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SURVEYING THE EMPLOYMENT LAW LANDSCAPE


A year into Covid and a return to “normal” may be in sight, but it’s too soon to drop Employment law never stands still. Halborns, the employment lawyers and industry experts who provide the BMF Intelligent Employment Plus service have created a free webinar to bring you up to speed with the employment law landscape for 2021.


DESPITE – OR PERHAPS, due to - the coronavirus pandemic, tribunal claims are increasing. The latest figures show the Tribunal Service receiving 25% more cases in Q4 2020 compared to the same period in the previous year. Perhaps not surprisingly, 2020 saw more claims issued in respect of redundancies. In particular, claims that focused on unfair scoring practices when


redundant employees are pooled for selection.


The pandemic has also increased the workload of every HR Department and changes to employment law may have slipped down the agenda. But it has never been more important to ensure you are up to date with those changes. With the end of furlough over the coming months there may well be a further spike in redundancies and, unfortunately, a further increase in claims. Halborns’ 45 minute


Employment Law webinar not only discusses the growing backlog of employment tribunal claims it also covers settlement tactics and how to approach a negotiation successfully. It is a simple way to reassure yourself that you’re on top of recent employment law changes. The informative webinar can be accessed at www. halborns.com/webinars/ Other areas covered during the broadcast are listed below, with timestamps to help you jump to a specific section of interest.


8


Coronavirus continues (38:50-45:54)


Discrimination (02:53-11:04)


Almost 50% of tribunal cases last year included a claim for discrimination. This section provides practical details and key manager messages from the latest discrimination case law. From improving your defence if you’re sued for harassment to the importance of regular equal opportunities training.


Tribunals (11:04-17:47) Subject matter outlined above.


Equality (17:47-25:15) A look equal pay, the gender pay gap and flexible working including the implications of the big-brand supermarket cases hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons. With practical insight on what these decisions might mean for other businesses.


Trending topics (25:15-38:50)


The recent Uber case has thrust the gig economy and employment status (employee, self-employed and the hybrid category of workers) back into the headlines.


We provide the details of the decision and the potential implications of getting employment status wrong. This leads us onto the impact of the IR35 changes on businesses and the possibility of a hefty tax liability if HMRC decides that you have taken the wrong approach. The Settled Status application deadline is looming on the horizon (30 June 2021) so we’ve also included the headlines on Brexit-related employment changes included right to work checks and the EU Settlement Scheme.


Last but not least we’ve included practical guidance on how to manage employees refusing to attend work for health and safety concerns, dealing with refusals to wear face coverings, handling vaccinations and the employment law considerations of workplace testing.


Halborns provides straight- talking support to merchants and suppliers nationally, doing away with tradition by delivering pragmatic advice that starts with your end goal in mind. Halborns proactive partnership keeps you in focus and ensures you’re ahead of the latest developments, like those covered in our webinar, with support on what you need to action and by when. BMJ


For more information about BMF membership visit www.bmf.org.uk or contact Richard.Ellithorne@bmf.org.uk


www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net May 2021


If you have any questions regarding this article or information contained in the webinar, or if you are interested in securing fixed- fee, unlimited employment law advice from Halborns through BMF Intelligent Em- ployment Plus, please get in touch at info@halborns.com or call 0115 718 0333.


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