Downing Street Briefing – Monday 12th July 2021 Summary Boris Johnson outlined the end to England’s social-distancing rules on 19 July, at the Downing Street press conference; The PM warned there will be more hospitalisations and deaths – saying the pandemic is not over; Mask use will be “advised” on public transport and in crowded and enclosed spaces[…]
Despite the success of the vaccine programme, the impact of the pandemic on businesses will continue for some time. For example, when the furlough scheme ends in the autumn, it is expected that the number of employment tribunal claims will rise and case law will take even longer to filter through to policies and practice.[…]
The official government message encouraging people to work from home is expected to end with the final step out of lockdown. For many employees though, homeworking is here to stay. According to a recent BBC survey, 43 of 50 big UK employers will not bring staff back to the office full time. Instead, employees will[…]
Assessing the Impact of the Pandemic on Equality in the UK – Government Responses
LATEST NEWS May 24, 2021
The government recently published its response to the previous report prepared by the Women and Equalities Committee, ‘Unequal Impact? Coronavirus and the gendered economic impact.’ The report concluded that government policies during the pandemic had consistently overlooked women’s caring responsibilities and the inequality experienced by them. The report identifies that: “The initial closure of nurseries[…]
Go gently during on your team during this transition time It goes without saying that we have all been through a lot this past year and still are and many of your employees may be exhausted, anxious or grieving. Everyone’s experience of this pandemic has been different. Some employees will have worked throughout, or at[…]
While the predicted lockdown baby boom has not materialised and the birth rate is similar to 2020 (down just 0.5%), family caring responsibilities have been more evident in the last year as home-schooling affected many families and some children even made an appearance in professional video-calls. Employers need to be familiar with family-friendly rights[…]
The COVID19 pandemic has resulted in domestic violence victims being unable to access support in the usual way. According to Women’s Aid 67.4% of victims who are currently experiencing abuse said that they abuse had got worse during the pandemic. Women’s Aid define domestic abuse as “an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive,[…]
Sleep in Time is not Working Time for the Purpose of the National Minimum Wage
LATEST NEWS Apr 22, 2021
Working Time The Supreme Court has decided in the recent case of Royal Mencap Society v Tomlinson-Blake that ‘sleep-in shift time work’ does not constitute working time for the purposes of the National Minimum Wage Regulations 1999 and 2015. The case lays to rest the erroneous belief that sleep-in shifts could qualify for the[…]
The statutory definitions of the three categories of employment status have long been criticised as being unclear, and over the years a body of case law interpreting these definitions has grown up. Despite this, it remains difficult to set out a definitive list of criteria to allow employers or employees to determine whether an individual’s[…]