Top 5 for Busy People: 

1. Wickes manager sues for unfair dismissal after being fired for taking cocaine at work 🧪
2. Cost of sickness set to surge, lawyers warn ahead of National Sickie Day 🤒
3. Wellbeing overtakes pay as the top workforce concern, new study finds 🧠
4. PSNI staff offered £7,500 compensation following data breach 🔐
5. Parental bereavement leave explained. Who can take up to two weeks off after the loss of a child

In other news................Skill Builder for HR: Investigations. Leading HR Consultant, Denise Collins from ForeBee Consulting, equips HR professionals in Northern Ireland with practical, step-by-step guidance to manage investigations confidently and effectively. More here.

1. Case Law Reviews
2. AI and Employment Law
3. Skill Builder for HR
4. Cost of Sickness to Skyrocket, Leading Lawyer Warns on National Sickie Day
5. DoE: NI Apprenticeship Statistics 2025
6. PSNI staff offered £7,500 compensation over data breach
7. Just in Case You Missed It...
8. HR Developments
9. Employment News in the Media
10. GB Developments
11. Free Webinars This Month

Bicknell v NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Commissioning Board [2026] EWCA Civ 21

Summary Description: 

No transfer of undertaking under TUPE where the undertaking did not provide ‘economic activity’.

Claimant: 

Marcus Bicknell
British Medical Association

Respondent: 

NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Commissioning Board

Practical Guidance for Employers:

This decision provides some clarity on what is meant by economic activity in relation to a transfer of undertaking.  It is clear that where it is only the commissioning of services it will not constitute economic activity unless the undertaking also performs those services as well.  Despite the argument that there should be a wider definition away from the EU position this was not accepted by the Court of Appeal who recognised that the Regulations had been derived from the Directive and therefore the case law flowing from the Directive should be considered and followed.

Read the Review in full: Bicknell v NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Commissioning Board [2026]

Jamison v Bank of London Group Ltd [2025] NIIT 32009/23

Summary Description: 

Claimant suffered a detriment when making protected disclosures after being told to ‘stay in her lane’ and being subsequently dismissed without any procedure.

Claimant: 

Julie Jamison

Respondent: 

Bank of London Group Ltd

Practical Guidance for Employers:

The Tribunal has noted before that whistleblowers are, due to what they are raising, likely to be relentless.  It is not correct for employers to deem that to be worthy of admonishment, discipline or dismissal where it does fall within the confines of a protected disclosure. This arose here with repeated issues raised in relation to a criminal conviction of another member of staff.  Such actions from the employer were regarded as detriment leading to the award given to the claimant.

Read the Review in full: Jamison v Bank of London Group Ltd [2025]

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These case reviews were written by Jason Elliott BL.  NI Tribunal decisions are available on the OITFET website.

If you have any queries or wish to comment on the reports please feel free to contact Jason at: jasondelliott@outlook.com 

Jason Elliott was called to the Bar of Northern Ireland in 2013 and is the Associate Head of School of Law at Ulster University. As a practising barrister, he has developed a largely civil practice representing individuals, companies and public bodies in litigation.  This covers a wide range of areas including personal injuries, wills and employment law. In terms of employment law, he has represented both applicants and respondents in the Industrial Tribunal.   At Ulster University, Jason lectures extensively on the civil areas of practise such as Equity and Trusts and delivers employment law lectures for both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Remember: Our case law reviews are held in our case law section on our fully-searchable employment law hub website.

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Copilot trial: DWP staff save 19 minutes per day

Department for Work and Pensions staff have saved 19 minutes per day on average in a trial where they used Microsoft 365 Copilot to help with routine tasks. An evaluation of the trial found evidence of improved task efficiency, work quality and job satisfaction, with 73% reporting better quality outputs and 65% feeling more fulfilled at work. Civil Service World has more on this.

AI deepfake risk to immigration system identified

An immigration expert has warned that ‘deepfake’ documents could be used to fool officials into allowing work visas for people who do not meet the relevant criteria. As generative AI tools become more powerful, their use in formal applications will become more appealing for people determined to mislead authorities immersed in a game of technology catch-up, in order to combat false applications. You can read more from Personnel Today.

🎙️AI for HR Weekly Podcast with Barry Phillips 🎙️

Regulating Use of GenAI Tools Employees Just Shouldn’t Be Using – How to Resolve the Conundrum?

You can tune into the latest episode right here - or, if you’re on the move, why not take us with you?

