirements around the form of contracts in Germany with the objective of simplifying certain administrative processes, among them the completion of employment contracts. What is the status quo? Until the end of last … Continue Reading
On New Year’s Eve, many were focused on celebrating the arrival of whatever 2025 may bring, but behind the scenes the Home Office introduced some significant changes to immigration policy. These updates have been quietly implemented as part of the government’s ongoing ‘crackdown’ on alleged abuse of the UK immigration system, but some could have far-reaching … Continue Reading
Here are another couple of questions that were raised in our recent webinar on Managing Sickness Absence, plus our outline answers. If an employee always uses their full sickness allowance but never goes over this, can we still have meetings and issue warnings, even if there is no evidence of an underlying medical condition? Yes, … Continue Reading
Here are a couple more of the questions – and our outline answers – following our recent webinar on Managing Sickness Absence. What advice would you give where an employee wants to return to work but the employer does not think they are able to? If an employer has concerns about an employee’s fitness to … Continue Reading
During our recent webinar on Managing Sickness Absence, we received a number of questions that we will address in a few blogs over the next few days. First off, a question on obtaining medical advice for employees who have been absent from work due to sickness. For long-term absences, whose advice should be followed – … Continue Reading
Under growing pressure to tackle high net migration figures, the Home Office has published plans to clamp down on visa abuse and exploitation to be implemented through amendments to the Employment Rights Bill. These are aimed at “rogue” employers (particularly within the care sector) but are likely to affect any UK employer with a licence … Continue Reading
Here’s a sentence you don’t see very often, but hats off to the Regulatory Policy Committee for its excoriating review last week of the thinking behind the new Employment Rights Bill. The RPC is a body set up by the Labour government in 2009 as part of its Better Regulation Framework to ensure that the … Continue Reading
