Employment Law
By Kevin Basnett , 27th February 2021 Historically the employment relationship has been stigmatised, for good reason, with thinking that it is a very one-sided affair in terms of the power relationship. If you are old enough to remember...
By Kevin Basnett , 21st February 2021 On Friday 19th February 2021 the Supreme Court issued its Judgment in the long running case of Uber BV and others (Appellants) -v- Aslam and others (Respondents) [2021] UKSC 5. On appeal from: [2018] EWCA Civ 2748...
In this provocative particle by Managing Partner, Kevin Basnett, we address the difference between unlawful and illegal actions, question why sometimes being unlawful is necessary and separates good business from great businesses and how Goughs Solicitors can support you in becoming one of the greats.
Learn all about Redundancy, Severance Deals and Settlement Agreements as businesses restructure following the pandemic and lockdowns.
By Kevin Basnett , 4th February 2020 Many of us as employees will be well aware of the concerns surrounding job security and income reduction due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Many employers are struggling to maintain pre-Covid work levels or...
By Kevin Basnett , 26th January 2020 The Furlough Scheme (or, to give its full title the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme) will end on 30th April 2021. It has been extended several times, but this may truly be the end. This leaves us with a firm date...
By Kevin Basnett . Updated 8th January 2020. With the Coronavirus forcing more and more companies to take steps to deal with this unprecedented situation, temporary closure of the workplace is an option some employers may have to take to ensure the...
Angela West, our Head of Employment gives advice to employers on returning to the office post COVID-19. What’s the biggest challenge facing employers post COVID-19? Many employees have either been working from home or have been on furlough leave....
Employers will be familiar with the Guidance issued by Gov.UK regarding furlough leave, but may be finding that Guidance increasingly difficult to follow given the changes and updates that are taking place. We have summarised what you need to know as we head in to a period of 'Flexible Furloughing.
By Angela West , 1st June 2020 Rishi Sunak has announced reforms to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, including improved flexibility to bring furloughed employees back part-time in July. The Scheme has so far helped a million employers across the UK...
By Angela West - Friday the 22nd of May The Coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the economy both within the UK and globally. When we think of great British commercial institutions, you may well think of British Airways or...
We all read the news yesterday about the Government proposals to extend the current Furlough Leave under the Coronovirus Job Retention Scheme until October 2020. Reports which we have read further suggest that the extension to the Furlough Leave Scheme might enable some employees to return to work on a part-time basis.
By Angela West , 4th May 2020 With the Government advising that we have now hopefully reached the peak in this terrible pandemic, and with many employees and employers getting used to the new “norm” of working life, whether this be working from...
By Angela West , 20th April 2020 With the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme On-line Portal going live today, we thought we would share with you as part of our ongoing updates, some of the changes which have been announced over the course of the weekend. ...
As part of our ongoing updates to our clients regarding the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and more particularly the furloughing of employees, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has now issued a formal Direction to HMRC.
The Direction requires HMRC to be responsible for the payment and management of amounts to be paid under the Scheme.
On the 1st April 2020 the Government confirmed an increase to the National Minimum Wage / National Living Wage.
Previously we were advised that an employer could only reclaim 80% of the employee’s basic salary. However, this has now changed and an employer can reclaim 80% of basic salary and compulsory commission. By compulsory commission it is presumed that this is meant contractual commission.
By Angela West In our article yesterday we confirmed that the Coronavirus Act 2020 received Royal Assent, but given that the legislation had been pushed through in just over a week, there were many outstanding questions as to how the Coronavirus Job...
This historic bill received Royal Assent on 25th March 2020. We are in truly unchartered waters, and whilst it would usually take years for a bill to become enacted into legislation, this Act took just over a week.
By Angela West The Government’s recent announcement to introduce “Furlough Leave” will have come as a huge sigh of relief for many employers and employees alike. It is very much a changing landscape and one that we are...
Discover more about what to do if an employee decides to self-isolate, travels to a coronavirus infected region, takes time off for dependents and much more.
With trillions allegedly wiped off the global stock market, the UK Chief Medical Officer raising the risk to public from low to moderate and today’s sad news about the collapse of British airline, Flybe, it is essential that businesses take action now to prepare for this.
The Equality Act 2010 and the legislation before it is an attempt to prevent people being subjected to detrimental treatment in the workplace (and elsewhere) on account of a characteristic which they have or which is special to them. Currently the...
We are often asked if such testing is lawful. Like most things if the action is not proscribed by law and the individual consents then the proposed action is lawful. So providing the employer goes about testing in the right way all will be fine. The...
The short answer is maybe! It has long been the staple line in every letter suspending an employee that the suspension is a 'neutral act', it is not a disciplinary act, nor does it imply any evidence of guilt. Where an employee is suspected of...
Recently Non Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) have suffered an extremely bad press. This is particularly the case in the context of the hashtag 'Me Too' movement and the alleged (we use that word advisably) sexual impropriety and attempted cover...