Insightful blogs on employment law, immigration, and workplace HR matters. Stay informed, compliant, and create a thriving work environment.
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has recently considered important issues concerning disability discrimination, workplace drug testing and prescribed medical cannabis in Truman v SPL Powerlines UK Ltd & Others. The decision will be particularly relevant to employers operating in safety-critical industries, where mandatory drug and alcohol testing is common practice. It also serves as a reminder […]
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From Tuesday 26 May, employers can reclaim coronavirus-related statutory sick pay (SSP) paid after 13 March 2020, via HMRC’s new online claims service. Employers are eligible under the Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme if they have a PAYE payroll scheme that started before 28 February 2020 and fewer than 250 employees before this date. […]
Returning to work in a post-lockdown world is very much high on the agenda this week. With the prime minister set to announce a roadmap out of lockdown on Sunday 10 May 2020. As part of that roadmap (and as reported on earlier this week) workplace rules, post-lockdown, are likely to be covered. We look […]
The UK has been in lockdown for several weeks, some UK businesses have had to adapt, and some have had to shut down completely. Never has the UK seen such measures put in place, with many businesses wondering whether they will have a business at the end of this unprecedented situation. As a result of […]
Employers who currently hold a sponsorship licence remain bound by their sponsorship duties. The UK Government announced the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) to enable employers to pay staff who would have otherwise been made redundant due to the coronavirus. Under the CJRS scheme, any employee who would have been laid off due to the […]
UPDATE: Following announcements on Friday 29 May 2020, we produced an updated article. We are still expecting some clarification on various points concerning Furlough leave. Here are some key points to note: Annual Leave – An employee can take annual leave while on furlough. However, the employer will have to “top up” to 100% of […]
The Furlough scheme eligibility date has now been extended to 19 March 2020, from 28 February 2020. Under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, employers can access government support to continue paying part of their employees’ salary (80%) for those employees that would have otherwise been laid off during this crisis. Initially, the scheme supported those […]
From 1 January 2021, free movement will end and the UK will introduce a points-based immigration system. The new system will treat EU and non-EU citizens equally and change how all migrants come to the UK to work. Under a points-based immigration system, points are assigned for specific skills, qualifications, salaries and shortage occupations. Visas […]
With employers having to switch on remote working almost overnight and employees coming to the end of their third week working from home, many are starting to feel the downside that can come it. Many questions arising for employers at the moment are what effect is isolation having on employees’ physical and mental health, are […]
The government has confirmed that apprentices can be furloughed in the same way as other employees and they can also continue to train whilst furloughed. However, employers must pay apprentices at least the Apprenticeship Minimum Wage, National Living Wage or National Minimum Wage for all the time they spend training. This means employers must cover […]
