In 2018, two issues dominated employment law  – employment status and holiday pay. Both on the news and in our advice to clients, these two issues came up time and time again this year. In relation to employment status, you may be aware of cases on the news where individuals were treated as self-employed but… Continue Reading »

With one month to go in the year and many organisations using the calendar year as their leave year, we’re taking this opportunity to remind clients of what they need to know about holidays and holiday pay. There have been further high profile cases on holiday pay in recent weeks – one involving the Police… Continue Reading »

Everyone falls ill from time to time and employers should understand that there will be occasions when employees are off work due to sickness. However, a good attendance record from employees is essential to the smooth running of any organisation. When employees are absent on sick leave, this is not only a difficulty for the… Continue Reading »

Readers may be aware from various news reports in recent years, that here have been several cases taken relating to an individual’s employment status. Typically, the company or organisation asserts that the individual is self-employed and the individual is arguing that they are in fact an employee or worker. There are certain distinctions between “employees”… Continue Reading »

Most contracts of employment contain probationary period clauses. It is common for contracts to contain a provision that the first three or six months in employment is considered to be a probationary period. If the employee proves satisfactory during the probationary period, the employment is confirmed. If there is still some doubt at the end… Continue Reading »

The World Cup kicks off tomorrow. Who will you be supporting? In most work places up and down the country, there will be people who are very interested and following as closely as they can and other people whose only interest will be in when it’s all over (15th July for those counting down the… Continue Reading »

We are regularly asked to advise on issues arising as a result of employees’ use of social media and instant messaging services. This month’s article outlines some of the key considerations that employers should be thinking about. We have a half day training seminar on this very topic coming up on 22nd May. Retained clients should… Continue Reading »

Welcome to the first Mark’s Monthly of 2018. In this article, I’m going to highlight some things to take note of in the New Year. General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) The Regulations are being introduced to provide individuals with greater control over how their information is handled by organisations. There is lots for organisations to… Continue Reading »

With just a couple of weeks of work left until Christmas, attention is turning to the Christmas party in workplaces up and down the country. Without wanting to dampen the party mood, it would be useful to take a few minutes to consider some matters that may cause an employer difficulty and think about steps… Continue Reading »