Feature Articles

Few issues in employment law worry employers more than dealing with the complex rules involved in the transfer of a business or service: the dreaded Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations — usually known as “TUPE”.

With an ageing population, UK employers are experiencing an increase in numbers of those within their workforce who are undertaking unpaid care. In 2019, research by Carers UK revealed that one in seven of all workers have caring responsibilities that they are managing alongside their professional lives, with over two million having reduced working hours in order to meet their responsibilities. A staggering nearly 2.6 million people are reported to have given up work in order to care full time, with around 600 people leaving work every day over the past two years.

Ramadan is the holy month of the Islamic Calendar during which Muslims partake in religious observance, including ritual fasting from sunrise to sunset. This year, Ramadan is expected to run from 5 May to 4 June and we have outlined some key ways to support staff during this period.

Treating women as equal to men does not mean treating the two sexes the same. Women are different biologically and this may need to be taken into account at work. Gordon Tranter investigates how the menopause can affect women’s health in the workplace and suggests how employers can provide support to enable women to continue to work comfortably and productively during this time.

Following last week’s developments, the UK is now legally set to leave the EU on 31 October 2019 unless a deal can be reached before that date.

Barrister Robert Spicer examines the case law dealing with injury after manual handling, and risk assessments.

Dismissal for gross misconduct in the workplace or during working time is well documented. But what if the alleged misconduct takes place outside working hours, in the individual’s private time? How should an employer respond? Will a dismissal be fair? We examine the issues.

Social media and online networking carried out across sites including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Snapchat amongst others, is regarded as a normal, everyday feature of nearly all adult lives. While most individuals are capable of monitoring and restricting their own usage to levels they are happy to continue, there are some individuals who may be experiencing negative health impacts due to their ever increasing need to use social media.

Martin Hodgson explains the 12 simple steps to risk assessment that adult social care providers should follow to ensure that they comply with the law and with their regulatory requirements.

The Low Pay Commission (LPC) has made the follow recommendations, which the Government accepts, in respect of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates for certain apprentices and workers in respect of pay reference periods starting on or after Monday 1 April 2019. The new NMW rates for pay reference periods starting on or after 1 April 2019 are as follows: