Challenges Of The Festive Season An Employer`s Guide

Goodwill may be in short supply when you start to receive a flurry of holiday requests for the Christmas and New Year period or if winter travel disruption leaves you short staffed. The Christmas party could also end in more than just a hangover if clashes between co-workers result in claims of assault, if unwanted attention leads to allegations of sexual harassment or posts on social media damage your reputation. Gillian Reid, employment law specialist at Ware & Kay Solicitors in York, Wetherby & Malton explains how planning ahead for the festive period can help to reduce any risks to your business. Holiday requests Some employers take a first come, first served approach to holiday requests for the festive period, but this may not be seen as the fairest approach, particularly if you also have…

Disability In The Workplace

Employment tribunal claims for disability discrimination can lead to the imposition of huge financial penalties for employers.  It therefore pays to be aware of your responsibilities to disabled persons under the Equality Act 2010. From determining whether it is discriminatory to ask a job applicant about their health and abilities, through justifying a refusal to allow a disabled worker to opt out of shift working, to dismissing a disabled employee for high rates of disability related absence - consideration of the law relating to disability discrimination is needed at all stages of the employee life-cycle. Gillian Reid, Employment Law Specialist at Ware & Kay Solicitors in York, Wetherby & Malton , outlines the key principles and ways to reduce the risk of claims. What is a disability? For the purposes of the Equality Act, a…

Should Voluntary Overtime Be Included In Holiday Pay

The issue of how to calculate holiday pay has rarely been out of the news in the last few years with a steady stream of case law on the topic.  This time we turn our attention to an issue on which there has been little guidance: voluntary overtime. Gillian Reid, employment law specialist at Ware & Kay in York, Wetherby & Malton , advises on whether you should include voluntary overtime in your holiday pay calculations. Compulsory overtime In Bear Scotland Ltd v Fulton 2014 the Employment Appeals Tribunal decided that employers have to take into account compulsory non-guaranteed overtime payments when calculating holiday pay in respect of the four weeks' annual leave given by the Working Time Regulations 1998 (WTR).  So, if you do not guarantee overtime but your employee must work it if…

Winter Is Coming What Lies Ahead

What do the last few months of the year have in store for investors? 2017 has so far been interesting, to say the least. We have all become much better at expecting the unexpected; experience has certainly taught us that. Many investors are getting used to a variety of political, financial and economic factors and hopefully learning to look through the 'noise' to focus on what really matters. What we do know is that market volatility will continue and areas of value exist, which makes asset allocation a key tool when planning your portfolio. A HEALTHY INVESTOR APPETITE Investors started the year confidently as the 'Trump reflation rally' continued from the tail end of 2016. Although fading a little more recently, global equity markets hit all-time highs in the summer with over $10 trillion added…