Listen on🎧 Spotify🎧 or 🎧 Apple Podcasts

Simply search for “AI for HR Weekly Podcast” and enjoy expert insights anytime, anywhere.

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📅Thursday, 19 February 2026
⏰12:30 - 14:00 ( 1 hour 30 mins )
📍Online

Part of the Skill Builder for HR: 6 x 6 series, monthly, 90-minute practical HR and employment law sessions designed exclusively for senior HR professionals and business leaders. Leading HR Consultant, Denise Collins from ForeBee Consulting, equips HR professionals in Northern Ireland with practical, step-by-step guidance to manage investigations confidently and effectively. More here.

Legal Island Employment Law Hub Members receive two FREE Skill builder places*

*As part of their subscription - worth £270. T&Cs apply.

Find out more about all the upcoming Skill Builder for HR sessions HERE. 

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Cost of Sickness to Skyrocket, Leading Lawyer Warns on National Sickie Day

Last Monday was dubbed ‘National Sickie Day’ – statistically the day when most workers were likely to call in sick according to research – and it’s the last one we will mark before the law changes on April 6. The cost of sick leave may consequently skyrocket for employers, with new laws set to come into force. The Employment Rights Act changes mean Statutory Sick Pay will be payable from the first day of illness – there will no longer be a three-day waiting period. What’s more, the Lower Earnings Limit (LEL) is also being removed meaning more employees will qualify for Statutory Sick Pay. More here from Wright, Johnston & MacKenzie LLP.

Day-one sick pay: costs, opportunities and practical steps for Retail and Food & Beverage businesses

The Government’s plan to introduce day-one statutory sick pay (SSP) for all workers, regardless of earnings, represents a significant shift in the cost and risk profile of managing short-term absence. From April 2026, SSP will be payable from the first day of sickness to all workers, including those earning below the current threshold, meaning that more people will be eligible, earlier. For labour intensive businesses, those with large workforces, and employers with a high proportion of part-time or lower-paid staff—particularly restaurants, retail outlets, pubs, cafés, quick service operators and contract caterers—this change will be felt most acutely. Chiara Muston from Charles Russell Speechlys looks at how employers need to prepare.

Short-term absence is becoming HR’s biggest pressure point ahead of SSP reform

Short-term sickness absence is already stretching employers, and reforms to Statutory Sick Pay are set to intensify the pressure. This article from HRD Connect explores what the changes mean for HR teams and why absence management is becoming a strategic priority. More here.

Compensation for Work-Related Stress and Anxiety: Legal Options

It is not known by many that the law acknowledges mental harm suffered because of unsafe workloads, poor management or repeated pressure. Legal knowledge is important when stress starts to influence health, income and livelihood. This guide from Law News describes how work-related stress and anxiety compensation is made, why a claim can be made, and when the legal assistance is a viable step to undertake.

And...

Over half of DWP disability assessors quit in a year over feeling ‘despised’

Health professionals tasked with assessing people for disability benefits are leaving the profession in droves over feelings of being ‘despised’ and ‘de-skilled’, research from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has revealed. In a newly-released report, the department says that over half (52 per cent) of its health assessors left in a single year, with 40 per cent of new recruits leaving within the three-month training period. You can read more on this from the Independent.

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The Department for the Economy has provided information on the ApprenticeshipsNI programme and contains data up to the end of October 2025. Key findings include:

• There were 13,324 participants on ApprenticeshipsNI (5,552 at Level 2, 956 at Level 2/3 and 6,816 at Level 3) at the end of October 2025.
  
  
• “Electrotechnical”, “Health and Social Care” and “Engineering” are the three most popular frameworks for the current occupancy quarter.
  
  
• Males account for 72% of current participants. The proportion of male participants is highest in the Level 2/3 Apprenticeship group at 96%.

More here.

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The BBC reports police officers and civilian staff impacted by a 2023 data breach have been made "a universal offer" of £7,500 each in compensation. The breach involved the accidental release of some personal details of all 9,400 Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) personnel. Read here.

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Q&A with Tughans

Stay ahead of the curve with our exclusive Q&A series, brought to you by leading law firm, Arthur Cox, LLP, designed to answer your most pressing legal questions. These expert insights provide clear guidance to ensure your HR practices remain compliant and protect your organisation.

This month's questions:

1. What is parental bereavement leave and pay, and who is entitled to take up to two weeks off work following the death of a child under 18 or a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy?
2. How does an employee’s right to return to work change if she takes ‘additional maternity leave’?
3. What are the obligations on an employer when an employee is called for jury service?

Balancing Gender Equality Rights in the Workplace

Niall McMullan, Partner and Head of Employment Team, Edwards Solicitors explains a recent judgment that highlights the need to balance gender identity inclusion with women’s lawful rights to dignity and privacy.

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Wellbeing overtakes financial security as top workforce concern, study claims

Wellbeing has overtaken financial security as the primary concern for UK employees, according to new research from Mercer, reflecting a shift in workforce priorities after several years of economic and social disruption. The findings come from Mercer’s Inside Employees’ Minds: Building Confidence in a Changed World 2025 to 2026 report, based on responses from more than 4,000 UK workers. The study found that 32 percent of employees report poor mental health, with higher prevalence among younger workers. More here from Insight.

Good Time 2026 Hiring Insights Report

While some teams are improving, the broader picture remains sobering: 90% of companies missed their hiring goals, and talent acquisition continues to operate under sustained structural strain. Other key findings include:

•    Scheduling remains the biggest operational tax on hiring (38% of recruiter time)
•    Fraudulent or AI-generated candidates have emerged as the #1 threat for 2026

You can find out more here.

Redundancies reveal what firms cannot see about their own workforce

Headlines are attributing job losses to AI, however, redundancies usually begin long before technology becomes the focus. They tend to appear when organisations lose sight of how people, skills and workloads actually fit together. Without clear visibility, it becomes harder to plan, harder to adapt and harder to protect people when pressures rise. HR Director has more on this.

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A Wickes manager sued for unfair dismissal after she was fired for taking cocaine at work as a pick-me-up while she was hungover. Staff noticed Jasmin Unsted was unusually 'quiet' after a heavy night out which saw her drink a bottle of Malibu and take cocaine until 3am, an employment tribunal has heard. The Daily Mail has more.

A LucidTalk poll published last week in the Belfast Telegraph revealed that just one in four people think Stormont has improved their lives since its restoration two years ago. ICTU has more.

Former TikTok worker Lynda Ouazar is speaking out to expose what she says was an environment of bullying, harassment and union busting at one of the world's biggest social media companies. Along with three of her former colleagues, she is now launching legal action against TikTok. This is the second court case the video app is facing from former UK employees in recent months reports Sky News.

A bus driver who was sacked after he chased down a thief to return a passenger’s stolen necklace has called on Metroline to apologise. Thousands have signed a petition to support Mark Hehir who was fired after he chased someone who stole a passenger’s necklace before knocking them out in self-defence when they returned. Mr Hehir, who worked in north-west London but is originally from Limerick, Ireland, said public support has been “incredible” since an employment tribunal upheld Metroline’s decision. More from the Morning Star.

A case in which a woman with endometriosis was unfairly dismissed by consultancy firm Accenture could pose a challenge to some professional services firms’ practice of dismissing employees considered ‘unpromotable’. Manager Sanju Pal was dismissed in 2019 at the age of 36, after working at Accenture for a decade, for alleged underperformance linked to not being ready for promotion within the required time. This was despite suffering from endometriosis. More from Personnel Today.

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NB: Please note these articles relate to GB and do not apply in Northern Ireland, unless otherwise stated.

Consultation launched on strengthening the law on tipping in GB

The Westminster government has launched another consultation on measures in the GB Employment Rights Act, this time on new requirements for employers to consult with workers when developing or reviewing their tipping policies. More from Personnel Today.

Managing romantic relationships at work

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, Business and Accountancy Daily looks at what employers need to consider when dealing with office romances. Managing workplace romances can be difficult for employers if those involved fail to distinguish between their private life and professional obligations. This article reminds employers of GB’s Equality Act 2010 and legal duty to take reasonable steps to prevent the sexual harassment of their workers ‘in the course of employment’ since October 2024.

Employment Rights Act 2025: updated timeline

The Department for Business and Trade has published an updated timeline for the implementation of the Employment Rights Act 2025, pushing back when fire and rehire measures come into force. Read more here. 

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Employment Law at 11

📅 Friday 6th March

🕒 11am to 11.45am

📍 Live online | Free to attend

Register here. 

While you’re waiting for our next Employment Law at 11 webinar, you can catch up on our previous session, which explored practical approaches to managing sickness absence, including SSP, OSP, reporting obligations and holiday entitlements.

Enjoy your weekend!

Legal Island

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