Reasonable Adjustments and Sickness Absence The Court of Appeal yesterday handed down an important Judgment in the interpretation of the reasonable adjustment legislation, in particular in relation to how employers should operate sickness absence policies. Our readers will be aware…Read more ›

When is it fair and not unlawful discrimination, to dismiss a disabled employee due to absence? The case of Monmouthshire County Council –v- Harris (EAT) provides a reminder of the inter-play between an employee’s absence, unfair dismissal and disability discrimination.…Read more ›

Focus On: Current Affairs “Blue is the colour…” A male manager rebuked two employees shortly after a tense and unsuccessful event; one is a female Doctor, the other is a male physiotherapist. The rebuke is issued publicly in front of…Read more ›

This should be of interest, dear public Whistleblowing (a whistle-stop history of) The Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA) protects workers from being subjected to a detriment or dismissed because they have made a “qualifying protected disclosure” (blown the whistle) about:…Read more ›

Focus On: Whistleblowing Stories of ill-treatment of whistle-blowers who speak out about wrong-doing by organisations are common in the press, and rightly so where individuals are ostracised for reporting genuine concerns. However, the term “whistle-blower” and the protection afforded under…Read more ›

Now that the long summer school holidays have finally arrived I am reminded of my time as a working mother facing the logistical nightmare of what to do with my two young children in the long summer vacation. I suspect…Read more ›

As you will no doubt have seen, the news is filled with reports on the government’s draft Trade Union Bill, which proposes radical changes to the laws governing industrial action, as follows: minimum 50% turnout for industrial action in addition,…Read more ›

Reconciling sickness absence and holiday pay is an issue that comes before Employment Tribunals (ETs) time and again. In the case of Plumb -v- Duncan Print Group Limited, the ET had to determine: (1) if an employee on sick leave…Read more ›

Dress Codes and Discrimination The issue of dress codes in the workplace can be a delicate and controversial area. In the field of Employment Law it often appears in the context of discrimination claims, where employees in protected groups, be…Read more ›

That Was The Winter That Was Welcome to the first of our quarterly updates, where we give a snapshot of developments in employment law across the seasons. In this edition we focus on obesity and well-being. Neal Mellor of Law…Read more ›