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The rise of homeworking over the past couple of years has caused some employers to consider using electronic monitoring to keep track of their employees’ activities during working hours. Methods of electronic monitoring include: CCTV ; laptop...
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) allows employers to review criminal record information about current or potential employees in order to help judge their suitability to work in certain roles. The DBS provides four different levels of criminal records...
Landlords letting residential property privately need to be aware of the latest changes relating to the right to rent checks that they must carry out on all new tenants and not to discriminate. Charlotte Payne, trainee solicitor in Warner...
Many people struggle with fertility issues. The NHS estimates that 1 in 7 couples in the UK are faced with infertility problems. Infertility, and associated treatments, can have a significant impact on a person’s mental health: they may experience...
Alexandra (Alex) Savage joined the firm in 2012 as a Trainee Solicitor in the Commercial Property Team. She successfully completed her training contract, including spending 21 months out of her 24 months training in the firm’s Property department....
Sabrina Skerritt and Robyn Finnegan have both shown talent, commitment and passion towards their careers at Warner Goodman and, as a result, have been promoted to Associates. Sabrina has thrived since joining the Residential Property Team in Portsmouth...
What does the Living with COVID-19 Plan mean for employers in England? Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have often been asked how the relevant Government guidance should be applied in practice in the workplace. Queries have varied from...
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and it is a sacred month of fasting, prayer, and reflection for Muslims all over the world. Muslims will not eat or drink during daytime hours and will refrain from undesirable habits such as smoking,...
More than 30 companies in the UK will trial a four-day working week in June 2022. The trial, coordinated by 4 Day Week Global, aims to establish if flexible working can improve productivity. For six months employees will work 80% of their usual hours with no...
Many employers are struggling to retain their top talent in the midst of the “Great Resignation” and some may be considering implementing pay rises to encourage employees to stay. While a pay rise may be an effective way to foster employee...
The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act (2020), represents the biggest stir in divorce law for more than half a century. It eliminates the need for separating couples to assign blame for their marriage's breakdown, allowing them to concentrate on...
Beginning today, April 6 2022, important changes come into effect regarding how employers conduct right to work checks for their employees. This article outlines these changes and the potential consequences of failing to carry out compliant right to...
Unfortunately, residential construction conflicts between homeowners and their builders are all too prevalent, usually centred on the value of a bill or the quality of completed construction work, or both. Such disagreements frequently lead to the parties...
We often get asked about whether employees are entitled to make changes to their working practices, and if we make changes for one employee whether there is an obligation to do the same for others because a precedent has been set. Questions vary from whether...
Garden leave is one method employers can use to protect their business interests when an employee leaves their employment. When an employee is placed on garden leave they may be restricted from attending work, contacting customers and performing their normal...
What does the Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill mean for commercial landlords? Landlords of business premises have had a tough time during the Coronavirus pandemic. If their tenants are not paying rent, there has been little that landlords can do as...
Warner Goodman LLP and the award winning charity known as Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association (‘Portsmouth DSA’) are pleased to announce they will be continuing their ongoing partnership, with Warner Goodman once again in supporting the charity...
This week is neurodiversity celebration week. This article explains what neurodiversity is, how a neurodiverse workforce can benefit employers, and how you can make your workplace more neurodiverse and inclusive. What is neurodiversity? Neurodiversity is...
For our final interview during National Careers Week, we are discussing careers with Sarah Whitemore, Equity Partner and Solicitor in our Employment Law department. Sarah has been a Warner Goodman employee since 1992 when she joined as a Trainee...
A deed is a written contract that must satisfy additional execution formalities to be enforceable. In many cases, employment contracts do not need to be executed as a deed to protect the employer’s interests. However, there may be some situations, such...
Continuing with our celebration of our female employees during National Careers Week and International Women’s Day today, 8 th March, today we are interviewing Jenny Colvin , who is passionate about everyone having access to the legal profession, no...
Today marks the start of National Careers Week and tomorrow, Tuesday 8 th March, will be International Women’s Day. As a firm, we have always celebrated the success of our female employees and promoted equal opportunities for all of our staff,...
An extension to your home will cost you thousands of pounds and so it is vital that you make the necessary plans, understand the contract before you sign it, appreciate how to manage the project while it is ongoing and know where to turn should disputes...
If you believe that one of your employees has committed misconduct you may think that swift disciplinary action is the only appropriate response. However, rushing to impose a disciplinary sanction without a reasonable investigation may lead to a costly...
Our Employment Law team today reviews the case of Hutchinson v Asda Stores Ltd 2021 in which the Employment Tribunal (ET) considered the genuinely delicate question of whether an employee suffering with dementia was unfairly dismissed and subject to age...
In celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the Government has announced an additional bank holiday on Friday 3 June of this year. The bank holiday that normally occurs in late May has also been moved to Thursday 2 June 2022, creating an extra-long...
Our Employment Law team today reviews the the landmark case brought by Mr Smith, a worker who claimed he was owed holiday pay by Pimlico Plumbers. Mr Smith has successfully appealed against an Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) decision that his claim...
The last two years have seen various developments in the world of working with hybrid working, the practice of working partly in the office and partly elsewhere, usually at home, becoming the norm for most in 2022. The House of Commons Library...
Covid-19 has had a significant impact on the world of Employment Law and we are just now starting to see rulings in tribunal cases involving decisions employers made during that time. Our Employment Law team today review the case of Ms Leigh Best v...
An apprenticeship is a work-based training programme that allows the apprentice to gain a recognised qualification by completing a combination of work experience and off-the-job training. Employers may use apprenticeships to fill gaps in their workforce or...
Several big companies such as Morrisons, IKEA, and Next have announced they will not pay company sick pay to staff who are not vaccinated and have to self-isolate due to exposure to COVID-19. This may have caused other employers to wonder whether they should...
Covid-19 has led to many various possible tribunal claims and today our Employment Law team discusses the case of Ms C Allette v Scarsdale Grange Nursing Home Limited 2021 which is sure to be the first of many. In this case the Employment Tribunal (ET)...
It is astute to recognise at outset that as a purchaser your valuation of a target company can vastly differ from that of the sellers’ accountants. With this in mind, it is important that you amplify the deal value for yourself, as the seller...
Unconscious or implicit bias is when subconsciously held ideas and stereotypes affect how we perceive and treat the people around us. Some unconscious biases originate when we are young and become more ingrained over time. Even though many people are unaware...
For separating or divorcing couples, making life changing decisions will be part of the process of starting a new life, however this can not always be achieved amicably. Agreeing on arrangements for your children or your financial matters will be...
Our Employment Law team today reviews the case of Kostal UK v Dunkley and others 2021 in which the Supreme Court considered whether an employer who was engaging in pay negotiations with a recognised trade union had acted unlawfully by making an offer...
Avoiding discriminatory acts should be top of the list of priorities for every employer. There are nine protected characteristics specified under the Equality Act 2010, with one of those being age. There have been some conflicting tribunal cases...
With children as young as 12 now being offered the Covid-19 vaccine, parents are currently considering whether to consent to their child receiving their doses. This option does also beg the question; what happens if one parent does not wish their child...
All employees will occasionally need time off work for ill health and employers should be prepared for the eventuality that this is frequent or on a long term basis. Our Employment Law team today reviews the case of Mrs A Grant-Ryder v The...
While many workers who participate in homeworking and hybrid working arrangements have enjoyed benefits such as less time commuting, more time with their families, and a greater work/life balance, many are also worried that hybrid working will negatively...
Our Employment Law team today review the case of Anca Lacatus v Barclays 2021 in which the claimant, a junior banker at Barclays Bank, claimed sex discrimination against her boss for repeatedly using the expression ‘ birds ’ in the...
All employers should be aware of how to treat employees once they announce they are pregnant. Our Employment Law team today review the case of Mrs S Shipp v City Sprint UK Ltd 2021 and a textbook case of pregnancy discrimination in a redundancy...
2022 is looking to be another busy year for employment law in the courts and tribunals, with important decisions expected regarding holiday pay, vicarious liability, and protected beliefs. Our Employment Law team today reviews the key cases that employers...
It has been another eventful year in employment law, and as 2021 draws to a close our Employment Law team here look to the future at a variety of the changes employers can anticipate in 2022. Many of these changes were proposed following a Government...
Our Employment Law team today reviews one of the rare occasions the Employment Tribunal (ET) departed from previous case law and ruled that a constructive dismissal may, in some cases, amount to an act of harassment; the case of Ms M Driscoll v 1)...
Many employers have policies allowing workers to be accompanied to meetings, but when do workers have the legal right to have a companion? Our Employment Law Team today examines this question and looks at some of the consequences of denying a worker this...
Discrimination against an employee can take many forms; disability discrimination being one of them. Our Employment Law team today reviews the case of Lawton v Crystal Ball Limited 2021 and an employee who was humiliated and harassed owing to his...
Employers may want an employee or worker to undergo a medical assessment for various reasons, but before you request one you should be aware of the employment law implications, GDPR and data protection responsibilities as well as how to act should an...
Dismissing an employee must be done in the correct manner, even if you consider the employee to be in the wrong. Our Employment Law team today review the case of Mr I Stevenson v London Borough of Redbridge 2021 where the tribunal considered...
Section 1 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 lists several terms and conditions which must be included in an employee’s contract of employment, such as pay, training, benefits, and holiday entitlement. However, there are many additional clauses that,...
