September 2020 Newsletter

Congratulations, you’ve made it to September!  Many of us feel a milestone has been reached, whether that is a child-free home at last or a full or part return to the office.  So, put the kettle on and pat yourself on the back as you browse this month’s Newsletter for the latest employment law developments and maybe chuckle at this one we saw recently:

“Dear September, I don’t want any trouble from you.  Just come in, sit down, don’t touch anything and keep your mouth shut.”  

In this issue you can expect an update on the resurrection of the cap on public sector exit payments, further details on statutory payments for furloughed employees and the Job Retention Bonus scheme, the newly create Kickstart scheme,  self-isolation guidance for those returning from abroad and updated HR1 form for collective redundancies.

In our case update, we focus on three unfair dismissal cases which respectively look  at ‘vanishing’ dismissals following successful appeals, a personality clash ending in a fair dismissal with no procedure, and dismissal relying on anonymous witness evidence.

We also share with you (in our ‘nothing about employment law bit’ at the end of the Newsletter) a very well thought-through blog from friend of Menzies Law and business psychologist Caroline Gourlay.  Now we know that working fully or partly from home will be with us for the long-term, Caroline offers some very practical tips for navigating work/life balance.

What we’ve been doing recently…

After a rather busy 5 months, most of the team managed a short break during August and we’re now back and ready to tackle whatever employment law conundrums you throw at us.  We’ve certainly seen a big increase in redundancies and restructures and a real rise in enquiries to Tamsin James (who specialises in advising individuals) from people questioning the fairness, objectivity or procedure (or all three) of their respective redundancies.  A sharp rise in claims is almost guaranteed (as mentioned previously).

Anne-Marie is busy preparing for our joint webinar on 15^th Sept. She’ll join flexible working specialists Flexology, and culture & employee engagement experts Peopletopia, helping employers prepare for the array of changes they can anticipate in their workplaces.  There are still places available if you’d like to join the conversation:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/return-to-work-webinar-registration-116867121707

Speaking of webinars, we’re continuing to plan for our next online events to replace our usual face-to-face Employment Law update.  Dates and full content will be ready to share with you soon.  As always, if there is a subject you are keen to hear about, please do tell Lindsey (lindsey@menzieslaw.co.uk).  On our list so far are:

• The changing face of the Workplace – how has Covid changed our concept of work and what does that mean for employers?
• Employment law – getting you ready for 2021. What’s on the horizon, things you may have missed, key themes we’re anticipating, cases from 2020 so far.
• Pay & Reward – what impacts are businesses likely to see in the age of Covid plus Pay & Reward Surgery. Bring your Questions to our guru, Jane Baalam.
• Home and flexible working are now in the spotlight. What do employers need to think about? What does it mean for your culture and communication?
• Business Immigration – how are things going to change as of 1 Jan 2021 for bringing in employees from overseas?

 

Here are all of the items we cover this month:

• Government Reforms (1): Public sector exit payments – CAPS LOCK ON…
• The Government’s new Kickstarter Scheme
• Coronavirus (Covid-19) – All things furlough (again!)
• Coronavirus (Covid-19): Beyond furlough – Job retention bonus scheme
• Coronavirus (Covid-19): Returning from abroad – self isolation guidance
• Collective redundancy: Government guidance and HR1 form
• Case update (1): Unfair dismissal – The ‘Vanishing dismissal’
• Case update (2): Unfair dismissal – Personality clash S.O.S.R. dismissal
• Case update (3): Unfair dismissal – Anonymous witnesses

 

And finally our ‘nothing to do with employment law’ bit

With increased home and remote working likely to be with us for the duration, Caroline Gourlay shares some tips in her blog to help you with that elusive work-life balance.