Is it lawful to dismiss employees for activity conducted outside the workplace?

Posted in: Seamus Says - Employment Law Discussion on 09/11/2021 So, activities outside the workplace is a topic which has received a lot of attention in the media recently. And I think it used to be kind of indiscretions at the Christmas party were the activity outside the workplace that got people into hot water, but now I think social media has really changed...

What are the latest changes to the Furlough Scheme (July 2021)?

Posted in: Seamus Says - Employment Law Discussion on 02/07/2021 The furlough scheme is due to disappear in its entirety come the end of September, but a few changes came through yesterday, 1 July. Seamus, do you want to talk us through what those changes are or what we can expect from that? Seamus: Yeah. Look, furlough has been in now from March 2020. I think w...

What are the legal pitfalls for an employer in insisting that staff are vaccinated?

Posted in: Seamus Says - Employment Law Discussion on 02/07/2021 'No jab, no job' is kind of the tabloid expression used for compulsory vaccinations in the workplace. It's kind of been lingering in the background since the vaccinations came to us. But last week, it was confirmed that care homes in England would be making it a compulsory for all their staff to be...

What is the menopause guidance and what factors should employers consider when developing a menopause policy?

Posted in: Seamus Says - Employment Law Discussion on 02/07/2021 So I think if we start off with the menopause guidance, for those of you who haven't seen it, it's an absolutely fabulous document. We will be sending you a link to it. But do give it a read. It's produced by the Labour Relations Agency, the Equality Commission NI, and the Irish Congress of Trade U...

What are the issues surrounding mandatory vaccines for employees?

Posted in: Seamus Says - Employment Law Discussion on 03/06/2021 They are both covered for those who are subscribers in the weekly review of development, and they are the Employment and Human Rights Commission in GB has accepted that compulsory vaccinations for staff in the care sector and care homes is reasonable from an equality and human rights perspective. A...

Can employees insist upon working from home on the basis that it is now custom and practice?

Posted in: Seamus Says - Employment Law Discussion on 03/06/2021 So, Seamus, is it long enough to be custom and practice? Is the situation so singular that you couldn't really justify a custom and practice at the moment, or how long would me working from home give me the right to work from home? How many weeks does it have to be? Seamus: Yeah, I think, from my v...

Can employers recruit abroad to address staff shortages?

Posted in: Seamus Says - Employment Law Discussion on 03/06/2021 We found that 60% of the audience today have staff shortages. So can we go overseas? Are there cost implications, and tied on to that, can we have targeted recruitment, such as females that are out of the workforce? We did an event earlier in the year, Seamus, with Allstate where they looked at try...

Are fire and rehire policies unlawful?

Posted in: Seamus Says - Employment Law Discussion on 03/06/2021 Scott: There has been a lot of discussion in the media about fire and re-hire policies. Could you explain what this is and if it is unlawful and when is it unlawful if it is? Seamus: Okay. Thanks, Scott. Yeah, so we did do a little bit of discussion on the last webinar on fire and re-hire. I want...

What should we be doing now as an organisation to prepare for hybrid working once restrictions are eased further?

Posted in: Seamus Says - Employment Law Discussion on 07/05/2021 Scott: "So what should we be doing now as an organisation to prepare for hybrid working once restrictions are eased somewhat further?" Seamus: I think that where we're at, at the minute, is the government's message at this time is still, "If you can work from home, you should work from home". That ...

Is long COVID likely to be viewed as a disability? Will employers be obliged to make adjustments for employees suffering from this?

Posted in: Seamus Says - Employment Law Discussion on 07/05/2021 Scott: "Is long COVID likely to be viewed as a disability, and will employers be obligated to make adjustments for employees who suffer from this?" Keep in mind that we had about 40% of the people here who have employees who have long COVID symptoms. Seamus: Well, this was a question, Scott, that h...