Since the Brexit deal having come into effect, the UK is no longer bound to adhere to EU employment law. Hence, the UK government is in talks to change UK employment law in December 2023 which will affect maximum working hours, legal holiday entitlement and breaks during shifts. What is the current legal position? Currently, in the UK working hours are limited to an average of 48 hours a…
According to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and KPMG, job vacancies in the UK slipped to their lowest levels in eight months in December Meanwhile, a report from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) revealed 79% of businesses are experiencing difficulties recruiting people, particularly construction and hospitality firms. The findings further contribute to the evidence that the arrival of the omicron variant of coronavirus has setback the UK’s economic recovery. …
Improved market confidence among employers has led to the sharpest rise in permanent appointments in six years. As the government outlined its roadmap for lifting lockdown, and with Covid-19 infections, hospitalisations and deaths all falling, temporary billings also grew at the fastest rate since 2017. The latest UK Report on Jobs, compiled for the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and KPMG, shows that demand for workers grew rapidly in March…
How did those new year’s resolutions work out for you? Old habits will have already returned for many – you’re not alone if you’ve already stopped using that new gym membership. Similarly, you’re in good company if 2020 is already stressing you out. Stress, and more chronic exhaustion such as burnout, is commonplace within the modern workplace. People are sinking under the pressure of an attendance culture that glorifies being present at…
The Government intends to introduce a new Employment Bill which will include some changes already anticipated by the Good Work Plan. The Employment Bill will provide for: The right to request a more stable and predictable contract after 26 weeks’ service; The right to neonatal leave and pay for parents of premature or sick babies; A single market enforcement agency to better ensure that vulnerable workers are aware of…
It is common for many employees to send, read and reply to work emails at all hours of the day and night, including weekends. This change in work culture developed in recent decades and has accelerated with the advent of smartphones. But is this a breach of employment law? The short answer is that ‘it depends’ and we need some test cases to clarify the situation, not least in…
Permanent placements continue to fall Permanent vacancy growth stuck at decade-low Softer increases in starting pay Permanent placements decline at quickest rate since June The seasonally adjusted Permanent Placements Index signalled a ninth successive monthly drop in permanent staff appointments across the South of England in November. There were numerous reports that employers were holding off or cancelling hiring plans due to political and economic uncertainty….
Introduction What might a no-deal Brexit mean for UK employment rights? What could employers do now to prepare? And what might the future hold in a no-deal scenario? Prime Minister Boris Johnson is clear that he would be prepared to leave the European Union without a deal if necessary and the current legislation commits the United Kingdom to leaving the European Union at 11:00pm on 31 October 2019. Thus,…
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA), which implemented many of its provisions, are now over a year old. The aim of the GDPR was to increase the protection of individuals’ personal data. Employees are better informed than ever of their data protection rights, with employers receiving an increased number of subject access requests from their employees. Interesting, however, under the DPA, individuals…
