Dentons - UK People, Reward and Mobility Newsletter

The EU Justice and Home Affairs Council formally adopts new Whistleblowing Directive

November 28, 2019

The EU Justice and Home Affairs Council has formally adopted a Directive of the EU Parliament, which aims to harmonise the protections available for EU whistleblowers who report breaches of EU law. But what impact will this have on UK law?

The Good Work Plan – exciting times ahead

November 28, 2019

The government published its Good Work Plan back in December 2018 in response to Matthew Taylor's review of employment practices. The Good Work Plan's stated aims are to provide clarity, ensure fair and decent work and facilitate enforcement. Employers need to be aware of and prepared for various changes to the employment and appointment of their staff that will come into effect on 6 April 2020.

Is an employer liable for harassment of its employees by third parties?

November 28, 2019

The extent to which an employer is liable for the harassment of its employees by third parties has changed several times over the years. In the recent case of Bessong v Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, the Employment Appeal Tribunal confirmed that UK equality legislation does not now impose liability on an employer for failing to protect an employee from such harassment.

EAT confirms that employers must give notice of dismissal to trigger a statutory trial period

November 28, 2019

In the recent case of East London NHS Foundation Trust v O'Connor, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) confirmed that telling an employee his role was being "deleted" did not in itself amount to a redundancy dismissal and, therefore, a statutory trial period was not triggered at that time. Statutory trial periods are notoriously tricky and this case demonstrates that, where a dispute arises, any deviation from the statutory rules can have a significant impact.