HR Articles

As it’s December Clarkslegal employment associate, Deborah Scales, injects some rhyming couplets into her seasonal related employment advice.  

The end of November has seen a cumulation of domestic violence focused stats and reminders. The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on the 25^th November saw the release of UK’s first comprehensive 10-year femicide census, which revealed harrowing figures, including that 62% of the deceased women were killed by their current partner or an ex, mostly in their own homes. 

The Sponsorship Management System (SMS) is a key part of a Sponsor Licence. The system is undergoing an essential upgrade in preparation for the new immigration system that is to commence from 1 December 2020.

The Fawcett Society have marked Equal Pay Day – the day of the year on which women stop earning relative to men – by releasing a report warning the UK is at a crossroads on equal pay.

Employers can be liable for inducing a breach of a restrictive covenant. But relying on legal advice can provide a defence held the Court of Appeal in Allen v Dodd & Co Ltd.

The Home Office has now published their policy guidance for the new immigration system which goes live on 1 December 2020. The new policy guidance update covers the Skilled Worker and the Intra Company Transfer routes.

Protection from health and safety detriments and the right to PPE should cover ‘workers’ as well as employees, High Court rules.

2020 is likely to be a year of financial constraints for many businesses. Therefore, the recent Court of Appeal decision in Heskett v Secretary of State for Justice [2020] could be good news for employers seeking to justify indirect discrimination as a biproduct of a short-term need to reduce expenditure.

Less than one week ago, the government announced that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (the furlough scheme) would be extended for 1 month, to the end of November 2020, with government support for 80% of wages up to a cap of £2,500 per month and employers only having to pay pension and National Insurance Contributions.

On 5^th November 2020, the Chancellor announced that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme would be extended until the end of March 2021.