Welcome to Allen & Overy’s Employment Talk blog, sharing with you our views and insights into the latest trends, risks and developments with HR boardroom issues and employment law and practice.
Dignity and respect should not be the preserve of the majority
21 October 2020 Sheila Fahy
Today is International Pronouns Day, a day to educate others that a personal pronoun should be determined by the individual. Whether a person wants to be referred to as “he”, “she”, “they” or otherwise will depend on how the individual identifies, not traditional cues. The issue particularly affects transgender and non-binary individuals, and has led › Read More
Significant tribunal costs award made against employee who recorded covertly
15 October 2020 Rachel Reeves
Are covert recordings permitted? One of the issues that comes up time and time again concerns employees recording discussions covertly. The issue is particularly relevant now as the opportunities to record while working remotely are even greater than in face to face meetings. The answer is that it is up to an employer whether recording › Read More
13 October 2020 Sheila Fahy
Somewhere along the way, the idea that white people are superior to others has taken root in society, like a stubborn weed in the garden. It’s everywhere and people are so used to seeing it, they don’t appreciate that it’s choking the goodness out of our world. These words are not mine, but I echo › Read More
Can employers refer to employees’ WhatsApp messages to bring misconduct proceedings?
30 September 2020 Aladdin Benali
As social media messaging has become such a quick and easy way for many of us to communicate, a key question for employers is the extent to which they can access and rely on employees’ WhatsApp messages in the context of investigations. In a recent case, BC and others v Chief Constable Police Service of › Read More
11 September 2020 Sarah Henchoz
Arguably one of the most iconic lines in movie history, and a sentiment that after 6 months of remote-working I can wholeheartedly endorse. I certainly don’t mean to downplay the significant challenges and upset many people have suffered as a result of COVID, whether due to physical illness, the logistical frustrations of turning your personal › Read More
Post-lockdown redundancies: pay attention to pensions! Part 2
02 September 2020 Helen Powell
This is the second of our blog posts looking at the pensions implications on redundancies. It focuses on the pitfalls that can trip up employers and trustees when there are redundancies on the horizon and takes you through some practical points to help shape your preparation. Previous blogs on Redundancy Post-lockdown redundancies: pay attention to › Read More
Post-lockdown redundancies: pay attention to pensions! Part 1
27 August 2020 Helen Powell
The next blog in our redundancy series focuses on the pensions implications. Jessica Kerslake from our pensions team encourages employers and pension trustees to consider the potential pensions implications at the outset. Good preparation can help to avoid legal and practical pitfalls. This post looks at two key cost issues: whether an employer debt could › Read More