Employment & HR

New legislation. S.17 Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 will make void any provision in an agreement, such as in a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), that purports to preclude a disclosure of information by a victim of criminal conduct (or someone who reasonably believes they’re a victim) to: (1) anyone with law enforcement functions; (2) a qualified lawyer; (3)  someone who’s entitled to practise a regulated profession; (4) someone who provides a victim support service; (5) a regulator of a regulated profession; (6) someone who’s authorised to receive information on behalf of any of the above; and (7) the victim’s child, parent or partner. The legislation also sets out further detail about the purpose of the victim’s disclosure to persons in these categories (see The next step ). ...

The Employment Appeal Tribunal has ruled that an employer couldn’t rely on the terms of its agreement with a third-party provider to withdraw a lifelong travel benefit from staff. How might this ruling impact your contractual benefit provision?

There’s nothing in law that says you must have a staff handbook, but it’s recommended you do, even if you don’t have many employees. What are the benefits and how should you set your handbook out?

A new Code of Practice on Dismissal and Re-engagement will come into force on 18 July 2024, setting out your responsibilities when seeking to change employment terms. What key provisions in the Code should you be aware of?

Employees on fixed-term contracts have the statutory right not to be treated less favourably than comparable permanent employees unless you can objectively justify the difference in treatment. How does this protection work in practice?

An April 2024 report by the Resolution Foundation indicates that employers are now using zero-hours contracts to reduce their wage bills and offset higher minimum wage rates. Where does the law currently stand on the use of zero-hours contracts?