Joanne Stronach

The widespread administration of the vaccine in the UK is good news for many employers to help working life slowly return to normal in time. But what if one of your employees refuses to have it? The big question being considered by Joanne Stronach Head of Employment Law and HR is – can an employer require its employees to have the COVID19 vaccine? The quick answer is that the Government…

The government is considering a crackdown on what it describes as unfair employment contracts that restrict worker freedom. Joanne Stronach Head of Employment & HR reports. The measures could include banning the use of exclusivity clauses, which prevent workers from taking on additional work with other employers. This would apply to workers whose guaranteed weekly income is below the Lower Earnings Limit, currently £120 a week. The change would put…

A 24 hour, online global learning symposium event for family businesses was used to engage in peer to peer learning and knowledge transfer. Through the symposium a community of family businesses from across the world, engaged in peer to peer learning and the opportunity for sector specialists to transfer their own knowledge to new groups. This unique event was aimed to share informative and educational content, encourage connectivity and positively…

In the first ever global family business event run by The Family Business Network, a number of North West family firms will feature amongst the impressive line-up. The Global Family Business Learning Symposium taking place next Thursday 19 November, is a new online event run by the Cumbria-headquartered organisation. The event has been designed to unite a community of family businesses from across the world as they engage in peer…

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…

Joanne Stronach Director and Head of Employment & HR provides an some important information. After the Brexit transition period ends on 31st December 2020, the EU GDPR will no longer be law in the UK. However, as the UK government intends to write the GDPR into UK law, from all practical perspectives, GDPR will continue to apply. This means UK organisations and individuals that process or transfer the personal data…

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…

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…