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Neonatal leave and pay – the new law
28 June 2023The Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023 received Royal Assent on 24 May 2023, providing parents with a right to 12 weeks’ leave and pay when their baby requires neonatal care in addition to existing parental leave entitlements. However, the new rights will not come into force until April 2025. We explain what the new entitlement to leave and pay looks like and what it means for employers.
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Court orders summary judgment against employer for failure to reimburse expenses incurred for the benefit of the business
28 June 2023On 6 April 2023, the Court of First Instance granted summary judgment to a former employee of a Hong Kong company for various payments and benefits owed to the employee.
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Think twice before filing an employment related claim directly to the High Court
27 June 2023Lewis Silkin’s litigation team acting for the Defendant was successful in striking out a claim brought before the High Court and also successfully resisted an appeal against the Master’s decision to strike-out the Plaintiff’s claim.
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Employment law across the globe - what's happened and what's coming up?
21 June 2023Our round-up of key developments in employment law since our last conference in June 2022.
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Irish Data Protection Commission Issues Guidance for Employers
15 June 2023In this two-part series, Linda Hynes, partner in the Employment, Immigration and Reward team of Lewis Silkin Ireland, sets out what employers need to take away from the recent DPC guidance. The first in the series looks at the Data Protection in the Workplace: Employer Guidance.
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The building blocks of employment status: tribunal finds Purplebricks estate agent to be neither employee nor worker
15 June 2023An employment tribunal has recently considered the employment status of those providing estate agency services on behalf of Purplebricks Group Plc. Of particular interest to organisations operating franchise and licensing models are the factual circumstances identified in support of this decision.
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EU Platform Workers Directive – a further step forward
15 June 2023The Platform Workers Directive just inched closer towards being adopted by the EU. This article looks at how the Directive is shaping up as it nears its final stages.
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Social Mobility Awareness Day 2023: the legal and practical issues of class in the workplace
15 June 2023The second national “Social Mobility Awareness Day” takes place on 15th June 2023. In this article, we explain some of the legal and practical issues around social mobility in the workplace.
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Enforceability of an indemnification provision under a broker agreement: is it a penalty?
02 June 2023A recent case in the Hong Kong Court of First Instance has seen the court applying the Court of Appeal’s penalty clause test to an indemnification provision under a broker agreement.
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World Environment Day 2023: Our look at employer initiatives relating to the environment
31 May 2023It is World Environment Day on 5 June 2023, and the focus this year is on solutions to plastic pollution, under the campaign #BeatPlasticPollution. Many employers will be aware of the campaign and may be looking at their own internal green initiatives.
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New ICO guidance on SARs for employers – a useful reminder on how to comply
30 May 2023From April 2022 to March 2023, 15,848 complaints related to the right of subject access were reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Elanor McCombe, Policy Group Manager at the ICO, singles out employers as some of the main culprits – either misunderstanding the nature of subject access requests (SAR), or underestimating their importance.
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WRC issues highly anticipated decision in Debenhams test case
25 May 2023It has been reported that the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) has awarded a former Debenhams’ employee eight weeks’ pay in the main test case for a large group of staff. It is understood that between 750-800 former employees referred complaints to the WRC following the collective redundancy in 2020.
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With an ageing national workforce how can employers meet the challenge of ill health amongst older workers?
24 May 2023A growing number of older people at work could mean more employees experiencing health issues and increased focus on health-related benefits as part of the reward package. We explore the employment law considerations and share five practical tips.
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Changes to working time, holiday and TUPE: retained EU law plans announced
18 May 2023The government has published a consultation paper on proposed changes to working time record keeping, annual leave and holiday pay calculations, and TUPE consultation requirements – while confirming that the vast majority of EU-derived employment law will remain (at least for the moment) unchanged.
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Labour party’s proposals to reform workplace rights - spotlight on unfair dismissal
18 May 2023The outcome of recent local elections indicates a Labour party victory at the next general election. In a series of articles, we'll explore what the employment law landscape might look like under a Keir Starmer-led Labour government by examining their wide-ranging proposals for reform. This first article spotlights Labour’s proposals to reform unfair dismissal laws. These changes, if implemented, will require many employers to change their approach to recruitment, performance management and dismissal.
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Investing in your employees’ mental health
18 May 2023As workplaces across the country mark Mental Health Awareness Week, employers are reminded why safeguarding employees’ mental health and wellbeing should be a business priority. What steps can employers take to address this critical issue proactively?
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Gender pay gap reporting in Europe: Pay Transparency Directive now finalised
17 May 2023The EU Pay Transparency Directive has been finalised and must be implemented by June 2026, making gender pay gap reporting compulsory for many employers across Europe.
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Government confirms plans to limit non-competes in employment contracts
16 May 2023The government has confirmed its plans to limit the length of non-compete clauses in employment contracts to three months, in a recently published response to a 2020 consultation on the topic.
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Government to cap non-competes and make limited changes to TUPE and Working Time Regulations
10 May 2023Non-competes will be limited to three months, rolled up holiday pay will be allowed and employers will not always have to elect representatives for TUPE transfers, according to the government’s Smarter Regulation paper released today. The government has also backtracked on the controversial sunset provision in the Retained EU Law Bill.
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Government backs new law on tips
09 May 2023Tips must be paid to staff in full and distributed fairly, according to a new law which started life as a Private Members’ Bill.