Employment Advice for Employers

A company has been granted a court order preventing a former employee from disclosing or using its confidential information after they copied files, Mark Aspin Director & Head of Dispute Resolution reports. The company, Rentrack Ltd, collected ticket sales data for cinemas. One of its employees, Mr Green, was approached by a competitor and offered a job in June 2020. You’re leaving your job, can you copy files? Before resigning,…

Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR shares some useful information in a post Brexit world. Brexit will impact on your workforce in a number of ways, including: From January 2021 there will be a new immigration regime EU/EEA/Swiss nationals who wish to live and work in the UK Recognition of qualifications Travel (visa requirements, passport rules) Existing employees of UK companies who are EU nationals will need…

The High Court has lifted an interim injunction restraining an employee from working at another company, Claire Davies Director reports. The case involved Peltrade Ltd, a distributor of energy-producing wood pellets. In March 2018 it had employed Mr Dean Scanlan to trade in premium and industrial quality pellets, but he had worked primarily in the premium pellet sector. His contract of employment contained several post-termination restrictive covenants restraining him from…

The government is introducing a series of changes to increase the flexibility and capacity of the employment tribunal system during the Covid-19 pandemic. Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR provides an update. The new measures will also allow tribunals to deal with increasing caseloads, following the abolition of employment tribunal fees in July 2017. It means there will be more remote hearings so tribunals can hear more…

An employer must honour payments set out in a settlement agreement with an employee even though he breached a confidentiality clause. By Claire Davies Director That was the decision of the High Court in a case involving Duchy Farm Kennels Ltd and Graham William Steels. Mr Steels had brought claims against Duchy in the Employment Tribunal. A settlement agreement was negotiated in which Duchy agreed to pay Steels £15,000 by…

COLLABORATION continues to be key for Cumbrian businesses – and a popular webinar returns this week, looking at how redundancy impacts on mental health. As the furlough scheme winds down further and more businesses look to restructure and potentially make redundancies NXT.V’s latest webinar discusses the impact on mental health for both employers and employees. Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors’ Head of Employment Law and HR Joanne Stronach is among this week’s…

The government has issued guidance on employment rights for people who have to go into quarantine when returning to the UK from abroad. By Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR Currently, people returning must self-isolate for 14 days unless they’re travelling from a country with a quarantine exemption. The list changes regularly so it’s best to check before travelling and before returning. The guidance, issued by the…

Over recent months the government has announced a number of changes to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme – more commonly referred to as ‘furlough’. From September the government contribution towards wages is reducing from 80% to 70% up to a maximum of £2,187.50 per month; in October this reduces further to a government contribution of 60% up to a maximum of £1,875. From November the government will not make any…

The Employment Tribunal failed to properly consider the needs of the employer when dealing with a disability discrimination claim. By Claire Davies Director That was the decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal in a case involving the Department of Work & Pensions and one of its employees, Susan Boyers. Ms Boyers suffered from migraines, stress and panic attacks. She went on sick leave in February 2017. In March 2017 she…

The number of people working from home could double once the Covid-19 crisis is over, according to new research. By Carol Fish Director & Head of Personal Injury A survey carried out by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) says employers expected a dramatic increase as employees get used to the advantages of home working and not having to commute. CIPD surveyed 1,046 UK employers and found that…