Businesses should be made aware of the growing threat of cyber security breaches. A survey on behalf of the government indicated that 90% of big businesses experienced some form of cyber security breach in 2015, compared to 81% in the previous year. Moreover, the cost of security breaches continue to soar, as in the most […]
Parliament was officially opened with HM the Queen delivering her speech on 27th May, outlining the new government’s legislative agenda for the coming year. David Cameron pledged to “create two million more jobs” over the course of the next 5 years, in order to achieve “full employment”, where there would be “a job for everyone […]
One of the final pieces of legislation introduced by the last coalition government was a prohibition on exclusivity clauses in zero-hours contracts. This has now become law (from 27 May 2015) within section 153 of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015. Whilst the ban on exclusivity clauses will have an impact on many […]
DVLA has announced that the paper counterpart of the photocard driving licence which displays information regarding the driver’s endorsement/penalty points will no longer be valid from 8th June 2015. This change is expected to affect agencies who supply drivers, as they would need to consider new ways of checking the validity of the drivers’ licences. […]
The decision in Lee v Ashers Naking Co Ltd and others, which has become known as the “gay cake case”, follows a string of cases examining the clash between the right to hold religious beliefs and protection against sexual orientation discrimination. In this particular case a customer placed an order for a cake requesting that […]
In a recent decision the Employment Appeal Tribunal addressed the matter of whether disciplinary processes must be put on hold pending the outcome of grievances raised at the same time as disciplinary matters. For background information, in the case of Jinadu v Docklands Buses, the employee bus driver was dismissed for gross misconduct because she […]
The use of wearable technology in the workplace is becoming increasingly popular and a number of surveys suggest that the use of such technology could provide certain benefits to employees, such as increasing productivity. Some employers consider that the introduction of new wearable technology will enable employees to work hands-free whilst still receiving information relating […]
Many of you will know that the issue of holiday pay and commission is a complicated and seemingly ever –changing area of law. The recent Employment Tribunal decision in Lock v British Gas, left employers with uncertainty. In essence the decision meant that commission ought to be included in holiday pay, as long as it […]
The Adecco tax case has been listed for hearing between 11 and 15 May 2015 at the first tier Tax Tribunal. This case takes forward similar arguments to those raised in the Reed case which challenged HMRC’s position that VAT was due on all payments received by an employment business from its clients/hirers. Following the […]
Recent changes to driving legislation are a reminder that employers should have policies in place to address drink-driving and drug-driving laws,and provisions which deal with the disciplinary procedure which should be followed if an employee commits a driving offence. From 2nd March 2015 it is a criminal offence to drive (or attempt to drive) a […]
