Blue Monday 2023
What is Blue Monday? Blue Monday is the third Monday in January and came about almost 20 years ago by a psychologist who identified a formula for defining “January Blues” after having been asked to identify the best day for booking a summer holiday. Blue Monday came about after he identified several factors which he […]
Will companies be able to ask staff to self-isolate if they have COVID-19
On the 21 February 2022, two years on from the start of the pandemic, the government announced its plan for England, for how we are to live with COVID-19 going forward (the devolved governments of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland set their own COVID-19 plans). It now means that the responsibility for how to live […]
10 ways employers can support those affected by the war in Ukraine
The war in the Ukraine is deeply worrying and upsetting for everyone worldwide and many people will be feeling great anxiety about the unfolding situation and what may happen next. For employers, there they will also want to do all they can to support their employees’ safety, but how? Firstly, there may be employers who […]
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 […]
Was a dismissal of an unvaccinated care worker because of their vaccination status fair?
What is the case about? This is a case that deals with whether an employer can fairly dismiss an employee for their failure to become fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Context For this case, it is essential to place context around the events of what happened. This is perhaps the first case that tests the position […]
Construction company heavily fined
Construction worker dies after falling from tower A construction company has been fined after a worker died as a result of falling from a mobile tower and later died in hospital. Cambridge Magistrates Court heard how Sean Harding was working from a mobile tower flattening a steel beam that was positioned on a door lintel. […]
Feefo Gold Trusted Service Award winners
We are delighted to announce that we have won a much-coveted national award for outstanding customer service. We have been awarded the prestigious Gold Trusted Service Award for 2022 from customer insights company Feefo. The annual awards shine a light on businesses who demonstrate an exceptional service to their customers. Winners are decided based on […]
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 […]
Managing Annual Leave: Additional Bank Holidays
At the start of a new year, we usually see employees starting to plan and book annual leave for the year ahead. In 2022 though, there are several things coming up that an employer will need to consider and plan for which relate to their employees taking time off from the workplace. In 2022, we […]
The Health and Social Care Act 2008: Updated Regulations for 2022
COVID-19 mandatory vaccination regulations have now been introduced into the wider health and social care sector. The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) (No. 2) Regulations 2022 were made on the 6 January 2022 and came into force on 7 January 2022. There is currently a grace period in place, giving […]
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 […]