There is no specific legal definition of a ‘zero hours contract’ but it is generally understood to mean an arrangement under which the worker has no set minimum hours and is only paid for hours actually worked. Typically the worker does not have to accept any work offered to him or her, but must carry out the work personally if they do.

If you employ workers from overseas, or you plan to in the future, you will need to understand the changes to the immigration system coming into play from January 1st, 2021.

Stephen Jennings, Head of Tozers’ Employment Team, has seen an increase in requests for advice in relation to 4 day working weeks, with firms of all sizes, including multinational businesses, exploring the concept. For example Unilever is the latest organisation to take up the 4 day working week concept.

To put it simply, IR35 legislation is designed to close a tax loophole where individuals avoid paying employee income tax and national insurance by using a ‘middleman’ correctly known as an intermediary, and paying themselves dividends.

There has been much case law over recent years about when on call workers are entitled to be paid. The Scottish EAT has now added to the vast amount of case law on the matter, by hearing the case of; Truslove and another v Scottish Ambulance Service. Truslove confirms the current position, which is that where a worker is required to remain at the workplace and available for work with a view to providing their services at some point, this will amount to working-time and not a rest period. This is the case even if the worker is allowed to sleep and so the worker is entitled to be paid for their time.

A new Court of Appeal decision highlights the unusual case of an employee who successfully brought a disability discrimination claim even though she is not, and is not likely ever to be, disabled.

You may remember that we reported on the case Agoreyo v London Borough of Lambeth where the High Court held that the suspension of a teacher to allow for a misconduct investigation was not a neutral act and amounted to a breach of the implied term of mutual trust and confidence. This case was appealed to the Court of Appeal which has overturned the decision.

In the recent case of Agoreyo v London Borough of Lambeth, the High Court held that the suspension of a teacher to allow for a misconduct investigation was not a neutral act and amounted to a breach of the implied term of mutual trust and confidence.

Most voluntary organisations will have a combination of employees (or workers) and volunteers, and the difference is significant.

Volunteers give up their free time to support charitable organisations and there is often the temptation to provide benefits as a way of saying thank you. But be careful. Well-meaning charities have come unstuck by providing volunteers with benefits that are too generous, inadvertently leading to an implied employment relationship.