SOSR Dismissal: What Is Some Other Substantial Reason?
To dismiss an employee lawfully, employers have to be able to provide a fair reason. There are five potentially fair reasons for dismissal set out under section 98 of the Employment Rights Act 1996. These relate to employee conduct, capability and performance, redundancy, breach of a statutory restriction or Some Other Substantial Reason (SOSR). […]
Discrimination at Work
Unlawful discrimination at work can have serious implications for an organisation, even if this is unintentional. Workplace discrimination claims typically result in high awards of damages against employers. Equally, discriminatory conduct in the workplace can easily lead to conflict, tainting working relationships and fostering a negative working environment and damaging the employer brand. As an […]
Modern Slavery Act Guide for Employers
The Modern Slavery Act 2015 sets out the UK Government’s legal requirements for how organisations must address and report on modern slavery. The Act aims to make modern slavery more difficult by requiring larger businesses to disclose the actions taken during each financial year, to ensure modern slavery is not a part of their business […]
Sackable Offences List
The following guide for employers examines the issue of gross misconduct, from what this means to the type of conduct that can justify summary dismissal. The sackable offences list will also help to provide HR personnel and line managers with examples of gross misconduct, but this is not exhaustive and every dismissal must be approached […]
Nepotism at Work: Hiring Family & Friends
Workplace nepotism is not in itself, against the law, unless other issues such as conflicts of interest arise. However, that’s not to say that it is always a good thing. When people are hired solely on the basis of their relationship or connection to someone already in the organisation, it can be highly demoralising for […]
AI in Recruitment
AI in recruitment is the application of artificial intelligence to the talent procurement process, where machine learning can learn to shortlist your ideal candidate and automate manual tasks. How can AI help employers transform how they attract, hire and retain talent? AI technology is intended to streamline or automate a portion of the […]
Term Time Working: Guide for Employers
Term-time only working is a type of flexible working that, if suitable for a business, can widen its prospective pool of talent. An employee on a term-time only contract will work during the school term and be off during the school holidays. This means that it may be an appealing option for working parents employed […]
Sex Discrimination at Work: Employer Guide
Sex discrimination refers to when someone is unfairly disadvantaged in the workplace because of their gender. Most sex discrimination is directed towards women, but it is equally unlawful to discriminate against a man because of his gender. Sex discrimination remains a common workplace issue, as can be seen by the number and type of employment […]
Disciplining Twice for the Same Offence?
In most cases, an employee would not be disciplined twice for the same offence. If they were, it may be argued that it was an abuse of process. Nevertheless, if there are unusual circumstances and an employer is looking to reopen disciplinary proceedings that had previously been resolved, would any subsequent disciplinary decision be deemed […]
Recruitment Law: Essentials for Employers
In the UK, there are several pieces of legislation which govern the employment lifecycle, including the recruitment and selection process. To minimise the risk of falling foul of the law, employers, and those responsible for recruiting on the employer’s behalf, must fully understand the legal implications when hiring someone new. In this guide, we set […]