Other Employment Matters Articles

Join our seminar on Succession Planning - Wednesday 30th October at Dominus Way

Lawson-West supports Welland Park Academy Careers Evening

World Mental Health Day: stress in the workplace now a commonplace occurrence

Lawson-West Solicitors in Leicestershire has announced the promotion of three more solicitors

Sexual Orientation Discrimination - Association, Perception and “Related to”

According to Ministry of Justice Figures, there were 6,550 disability discrimination claims at employment tribunals last year. This is a 37% increase on the year before, and represents a growth rate which is eight times faster than the increase in total claims over the same period.

The Islamic tradition Ramadan will commence this Sunday 5th May for 30 days. During this time individuals observing Ramadan will fast between the hours of sunrise and sunset. As an employer it is important to be aware of anyone in your team who is observing Ramadan and ensure suitable provisions are in place for those individuals in order to support them. Fasting will take place mainly during working hours and it is important to be aware of the potential impact it can have in the workplace.

Flexible working is, perhaps, the panacea for many parents. In addition, manged in the correct manner, it may be a long-term solution for employers too, facing a skills gap, an issue with finding employees in a post-Brexit Britain and even to resource existing vacancies that require a particular skill or personality fit. So, what is the problem?

In October 2018, the government started a consultation into whether organisations should be required to report on the pay differentials between people from different ethnic backgrounds. This consultation was largely a response to a report by Baroness McGregor-Smith: ‘Race in the Workplace – The McGregor-Smith Review’.

As part of an unfair dismissal case, an employment tribunal is having to decide whether or not ethical veganism can be classified as a religion and is thus protected by the 2010 Equality Act.

Employment Laws are in place to protect both employers and employees in the workplace. The laws govern what employers can expect from employees, what employers can ask employees to do and the employees’ rights at work.

The loss of a child is one of the remaining taboos between friends, family and certainly in the workplace. Early miscarriage often passes completely unbeknown to all but the closest of friends. Later miscarriage, although physically noticeable, will go unspoken. However, the pain that the parents suffer during this time is rarely acknowledged by those around them.

It is considered that individuals doing the same job or work of equal value should receive the same or equal pay; but in many cases they do not, despite the law saying otherwise. Shockingly this is the case with the 1,000 current and former employees of Tesco who back in July 2018 lodged claims to the Employment Tribunal for equal pay.

Introduced in 2017, the Gender Pay Gap Report requires by law, employers in Great Britain with 250 employees or more to publish certain information regarding the pay of males and females in their organisation. The aim of the scheme is to reduce the pay gap between genders and in time achieve equal pay throughout

Domestic abuse may take place behind closed doors, but it has far reaching consequences and is known to have a detrimental impact on the working lives of those living in such circumstances. The scale of the problem is huge. In the UK, in any one year, more than one in five victims of domestic violence take time off work because of abuse and two per cent lose their jobs as a direct result of the abuse.

A recent discrimination case ruling by an employment tribunal in the UK has overturned the dismissal of, and awarded damages to, a female court worker. This has added an interesting stance to our understanding of workplace discrimination, the Equality Act 2010 and to the growing debate on attitudes towards menopause in the workplace.

Often individuals suffer from multiple complaints that could in essence be considered as a Disability in accordance with the Equality Act 2010. Recently, colour blindness has been determined within the Employment Tribunal as an impairment, but the Claimant’s red-green colour blindness could not be considered a disability under the Equality Act 2010. Cases such as this could leave many wondering whether or not they have the right to make a disability claim.

A recent case that was heard at an Employment Law Tribunal awarded a former restaurant worker nearly £9,000 to compensate for the discrimination she faced at work and the lack of professionalism shown by management when she raised a grievance.

As well as being disruptive, the passenger also reportedly breached the airlines terms. This case highlights the importance of reading the small print and making sure you fully understand any terms and conditions that you have entered into be it in a business transaction or social pursuits.