Sat here in my cut-off trousers, I’ve come across yet another ‘skirt’ focussed news article – this time relating to the Government ‘debate’ over the rather disgusting media practice of ‘up-skirting’.  For those who don’t know what this is, according to Wikipedia, ‘upskirt is the practice of taking unauthorised photographs under a woman's skirt or man's kilt, capturing an image of the crotch area, underwear and sometimes genitalia. The term "upskirt" can also refer to a photograph, video, or illustration which incorporates a... Continue reading

The gig economy has become a popular topic in the media over the last 18 months, from the Taylor Review into Modern Working practices, to high profile Employment Tribunal cases handing down crucial verdicts. The way we work has never had more variety than we have at present, with some commentators going so far as asking whether the traditional 9-5 is coming to an end. What’s obvious is that employment is changing, with technology opening up flexible and remote working options, as well as the myriad of legal options available to engage staff. ... Continue reading

Since July 2017, Employment Tribunal fees have been abolished, meaning unhappy employees can take their employer to Tribunal without paying a fee to do it. It’s clear that employees have heard this too, because in March this year the government published a report detailing the Tribunal statistics between September and December 2017 and cited that there were 10,812 cases. Compared to the same period in 2016 (when Tribunal fees still had to be paid) when there were only 5,702 cases. That’s an increase of 89.6%! With the removal of Tribunal ... Continue reading

Recent strikes at the University of London led by the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) as part of their ‘Back in House’ campaign has prompted the university to commit to reviewing the types of roles it has been outsourcing to third party contractors. The union has been in a dispute for some time over this matter, but recent strikes have seen between 100 and 130 staff walk out, including security staff, cleaners, porters, post room staff, audio-visual technicians, gardeners and receptionists. The union is claiming success t... Continue reading

Equality in the workplace is rarely out of the headlines these days with the #MeToo movement and the first year of mandatory gender pay gap reporting in the UK. However, while gender has been receiving a lot of media attention, employers must remember that it is only one of the characteristics protected under the Equality Act. While recruiting the right people is hard enough, what can employers do to ensure a fair, diverse and equal workforce? For most organisations, embedding a culture of equality starts with their recruitment practices. We’... Continue reading