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What’s Happening – Video/Multimedia

 

Our weekly video has now been uploaded to our You Tube Channel.

 

The video explores the difficult area of part-time vs full-time working requirements – be that in the context of a restructure where part-time roles are removed or where a flexible working request is refused. Such decisions could create liability for indirect sex discrimination, although the defence of objective justification may apply and is considered here.

 

Watch the video

2022 Seminar Programme

 

11am Wednesday 8th June 2022- Lateness and Short-term absence/ Evalu8 system

In this Seminar we will be covering how to manage employee lateness and absences. Employees’ lateness or absences may be for several reasons and  we explore how to manage these situations. We will also present on practical HR solutions manage employee lateness and absence.

8:30am Wednesday 15th June 2022- Lighthouse Mock Health & Safety Trial at Headingley Stadium, Leeds, LS6 3BR

Chadwick Lawrence & Lighthouse Risk Services warmly welcome you to join us for an interactive mock Health & Safety trial. The event will see a fictional company stand trial against the HSE for injuries sustained by an employee in a workplace accident. This free event gives you a real insight into how a trial operates and the impact it could have on you as the employer.

Free breakfast and networking commences at 8:30, with the trial starting at 09:00. The judge will have made a decision and sentences will have been handed out by 11:00am.

To sign up for this event please email employmenthub@chadlaw.co.uk

The seminar program is now in full swing and links to our events can be found on our website:

Business Services Seminars – Chadwick Lawrence

In the News

 

There have been lots of relevant employment law/HR updates this week.

 

Employment Contracts – Exclusivity Clause Ban for Low-Income Workers

 

The government announced that legislation shall be brought before parliament this year which will aim to implement a ban on the use of exclusivity clauses in employment contracts for those whose weekly income is at, or below, the Lower Earnings Limit. This limit is currently £123.00 per week.

 

This measure is intended to prevent employers in this scenario from mandating that their staff must work for them exclusively, thus allowing low-income earners to also work for other employers. Business Minister Paul Scully said: “We are putting more control into the hands of the lowest paid, giving them the freedom to decide who they work for and how often.”

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/lowest-paid-workers-to-be-given-flexibility-to-top-up-their-pay-under-government-reforms

 

Legislation Plans for Workers to Keep Tips Scrapped?

 

The government initially announced plans to legislate under an Employment Bill for workers to be able to keep the tips earned by preventing their employers from deducting this money. The proposed legislation is expected to cover the following in relation to tips and gratuities:

  • Employers will be required to pass on tips to workers without any deductions, including admin charges, other than those required by tax law.
  • Employers will be required to have a written policy on tips and keep a record of how tips are dealt with.
  • There will also be a new statutory Code of Practice on Tipping for employers in order to demonstrate fairness and transparency, which will replace the existing voluntary code, and a tip must be dealt with no later than the end of the month following the month in which it was paid by the customer.
  • New rights will be introduced for workers to request information about an employer’s tipping record. This will enable employees to bring credible claims to an Employment Tribunal and employers can be forced to compensate workers, often in addition to fines.

 

However, despite the statement given that this proposed legislation would be brought forward “as soon as parliamentary time would allow”, there was no mention of the Employment Bill in the Queen’s speech at the state opening of parliament delivered by Prince Charles which suggests that the proposals have been scrapped.

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/all-tips-to-go-to-staff-under-government-plans-to-enhance-rights-of-2-million-workers

 

Ukraine – New Guidance on Work Opportunities

 

On 6 May 2022, the government published new guidance for businesses offering work to people from Ukraine. The guidance applies to businesses in England, Scotland and Wales.

 

While the guidance sets out the following:

 

  • Businesses offering employment opportunities to people arriving in the UK from Ukraine should complete a vacancy information questionnaire and return the completed questionnaire to a specified Home Office email address.
  • After completion of the questionnaire, a business will be contacted by the National Employer and Partnership Team at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) within five working days. Job opportunities will then be shared across the DWP Jobcentre Plus network and with the Refugee Employment Network (REN).
Ukrainians who hold professional qualifications may need those qualifications to be recognised in the UK, if they work in a regulated profession. The UK Centre for Professional Qualifications provides a free service which explains whether a profession is regulated and any entry requirements.

There is an FAQ section at the end of the guidance which provides information on immigration status and additional support available to businesses. One of the FAQs addresses employment rights, noting that “the UK is proud to extend the same employment rights that everyone in the UK is entitled to, to people arriving in the UK from Ukraine”. Businesses are encouraged to understand these rights by reference to the employment status of a worker.

 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/guidance-for-businesses-offering-work-to-people-coming-from-ukraine

 

 

 

AOB

 

  • Whilst our primary aim is to bring you the latest updates on issues and changes in employment law and HR, we understand that businesses have other requirements from time to time and would like to take this opportunity to remind you that our firm offer other services that can support you:

    Acclaim Credit Management and Recovery

    We are well aware of the frustration that many of our clients experience chasing debt from customers. We therefore wanted to introduce our Credit Management and Recovery service known as Acclaim.

    • Launched Acclaim Credit Management and Recovery formally in October 2019;
    • Introduced following a significant investment in our IT systems which has allowed us to create a competitively priced, fast efficient and flexible debt recovery service;
    • Our model is based primarily on a contingent fee structure – if we don’t recover the money – we don’t get paid;
    • We specialise in business to business debt recovery and seek to recover reasonable debt recovery costs from debtors;
    • We can act to recover single debts or bulk debt books.

     

    Acclaim Credit Management and Recovery has had a very successful first year and has secured some major clients. We believe that our success is because we have kept it simple.  We have asked our clients 3 questions :-

     

    1                     Do you have any outstanding debts?;

    2                     Do you want to recover those debts at no cost to you?

    3                     Can we contact you?

     

    Dan Hirst is a Partner at Chadwick Lawrence & Head of Acclaim Credit Management and Recovery, and would be happy to advise you, please contact DanHirst@chadlaw.co.uk

     

    Please visit our website for details of all services we provide https://www.chadwicklawrence.co.uk/

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