We are regularly asked to advise employers on the application and implications of TUPE and how they can fulfil their obligations under the regulations. Here are some of the most common issues we advise our clients on.

IKEA will now be paying statutory sick pay only for unvaccinated staff who are absent from work due to self-isolation.

Whether or not directors are also employees is often not a simple question and can have big implications both for the individual and the company.

A great way to simultaneously raise money for your organisation’s chosen charity and boost workplace morale may be to run a raffle, bingo or similar ‘lottery’, and the current festive period may seem like the perfect time to do so. However, you may find there are unexpected rules you have to comply with.

Much has been written about how to manage the threat of COVID in the workplace and most employers now have procedures in place to minimise risks and manage the short-term fall-out of infection.

Acas has recently published guidance discussing employers’ responsibilities when making changes to employment contracts.

A recent court case is a useful reminder that personal use of CCTV and video doorbells sometimes falls foul of data protection law.

Working from home has long been a practice permitted by employers, but with the recent and ongoing Covid-19 pandemic making life difficult, it has become a phenomenon that most if not all employers (where possible) have adopted, so as to survive this bleak outbreak.

Apart from the special case of care workers, employers would in most cases be better advised to encourage, rather than oblige, their workers to be vaccinated.

Many businesses – especially those in hospitality – are suffering from dire staff shortages. Whilst a measure of relief is in sight with news that the criteria for being pinged by the NHS app have been relaxed and the easing of rules on self-isolation from 16 August for those who have been double-jabbed or who are under 18, it seems clear staffing is likely to be a problem for many employers for some time.

Following ‘Brexit’ on 1 January 2021 citizens from the EU, European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland already living in the UK were given 6 months to apply through the EU Settlement Scheme if they wanted to continue living and working in the UK.

We are now starting to see decisions come through for pandemic-related employment claims, such as the recent case of Mr Francesco Accattatis v Fortuna Group (London) Limited.