Insights & News

Employment law across the globe - what's happened and what's coming up?

Our round-up of key developments in employment law since our last conference in June 2022.

The building blocks of employment status: tribunal finds Purplebricks estate agent to be neither employee nor worker

An 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.

EU Platform Workers Directive – a further step forward

The 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.

Social Mobility Awareness Day 2023: the legal and practical issues of class in the workplace

The 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.

Enforceability of an indemnification provision under a broker agreement: is it a penalty?

A 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.

Lewis Silkin publishes social mobility pay gap report

Press Release

We have published a social mobility pay gap report for the first time, as part of our efforts to set the benchmark for transparency, accountability and action on social mobility within the legal industry.

World Environment Day 2023: Our look at employer initiatives relating to the environment

It 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.

New ICO guidance on SARs for employers – a useful reminder on how to comply

From 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.

With an ageing national workforce how can employers meet the challenge of ill health amongst older workers?

A 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.

Changes to working time, holiday and TUPE: retained EU law plans announced

The 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.

Labour party’s proposals to reform workplace rights - spotlight on unfair dismissal

The 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.

Investing in your employees’ mental health

As 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?

Contracts of employment

Inbrief

A contract of employment can be a written document, a verbal agreement, or a mixture of the two. Even where the employer and employee have agreed express terms, certain terms are always implied into every contract of employment. Understanding the full effect of the contract of employment is important because it forms the basis of many of the legal rights and obligations which govern the employment relationship.

Gender pay gap reporting in Europe: Pay Transparency Directive now finalised

The 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.

Government confirms plans to limit non-competes in employment contracts

The 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.

Government to cap non-competes and make limited changes to TUPE and Working Time Regulations

Non-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.

Government backs new law on tips

Tips must be paid to staff in full and distributed fairly, according to a new law which started life as a Private Members’ Bill.