Employment Law Newsletter – Spring 2024
With the wide-ranging legislative changes of April 2024 now in place, employers may have hoped for some respite from further change. As can be seen from the Spring newsletter however, there is no let-up in the pace of employment law developments.
There have been important decisions on a wide range of issues including an award of almost £4.6 million for disability discrimination and decisions relating to reasonable adjustments and trial periods and unfair dismissal. We have also seen the publication of helpful guidance on the rights of pregnant employees and the publication of the draft Dismissal and re-engagement Code of Practice. In addition, there are important immigration developments too, effective from 4 and 11 April 2024 including changes to the skilled worker route and senior or specialist worker route.
Articles
Below is a complete list of our articles covering topics important to you.
Employment Tribunal award of almost £4.6 million for disability discrimination and harassment
The Employment Tribunal recently awarded a claimant almost £4.6 million for disability discrimination and harassment and this included a rare award of exemplary damages against the public sector employer.
Draft Code of Practice on dismissal and re-engagement published
The aim of the Code of Practice is to ensure an employer takes all reasonable steps to explore alternatives to dismissal and engages in meaningful consultation.
Trial period in a new role could be a reasonable adjustment
A recent EAT decision finds that it may be a reasonable adjustment to offer a disabled employee a trial period in a new role which better suits their needs.
Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules: what you need to know
The Statement of Changes was published on 14 March 2024 and the changes are likely to have a major impact on employers’ ability to recruit skilled staff.
Did a lack of procedure make a dismissal unfair?
The EAT upholds an Employment Tribunal decision that in rare circumstances, an employer can carry out a fair dismissal without following their usual procedures.
Updated guidance on pregnancy and maternity rights
The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s pregnancy toolkit provides guidance for employers on topics such as recruitment, performance management and sickness absence.
Exiting the Local Government Pension Scheme and benefitting from the surpluses
Employers will require legal advice to investigate the barriers to exiting the Local Government Pension Scheme but there may potentially be a surplus payable to employers on exit.
Recommendations published about supporting autistic people in the workplace
The Government’s wide-ranging recommendations to support autistic people in the workplace include initiatives to raise awareness and reduce stigma and adjustments to recruitment practices.
Is flexibility really what it’s all about?
Flexibility continues to be championed as the way forward but what do we mean by it and is it always a good thing?
Team news
I am delighted to inform you about our new senior member of the team, Legal Director Jane Biddlecombe who is based in our Southampton office. Welcome Jane.
Webinar
Our next Employment webinar is on the high-profile topic of equality, diversity and inclusion, EDI – what is it, why is it important and how to implement it? The webinar will take place on 18 June 2024, from 10am to 11.15am. It will be presented by Employment partner Rajiv Joshi, Legal Director Jane Biddlecombe and Associate Louis Howlett.
For more details of the webinar and how to register please see our invitation.
We do hope you can join us on the webinar.
I hope you will find all the articles above informative and helpful, and if you would like any further information please do not hesitate to get in touch with your usual Blake Morgan contact.
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