What are Parental Rights for Fathers?
Parental rights for fathers are determined largely by whether the individual has ‘parental responsibility’. Parental responsibility is not always an automatic right for fathers, and without it, a father’s legal rights in relation a child may be limited. What is parental responsibility? With parental responsibility, you can make decisions about the child’s upbringing and care, […]
16 Year Old Rights Against Parents
Turning 16 means you attain some new rights against your parents and that you now get to have a say in some decisions that directly affect you. Given your age, the courts will also typically take into account your wishes and feelings when it comes to certain issues, such as child contact arrangements. You are, however, […]
How to Have a Without Prejudice Conversation
There are various workplace scenarios where an employer may want to have an off-the-record conversation with an employee. These could include, for example, where an employee has bought, or is threatening to bring, a claim against the employer before the tribunal or courts. However, more often than not, these types of conversations will be around […]
Divorce Settlement FAQs
A divorce settlement is the part of the divorce process when assets are divided and any other financial arrangements are decided. In this guide, we answer frequently asked questions about financial settlements in divorce proceedings. Even in the most amicable scenarios, where agreement has already been reached between former spouses or civil partners on mutually […]
Form E Divorce Financial Statements: Everything You Need to Know
Courts rely on financial disclosures when determining financial remedies in divorce and dissolution of civil partnership proceedings. This guide to the Form E explains what Form E is, what information it requires parties to disclose, and the potential consequences of lying on Form E, including the consequences of lying about cohabiting on Form E. What […]
Form D81 & Consent Orders
Form D81 is used to provide information about divorcing parties’ financial situation in support of an application for a consent order. If you and your former spouse are able to agree on how to split your money and assets on divorce or civil partnership dissolution, you can avoid a contested hearing and the acrimony and […]
Workplace investigations: your employees’ rights
Before an employer takes any disciplinary action, they first have to carry out a balanced and unbiased workplace investigation to establish the facts and ensure objective decision-making. This guide to workplace investigations will help employers understand their employees’ rights and their own obligations under UK law. What is a workplace investigation? A workplace […]
Separated Parents’ Holiday Rights
If you’re a separated parent, do you know if you can you take your child on holiday and do you need your ex’s consent? What does the law say about separated parents’ holiday rights in the UK? In the UK, all mothers and many fathers have legal rights and responsibilities as a parent. These rights […]
Gaslighting at work: a manager’s guide
Gaslighting at work: a manager’s guide While the concept of ‘gaslighting at work’ is relatively modern in HR terminology, power struggles in the workplace are by no means new. For managers, the challenge is identifying gaslighting and taking appropriate steps to deal with unwanted and toxic behaviours. What is gaslighting at work? Contrary to popular […]
Rules for Using CCTV Evidence at Disciplinary
Some employers may be surprised to discover that video footage captured by CCTV can constitute personal data under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This means that there are certain rules that must be followed when processing this data, especially in the context of using this footage as evidence of an employee’s misconduct. The following […]
Advice for Managers Facing a Grievance
It is not uncommon for staff to raise a grievance about their managers, in some cases without just cause, although the employer will still be duty bound to fully investigate any formal complaint. It is therefore important for managers to know their own employment rights in these circumstances, not only to help minimise the potential […]
Why managers need to be hot on gossip in the workplace
Why managers need to be hot on gossip in the workplace Gossiping at work may be intended as harmless among co-workers, but it has the potential to negatively impact working relations and workplace culture overall. In this guide for employers and managers, we look at what the law says on workplace gossip, and how gossiping […]
Accident reporting at work guide for HR
Accident reporting is a fundamental aspect of monitoring safety in the workplace. A well-maintained record of accidents and incidents can help employers learn from errors, meet their legal obligations and ensure health and safety at work. The reporting of diseases, injuries and dangerous occurrences at work is taken seriously by the HSE. Failure to report […]
What is a Decree Absolute & Do You Need One?
Getting divorced can be a stressful time for separated spouses, not least because the legal process for filing for divorce can often be acrimonious, typically requiring one party to attribute some form of blame against the other to establish grounds for divorce. However, with the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act (DDSA) 2020 is coming into […]
Rules for suspending an employee
In some circumstances, suspending an employee may be unavoidable. Suspension could be due to health and safety or medical issues such as pregnancy, or more commonly, while a serious disciplinary matter is being investigated. In this guide for employers, line managers and HR personnel, we discuss the key considerations when suspending employees as part of […]
How to spot a fake sick note
If you’ve been given a fit note by an employee and you’re not sure if it is genuine, would you know what to do? Employers should be prepared and trained to know how to deal with employees suspected of pulling sickies or exaggerating illness symptoms. It’s useful for managers and HR teams to be able […]
Employment tribunal costs for employers
If a workplace dispute cannot be resolved, employers may be forced to defend a claim before the employment tribunal. By understanding how the tribunal process works, including the steps involved and potential outcomes, employers can assess the most cost-effective way of dealing with an unresolved dispute while managing the employment tribunal costs that come with […]
Employer vicarious liability rules
By law, employers can be held vicariously liable for certain acts of their employees. This means even where the employer has itself technically done no wrong, it can still be found responsible for employees’ actions and made to financially compensate the victim of the wrongdoing. The rationale behind the employer vicarious liability rules is to […]
Using an employee non disclosure agreement
Under an employee non disclosure agreement, both parties are bound by confidentiality provisions, such as preventing the employee from disclosing certain specified information relating to the conduct of the employer or the termination of the employment contract. Non disclosure agreements (NDAs) and confidentiality provisions in the employment context have generated plenty of publicity over the […]
Can employees go on holiday while off sick?
Ordinarily, you would not expect an employee to be going on holiday while on sick leave. In many cases this would serve to undermine the extent of any reported illness or injury, providing grounds for disciplinary action or even dismissal where this is indicative of malingering. Still, there may be cases in which going on […]