The Olympic and Paralympic Games (as well as the Euro Football Championships) are fast approaching. It will be an exciting time for most of us but employers should think about how it might impact upon their business. Many employees will want to take time off work so that they can attend the Olympic Games either as a volunteer or as a spectator; in fact 6.6 million tickets were made available so there’s a good chance some of your workforce will be attending. Some employees will want to watch the TV or internet coverage whilst at work and others will simply get fed up with the fuss and any apparent favouritism shown to those with an interest in sport. As always, it is best practice to have clear policies that deal with staff absences, whether they are down to annual leave, unpaid leave or the suspicious period of sick leave that can follow an important football match. You could also consider adopting a temporary period of flexible working in which you allow your staff to watch TV during agreed times. There is a risk that performance issues will arise if employees are unable to tear themselves away from lengthy coverage streamed to their computers. When it comes to volunteers at the Olympic Games or the “Games Makers” as they are known, you should be aware of your rights and responsibilities. The starting point is that employees have no legal right to take time off for volunteering but their involvement could help develop their skills and your business. As above, the best way of avoiding any misunderstanding is to put clear policies in place. If you do not have such policies then you could consider agreeing to the time off as paid or unpaid leave or even insist that annual leave is taken. It might prove difficult to keep everyone happy so it is important to manage the process fairly.
… on 17 July 2024 the new Labour Government’s legislative agenda was made public as part of the King’s Speech. The Speech itself was light on detail (as is often the case), but the Government released a briefing note setting out more of the substance on their plans, which represent the biggest shake-up of employment law in at least 14 years.
Half of 2024 has already passed and there has been a flurry of reforms to the employment landscape even before the impending election, which may result in even more wide-ranging changes. These have largely focused on family leave, although there have also been updates to the law around flexible working, which we have commented on previously…
At Waterfront, our specialist employment & HR lawyers advise on settlement agreements every week but for our employee clients, signing such an agreement can be a once-in-a-lifetime event. If you have been offered a settlement agreement or you are finding the process confusing or daunting, we are here to help. What…
In times of economic turmoil, redundancies are seldom far away. Against the backdrop of the cost-of-living crisis, unease in the financial markets resulting from political uncertainty and the continuing legacy of the Covid-19 pandemic, many companies are making cutbacks and having to find efficiencies in order to survive. Indeed, the last few weeks have seen news headlines about mass-layoffs at Twitter, the Independent and Royal Mail.