On 10 November, taxi app Uber lost its appeal to overturn the decision of an Employment Tribunal that its drivers were entitled to workers’ rights such as the Minimum Wage and holiday pay. This case is an important victory for workers in the gig economy and could have significant repercussions for other businesses. It emphasises that tribunals and courts will look beyond what a contract simply says and consider the true nature of the relationship between the parties. Companies should carefully review their working relationships and ensure t... Continue reading

It’s been a great couple of months for the Development team at International Workplace. At the end of September, we discovered we’d been shortlisted for the Learning Technologies Awards 2017, for the development of our new IOSH Managing Safely v.5.0 eLearning course. Last week, we were delighted to discover we’d been shortlisted as a finalist for the i-FM.net Technology in FM Award, the most notable technical accolade in the UK facilities management sector. Our submission for this award relates to SELMA 3.0, the learning platform upon w... Continue reading

We reported in April this year that International Workplace had become a signatory to the Serious eLearning Manifesto, a list of 22 principles designed to underpin best practice in digital training. I won’t repeat all 22 principles here, but you can find reference to them on the Manifesto website itself. What is interesting, when you do read them, is the very first proclamation, Principle #1: Do not assume that learning is the solution. So not only does the manifesto encourage training providers and L&D professionals to avoid eLearning... Continue reading

Over the last few weeks, it has been near impossible to avoid hearing stories in the news from the dozens of actresses who have come forward to raise their allegations against Hollywood producer, Harvey Weinstein. Whilst the accusations and the period they relate to are disconcerting, of greater concern is the potential cover-up that has taken place.  Reports are emerging that his employer, The Weinstein Company, included a clause in his contract which meant they could not fire him for sexual harassment claims, as long as any settlements were... Continue reading

The recent lodging of an Employment Tribunal claim against Hampshire County Council on behalf of a foster carer has re-opened a long-running debate surrounding the status of foster parents. Background Sarah Anderson provides foster care for the local authority but she is not classified as an employee or a ‘worker’, which would entitle her to various rights such as holiday pay and protection from discrimination. In what may be a ground-breaking case, she will argue to have foster carers re-classified so they will be entitled to the same be... Continue reading