Tag: Employee Management

  • When Doing the Right Thing Isn’t Enough

    When Doing the Right Thing Isn’t Enough

    There are few certainties in life and navigating employment law is certainly not one of them. As a recent Employment Appeal Tribunal case demonstrates, even if an employer acts lawfully, they may still find themselves at tribunal and can even lose. This, of course, is why there is an appeal process and a very useful…

  • Title: New Employment Right from April 2025: Neonatal Care Leave and Pay

    Title: New Employment Right from April 2025: Neonatal Care Leave and Pay

    Published: April 2025 From 6 April 2025, a new employment law came into effect introducing a statutory entitlement for eligible employees: Neonatal Care Leave and Pay. This change is intended to support working parents whose babies require specialist care after birth, ensuring they do not have to rely solely on existing parental leave provisions during…

  • Elon Musk, DOGE, and the Power Law of Performance: A Perspective on Workplace Efficiency

    Elon Musk, DOGE, and the Power Law of Performance: A Perspective on Workplace Efficiency

    Elon Musk has once again captured public attention—not with a new Tesla or a SpaceX launch, but with an email. An email sent to all employees of the US federal government as part of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative. His directive? “List five things you achieved last week.” This simple yet direct inquiry has…

  • The Employment Rights Bill: New Protections, New Pressures for Employers

    The Employment Rights Bill: New Protections, New Pressures for Employers

    On 10 October 2024, the UK’s Labour government introduced the Employment Rights Bill to Parliament. The changes set out in the Bill are, we are told, aimed at enhancing employees’ and workers’ rights as part of the government’s declared intention to “make work pay”. While the changes do, on the surface, provide greater protections for…

  • Whistleblowing, Performance, and Probation

    Whistleblowing, Performance, and Probation

    Sometimes the most valuable employee-management insights come not from groundbreaking cases, but from those that reinforce the importance of fundamental principles. The recent Employment Tribunal decision in Currie v Four Seasons Health Care Group offers just such a reminder. It underscores a crucial truth: effective employee management isn’t about revolutionary techniques, but about consistently applying…

  • When Sickness Absence Becomes Unsustainable

    When Sickness Absence Becomes Unsustainable

    The balance between supporting employees with long-term health conditions and maintaining operational efficiency is often a delicate one. A recent Employment Tribunal case provides useful insights into how employers might

  • Navigating Probationary Dismissals: Insights and Safeguards

    Navigating Probationary Dismissals: Insights and Safeguards

    The probationary period of employment offers both employers and employees a unique opportunity. Use it wisely, and document it well; as we see from Mrs. Shaukia Mir v. IQVIA Ltd, dismissal following a probationary period does not always go unchallenged. The effective and robust use of probationary periods is essential and I will write about…

  • Dismissal Without Warning or Right to Appeal: An  Exception to Prove the Rule

    Dismissal Without Warning or Right to Appeal: An Exception to Prove the Rule

    Can a dismissal without prior warning or a right of appeal ever be fair? In the recent case of Matthews v CGI IT UK Ltd [2024] EAT 38, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) grappled with this question. The answer, a nuanced yes, is critical for employers to understand, not least because it reinforces the importance…

  • Don’t Be Your Own Worst Enemy: The Importance of Keeping Record

    Don’t Be Your Own Worst Enemy: The Importance of Keeping Record

    Winning an employment tribunal claim is hard enough at the best of times. The last thing any claimant needs is to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory due to their own conduct. But as the stark example of Kaur v Sun Mark Ltd shows, that is exactly what can happen if a tribunal concludes…

  • The Impact of Personality on Teamwork: Optimising for Team Performance

    The Impact of Personality on Teamwork: Optimising for Team Performance

    As organisations increasingly rely on collaborative team efforts to drive productivity and innovation, understanding the dynamics that shape effective teamwork becomes paramount. A recent academic study from a Hungarian Nuclear Power Plant (Influence of personality on Teamwork behaviour and communication) sheds light on the profound influence that individual personality traits can have on team communication,…