Employer must honour settlement agreement despite breach
September 24th 2020An 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…
How redundancy affects mental health to be discussed at webinar
September 14th 2020COLLABORATION 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…
Employment rights if placed in quarantine after returning to UK
September 10th 2020The 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…
Furlough Explained: Answering SMEs Burning Questions
August 25th 2020Over 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…
Tribunal ‘failed to consider employer’s needs’ in discrimination case
August 20th 2020The 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…
Survey suggests home working could double after Covid crisis
July 29th 2020The 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…
Lake District Radio Business Show with Joanne Stronach
April 20th 2020Today saw the launch of the UK HMRC Furlough scheme. Lake District Radio had a Q&A session live on the radio with Joanne Stronach who joined by telephone. The show was broadcast on Lake District Radio on the 20th April 2020 and is available below.
In Brief – Covid-19 news affecting businesses and individuals
April 2nd 2020The government’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak moves rapidly with new measures to ease the financial burden on businesses and workers appearing almost daily. Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR gives a round-up of some of the main developments so far: Furlough Leave – Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme Chancellor Rishi Sunak wants to use furlough leave as the basis of a Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to enable…
Summary of the UK Government’s policy on ‘Furlough’ and the Coronavirus Job Retention scheme
March 24th 2020As Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors are members of the UK200Group we are able to share with you the latest advice on ‘Furlough’ from Helen Spencer FCIPD, Managing Partner Whittingham Riddell. We hope you will find this beneficial and we will continue to keep you informed of any useful advice during this difficult time. Q: What does the word ‘furlough’ mean? Furlough generally means a temporary leave of absence from work. This…
Shaming low paying employers to continue following review
March 12th 2020The Government is to step up its naming and shaming of employers who fail to pay their workers the National Minimum or Living Wage. Meanwhile, it will increase support for employers to help them comply with low pay legislation. It says the changes, which follow a review of the process, will see naming rounds occur more often to enhance the effectiveness of the deterrent. Ministers have also increased the threshold…
