As an employer the wellbeing of your staff will be a key priority. Staff absences can pose a particular challenge; on top of concern for your employees, they can lead to greater pressure on colleagues, additional expense and, if you get it wrong, could even lead to a legal claim. Having an effective absence policy can help you deal fairly and lawfully with both long and short-term absences.

In the wake of the upsetting news of mass redundancies at Tata Steel, the dynamics of employment settlement agreements have gained heightened relevance.

There is a lot happening in Employment Law in 2024. In this insight we summarise the key changes to look out for. 

Sexual harassment is defined in the Equality Act 2010, but in essence is unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature.

On 28 October 2023, new legislation came into effect to reduce the period of time necessary for certain criminal convictions to become spent and so no longer legally disclosable to potential employers.

On 8 November 2023, the government announced changes to the way in which holiday pay is calculated for irregular hours and part-year workers (such as those who work only during term time).

The Government has published draft legislation to amend the Equality Act 2010 (EqA) which will take effect from 1 January 2024.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a powerful tool with many organisations now using AI to enhance efficiency and productivity. In the realm of employment law, AI is increasingly being developed to streamline processes and assist with decision making.

Can employees claim historic underpayments of holiday pay from their employers even if there are gaps of more than three months between deductions?

Earlier this year, the government announced that they would be supporting the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Bill (“The Bill”). The Bill aimed to strengthen the existing worker protection laws outlined in the Equality Act 2010. It comes as a response to growing concerns about the rights and well-being of workers in various industries.

The concept of working from home has gained significant traction in recent years, especially with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Three new Acts giving further employment rights to parents and carers received the Royal Assent last week.