Changing times, practical solutions
£200 + VAT (member) / £250 + VAT (non-member)
Political and economic upheaval influences all areas of society. Such disruption can lead to conflict in the workplace. Our new online conference will consider some of the most important current developments, with topics ranging from redundancy and holiday pay to expressing political views in the workplace and age-related issues, including enforcing retirement.
Chaired by Lindsey Cartwright of Morton Fraser MacRoberts, the conference will include contributions from Lynne Marr of Brodies, Stephen Connolly from Blackadders, Nicola Macara of Morton Fraser MacRoberts, Ronald Mackay from Burness Paull, Chris McDowall of Anderson Strathern and Abbie Harley and Val Dougan from CMS.
What's being covered?
Conflicting rights at work – how do you balance freedom of express and "cancel culture"?
How we engage as a society in debate on controversial topics has shifted in recent times. So too has workplace culture. In the UK, there continues to be a focus on inclusion and workers are encouraged to bring their whole self to work. Those workers often hold different views and beliefs on emotive topics and conflict is inevitable when those views are freely and openly expressed in the workplace. Employers increasingly find themselves drawn into such debates and are having to steer a course through the legal framework and left trying to make sense of the recent case law this area. Through examining the legal framework and recent case law, this session will help you to understand beliefs causing conflict in the workplace, the underlying reasons for increased conflict, implications for employers, and what guidance can be given.
Lynne Marr, Brodies
An update on holiday pay under the WTR: taking a break from the norm?
The session will focus on: recent legislative changes which have been made in calculating holiday pay for part time workers; an update on the case law relating to what pay elements an employer requires to account for when calculating holiday pay; and looking at the importance of understanding time limits when managing potential claims for backdated holiday pay where a series of deductions is asserted. This is an area of law which has developed significantly in recent years, with the traditional approach to calculating holiday pay and advising on claims for backdated pay becoming outdated in a relatively short period of time. The session will focus on these changes to ensure that those attending are equipped to provide the correct advice to both employer and employee clients requiring to advise on these issues.
Stephen Connolly, Blackadders
Utilising occupational health advice in an employment law context
A session on all of the scenarios, current and future, in which utilising occupational health reports in an employment context is important. We will consider how to make the most out of obtaining OH input, including consideration of the right questions to ask, and the appropriate background information to give to the OH professional. We will also look at some of the most recent cases in which OH advice was relevant.
Lindsey Cartwright, Morton Fraser MacRoberts
What’s new with redundancy?
This session will discuss the latest changes with individual and collective redundancies. Topics to be covered will include: the impact of the ERB proposals on collective redundancies, including the new threshold test and higher penalties for non-compliance; individual redundancies: the latest case law and the impact of ERB day one rights for redundancy unfair dismissal; and redundancy tricky issues.
Abbie Harley & Val Dougan, CMS
Preventing sexual harassment
This session will look at sexual harassment in the workplace, with a focus on the duty to take reasonable steps to prevent harassment introduced last year. In addition to considering the EHRC guidance, the session will offer practical tips on how to comply with the duty and identify key areas of risk.
Ronald Mackay, Burness Paull
What's a penalty? Considering penalty clauses in the employment context
We will look at what is a penalty clause in the wider legal sense, before looking at what a penalty clause may look like in employment contracts and agreements. Then we will consider the significance of a penalty clause in the employment context, and to finish up, we will consider what to look out for when drafting and revising documents and some key takeaways.
Nicola Macara, Morton Fraser MacRoberts
The age-old question: how do employers manage retirement fairly?
The presentation will include a critical analysis of the recent case of Scott v Walker Morris LLP where a law firm was found to have directly discriminated on grounds of age when it refused a partner’s application to avoid compulsory retirement under its retirement policy.
Chris McDowall, Anderson Strathern
