UK employment and equality laws evolve and develop in line with employment tribunal rulings. It is almost a full time job to keep track of everything but our courses on employment and equalities legislation bring you up to date on the key developments, they should be considered essential for all HR teams and operational managers.

Some recent developments include:

COVID 19 work changes still mean established employment law will be applied!
An Employment Tribunal recently considered whether an employee who raised health and safety concerns and said that he did not want to commute into or attend his workplace during lockdown was unfairly dismissed as a result. He lost the case. And the decision shows that by taking a considered and careful approach to employee concerns, employers can avoid successful unfair dismissal claims being made against them. Our employment and equality law courses highlight this case and others breaking almost every day into the news agenda.

What happens when “POLITICAL RIGHTS” bump into each another?”
Collisions between religious beliefs and the rights of the LGTB community are well versed and addressed in case law. And the topic of gender identity and sex fuels strong feelings. Employers often find it hard to decide on the appropriate action to take when dealing with complaints about comments made by staff in these sensitive areas. Our training courses in employment and equality laws help to explain what employers should carefully consider. The Employment Appeal Tribunal recently issued a judgment on this very subject and remitted a case back to the lower court who had decided otherwise. The case judgement takes you through the complexities of the issue and echoes the mantra in our courses, namely that “every case turns on its own merits”.

Not training staff could lead to successful Constructive Dismissal claims
A recent Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) judgement found that a Teaching Assistants employer had breached the implied duty to provide a safe working environment by failing, despite repeated requests over several months, to provide training. This met the criteria for a fundamental breach of contract and the constructive dismissal claim was successful. Our employment law courses convey dual learning points about its scope AND its links to other statutes, in this case health, safety and well-being at work regulations.

Banter to one person could easily be harassment to someone else
Banter is a slippery word at the best of times. BUT in recent times social media has given the subject greater visibility and resulted in tribunal judgements. And in a recent judgement it was found that a care assistant whose colleagues called her a “slut” and suggested she visit a road “notorious for prostitutes” after they found her modelling photos on Facebook was the victim of harassment. Our courses on the use of social media at work as well as our employment and equality law workshops provide updated insights into this and other related topics, including a focus on best policy practice.

The Law by smlp.co.uk used under CC BY 2.0