£2 compensation awarded for an employer’s breach of their right to be accompanied

The Employment Relations Act 1999 (ERA) confirms that an employee is entitled to be accompanied to a disciplinary hearing or grievance hearing where he “reasonably requests to be accompanied at the hearing”.  Section 10 goes on to confirm that the employer must allow the employee to be accompanied by either an employed trade union official,…

Workplace dress codes and equality Issues – The Government response is in!

On 20 April 2017, the government published its response to the House of Commons Petitions Committee and the Women and Equalities Committee joint report on high heels and workplace dress codes. As you may remember, the Committees’ report highlighted that while the Equality Act 2010 may be clear in theory, its application to individual cases…

Advice for Employers on Long-Term Sickness Absence

One of the trickier HR matters for employers to manage is long-term sickness absence.  Many employers are nervous about dealing with employees on long-term sickness absence, either because they are mindful that the employee’s condition may amount to a disability and that the employer may find itself facing a discrimination claim if it takes certain…

The Apprenticeship Levy

As you may have seen, the way the government funds apprenticeships is changing. Some employers will be required to contribute to a new Apprenticeship Levy from 6 April 2017, and there will be changes to the funding for apprenticeship training for all employers from 1 May 2017. An employer whose earnings total (i.e the total…

High Heels and Workplace Dress Codes

Brabners explain what action Ms Thorp took following this incident and provide guidance to employers who impose rules on workplace uniforms, particularly where those uniforms differ for men and women.