First COVID – 19 Case Reaches Court of Appeal
Just prior to Christmas, the first COVID-19 related case reached the Court of Appeal. The court heard that an employee who failed to attend work during COVID-19 because they believed that they would be faced with serious and imminent danger had not been unlawfully dismissed. The Tribunal Case Rogers v Leeds Laser Cutting is the […]
Work Social Events – What Employers Need to Know
Is your team busy planning the company Christmas party? We’re seeing more and more businesses returning to traditional social events, as they would have done pre-pandemic. But how have employers’ responsibilities changed in managing social events, since the pandemic? We take a look at the things employers need to know, ahead of the next company […]
5-point plan for preparing for rising COVID levels
It has been five months since the Government announced the end of all COVID-19 restrictions. The message at that point was that the responsibility for how to live with the virus would be placed on individuals and businesses moving forward, rather than the government enforcing COVID interventions. According to data this week from the ZOE […]
Case ruling for Long COVID
What is the case about? Two years on from the start of the pandemic, we have started to see judgements come through in COVID-19 related employment tribunal cases. The latest one is regarding Long COVID-19 and specifically deals with whether in the circumstances of this particular case, the condition amounted to a disability for the […]
Is Long COVID-19 a disability?
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have reported that 1.8 million people are affected by Long Covid. Long Covid is defined as ill health relating to Covid-19 symptoms that last four weeks or more. What is Long Covid? The NHS says that symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, joint pain, memory, and concentration problems to […]
COVID – 19 and unfair dismissal
What is the case about? Another case ruling has been published relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. This time, it is an employment appeal tribunal ruling which considered whether an employee’s refusal to attend the workplace because of COVID-19 concerns was fair or not. The original employment tribunal ruled in April 2021 found in favour of […]
COVID – 19 – managing the workplace safely
The government’s COVID-19 announcement yesterday (21 February 2022) confirmed the end of all COVID-19 restrictions which will gradually take effect between now and 1 April. It will mean that moving forward the responsibility for how to live with the virus will be placed on individuals rather than the government and their interventions that we have […]
Consultation to revoke COVID-19 vaccination legislation
Do you operate in the health and social care sector? Back on 31 January, Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced his belief that “it is no longer proportionate to require vaccination as a condition of deployment’” when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccination. As a result, the department for […]
10 Trends Which Will Shape Your HR Strategy
Each year, we look at the key trends that will shape HR strategies for employers, due to policy changes, social, economic, and political factors. It is likely that developments in HR policy will continue throughout 2022 and as we continue to adapt the way in which we work because of the pandemic, we must also […]
Seven things to do if COVID-19 restrictions in England end early
The latest COVID-19 development on 9 February raises the question of whether all COVID-19 restrictions will end early for England, including the requirement to self-isolate when positive. At present, we are working to measures being relaxed when the Regulations expire on 24 March, however, it was announced yesterday that the requirement to self-isolate may end […]
Vaccinations may no longer be required in health and social care sector
Vaccinations may no longer be required to remain working in the health and social care sector. Yesterday, 31 January, Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced his belief that “it is no longer proportionate to require ‘Vaccination as a Condition of Deployment’”. The government are now consulting on revoking the […]
COVID-19: Self Isolation Update
The Government has announced that with effect from Monday 17 January 2022, people who are fully vaccinated will be able to reduce their self-isolation period after five full days of either experiencing symptoms or receiving a positive test result – whichever came first. They must though have two consecutive negative lateral flow tests taken on […]
January 2022: The latest on COVID-19
We start 2022 with a continued focus on COVID-19 and the challenges it continues to bring. We are seeing large numbers of new infections with the dominant variant in the UK now being Omicron; the variant which doubles in case numbers around every two to three days. In the week up to 31 December in […]
SSP and Covid – Reimbursement Scheme Reintroduced
The Chancellor announced last night that he is reintroducing the SSP reimbursement scheme for SMEs who have employees off sick with Covid. The full details of the scheme are yet to be announced, however the government updated has updated its guidance on gov.uk with the message: “This scheme will be reintroduced from mid-January 2022. Further guidance […]
Employers, HR and the new COVID variant and rules – what you need to know
Further to the discovery of the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, the government has introduced precautionary measures to slow the spread in the UK until more can be understood about the potential impact. Although there is much still to be learned about the variant, it is understood that it spreads ‘very rapidly’ and can be spread […]
Deadline Announced for Care Workers to be Vaccinated
From 11 November 2021, all care home workers will be required to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, unless they are exempt under the regulations. The new guidance covers anyone entering to undertake care work. Workers must have received the full course of the vaccination. The vaccine offers the best protection against the virus for staff […]
Mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for care home staff
The Government has announced that it is mandating Covid-19 vaccinations for care home staff. Back in April, the Government announced a consultation process in which to seek views on the proposal of mandating care home staff to have the COVID-19 vaccination. It included its scope and any potential impact on staffing and safety. The Health […]
Is Covid-19 a serious and imminent danger for the purpose of the Employment Rights Act?
Coronavirus related employment claims can include breach of contract and discrimination in respect of Furlough, both in terms of the selection and process in managing the scheme and unfair dismissal claims in respect of redundancy selection and failure to consult. Some health and safety claims can also be lodged at an employment tribunal, such as […]
Coronavirus Tribunal Claim: dismissal for refusing to wear a face mask
The UK is now starting to see claims at employment tribunal connected to employment disputes arising out of the pandemic. Coronavirus related employment claims can include breach of contract and discrimination in respect of Furlough, both in terms of the selection and process in managing the scheme and unfair dismissal claims in respect of redundancy […]
Can you refuse employment when an applicant has not had the Covid-19 vaccination?
The matter of refusing to employ job applicants because of not having had the COVID-19 vaccination is a complex area of employment law. Under the Equality Act, it is unlawful to discriminate a job applicant on the grounds of their protected characteristic (age, disability, sex, race, religion etc). There will be some groups of individuals who therefore […]
