Furlough – Coronavirus Job Retention and Job Support
In March 2020 the government introduced “furlough” to the UK, with the aim of providing support to businesses and employees impacted by Covid-19 under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). Similar schemes were introduced to help the self-employed and a range of other measures were put in place. Guidance on the CJRS, and the CJRS itself, […]
Injury to feelings – 2020 update
The Presidents of the Employment Tribunals have updated their guidance on awards for injury to feeling. The new guidance will apply to claims presented to the Tribunal on or after 6 April 2020. The “Vento bands”, named after the 2002 case in which the Court of Appeal set out guidance on injury to feelings awards, […]
A good work plan?
Described by the government as “the biggest package of workplace reforms for over 20 years”, the Good Work Plan was published on 17 December 2018. The Good Work Plan is the output from the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices, launched in 2016 and published in July 2017, with the overarching ambition that all work should […]
Employment Tribunal Fees – refund scheme now live
Following on from the pilot of the refund process announced in October 2017, HM Courts & Tribunal service has announced that all those eligible for Employment Tribunal Fee refunds can now make their application. There is an online process which most applicants will be able to use and forms available which can be downloaded, completed and then submitted […]
Injury to feelings update
The Presidents of the Employment Tribunals have published new guidance on awards for injury to feelings for cases presented to the Tribunal on or after 11 September 2017. The “Vento bands”, named after the 2002 case in which the Court of Appeal set out guidance on injury to feelings awards, provide a framework for awards of […]
Should a warning be taken at face value?
It is a feature of most disciplinaries policies, and is recognised by the ACAS Code, that an employer may take into account a live disciplinary warning when reaching its decision on a fresh disciplinary matter and determining the appropriate sanction. Earlier warnings can be particularly relevant where the new misconduct may not warrant dismissal on […]
Can we have a chat?
When employment relationships are under strain, employers and employees can often find it useful to have an “off the record” chat to see whether there is another way forward. The risk though has always been that something said “off the record” comes back to haunt the person who said it, whether through an innocent misunderstanding […]
Childcare vouchers – still a win/win?
One of the most popular employee benefits for working parents and parents to be – childcare vouchers are often seen as a classic win/win for employers and employees alike. Employers can make a National Insurance saving and employees get to take up to £243 per month (depending on their tax bracket) from their gross salary […]
Zero hours contracts – tipping the balance
In July we wrote about the first attempt by the government to tackle the abuse of zero hours contracts – the introduction of a ban on enforcing terms preventing a zero hours worker from working elsewhere. As we commented, the absence of anti-avoidance measures meant that this ban would have very little effect in practice. […]