New National Minimum Wage Levels Announced

December 01, 2017Alan Kitto

As part of the Autumn Budget, Chancellor Philip Hammond confirmed the new minimum rates of pay which will apply from April 2018. 

The Top Ten Employment Law Facts Every Company Needs to Know

November 29, 2017Alan Kitto

Employment law covers a wide range of subjects, from employment contracts to subjects as diverse as discrimination, working hours, statutory pay and dismissal. The following employment law facts are essential for any business, however small ... 

The HR Guide to Christmas in the Workplace

November 04, 2017Alan Kitto

The Starbucks Christmas cups have been launched so it must be that time of year again for HR to declare 'Bah Humbug' and remind everyone of the minefield of potential HR challenges that Christmas can bring.

Staff Relationships

November 04, 2017Alan Kitto

It's become increasingly common for us to be asked by clients to help them to deal with both conduct and performance issues caused by colleagues engaged in personal relationships or worse where personal relationships between colleagues have ended acrimoniously.

The Parental Bereavement (Pay and Leave) Bill

October 14, 2017Alan Kitto

On 13th October 2017 the UK Government published the Parental Bereavement (Pay and Leave) Bill, which is expected to become law in 2020, this will give grieving employees a day-one right to take up to two weeks leave in the event that they lose a child under the age of eighteen

Gross Misconduct Doesn't Automatically Mean Summary Dismissal

September 03, 2017Alan Kitto

Does a finding of gross misconduct means that summary dismissal (or even dismissal) automatically falls within the range of reasonable responses. The short answer to this question is 'no' according to Brito-Babapulle v Ealing Hospital NHS Trust.

Think Twice About Suspending Employees

August 22, 2017Alan Kitto

In Agoreyo v London Borough of Lambeth the High Court stated that suspension of an employee, even in the face of potentially serious allegations, could amount to a breach of the employment contract.

Employment Tribunal Fees Are Unlawful Say The Supreme Court

July 26, 2017Alan Kitto

Earlier today, the Supreme Court has allowed the appeal by Unison, holding that the Employment Tribunals and the Employment Appeal Tribunals Fees Order 2013, which introduced the requirement for employees to to pay a fee to bring an employment tribunal claim and which led to a 70% reduction in claims is unlawful and will be quashed.

Keeping Tabs on Social Media

June 21, 2017Alan Kitto

Social media has many of us hooked. In many ways that's a great thing as there are all sorts of personal and commercial benefits to be gained from being active online. But as an employer you won't be alone in feeling anxious when it comes to these mediums of communication, wanting to ensure that your employees' efforts are properly channelled.

Terrorist Firearms and Weapons Attack

May 25, 2017Alan Kitto

Firearms and Weapons attacks are rare in the UK. 

The UK Government’s STAY SAFE principles tell you some simple actions to consider at an incident and the information that armed officers may need in the event of a weapons or firearm attack.  Download more details here

Party Manifestos - Employment Law Summary

May 23, 2017Alan Kitto

We have put together a summary of the employment law content of the main political parties' manifestos ... 

Employment Status

April 23, 2017Alan Kitto

There have been a number of cases reported in the press recently dealing with a grey area of employment law, that of Employment Status; these cases include Pimlico Plumbers and Charlie Mullins vs. Gary Smith and Uber vs Aslam ...

Employment Law Update

April 09, 2017Alan Kitto

April is one of the two months of the year (along with October) when typically we see changes to employment legislation. From 6th April 2017 ... 

Ten Employee Types that HR Secretly Hates

March 29, 2017Alan Kitto

Thanks to Suzanne Lucas (www.evilhrlady.org) for her as ever insightful observations on the people that exist in most organisations that HR simply loves to hate.

The Worst Excuses Ever for Not Paying the National Minimum Wage

March 01, 2017Alan Kitto

With the National Minimum Wage (NMW) now almost fifteen years old, and with another increase pending on 1st April 2017 HMRC have issued a list of the most elaborate excuses they've been given by employers for not paying the appropriate rates ...

Congratulations Bevan ..

January 12, 2017Alan Kitto

We're delighted that Bevan has now successfully completed the first stage of his professional qualifications, having last night passed his CIPD Certificate in HR Practice. 

Agreed Reference Wording

December 18, 2016Alan Kitto

Where agreed reference wording exists, it's imperative that employers respond to requests in accordance with their agreement, whether in writing or on the telephone; there are no 'off the record' conversations ... 

The HR Guide to Christmas in the Workplace

December 01, 2016Alan Kitto

During the Christmas period companies face a minefield of potential HR challenges and we feel the best way to deal with these is to be prepared. Typically the challenges come from four main areas; download our Christmas in the Workplace Guide for more information.

What Counts Towards a 'Week's Pay' When Capping ET Compensation?

November 19, 2016Alan Kitto

A claimant's losses will calculated according to the sums that they could reasonably have expected to received, had they remained in employment. This can include bonus payments (even if they are discretionary) and commission.

The extent to which commission and bonus payments may be taken in to account in calculating a 'week's pay' (i.e. when applying the statutory cap) is often difficult to determine under the Employment Rights Act 1996, but there are three key questions ...

The Possible Effect of Brexit on Employment Law

October 16, 2016Alan Kitto

The UK Government has released the attached briefing paper on the possible effects of Brexit on UK employment law. Whilst this doesn't state what will change, the table on page eight lists the current EU employment laws that are enforced on UK legislation that would no longer be in the event that we were no longer EU members.