Employment Law Focus

In this episode Jonathan Rennie, partner at TLT is joined by Sarah Maddock, senior knowledge lawyer at TLT and Emma Erskine-Fox, managing associate in the Technology and Intellectual Property team at TLT to look at the impact of AI on employment law and discuss:

In today's workforce, where one in three workers is over 50 and 80% of women aged 45 to 55 are employed, it is essential for employers to recognise and address the impact of menopause. Many employees undergoing this natural transition report adverse effects on their work, and statistics reveal a rise in litigation concerning menopause-related issues. In this episode, hosted by Leeanne Armstrong, legal director at TLT, we’re joined by Stephanie Reid from Menopause Spring and Louise Chopra, partner at TLT to discuss the significance of supporting employees experiencing menopause and share invaluable strategies for creating a supportive work environment including: Further reading: Menopause and the workplace: Government Response to the Committee’s First Report of Session 2022–2023 Mrs M Rooney v Leicester City Council A v Bonmarche Ltd BS 30416, Menstruation, menstrual health and menopause in the workplace TLT Menopause Toolkit for employers *** If you liked the podcast, please rate and review it. It helps others to know that it's worth a listen. You can subscribe so you know when we're back again and you can email us feedback and ideas for future episodes at emplawpodcast@tlt.com and you can also follow us and speak to us on Twitter @TLT_Employment

In the latest episode of our Employment Law Focus podcast, we look at neurodiversity, a range of conditions which affect how people think, process and interpret information. This affects around 15% of people but, until fairly recently, has not been widely considered in the workplace. Traditional workplaces are often designed by and for a neurotypical society, which can negatively affect employees who are neurodivergent and prevent them from thriving at work. Understanding the differing needs of each person in your workplace will help to adjust practises to ensure every employee is equipped to perform to the best of their ability. Jonathan Rennie and Sarah Maddock discuss the important role that employers play in the lives of people who are neurodivergent and what best practice can look like in the modern workplace. We look at: Further reading Bupa – supporting neurodiversity in the workplace CIPD – neurodiversity at work ACAS – webinar – inclusive workplaces: making changes to better support neurodiversity Neurodivergent women sought for jobs at GCHQ and BAE Systems Noor v Foreign & Commonwealth Office Sherbourne v Npower *** Send us your questions and we'll answer them in a future episode – email emplawpodcast@tltsolicitors.com or tweet us using #TLTemploymentpodcast or @TLT_Employment You can find out more about our employment team at tltsolicitors.com/employment Sign up to receive our updates at tltsolicitors.com/signup If you’ve enjoyed listening, please rate us and write a review.

Alongside the usual risks and issues – from seasonal bugs to Christmas parties – the “permacrisis” means that in-house legal and HR teams will face a plethora of new considerations this winter. In this episode, Jonathan Rennie and Grace Caldicott discuss everything from writing hardship policies and offering early access to wages, to the pros and cons of different kinds of flexible working policies and how to normalise conversations about money. They also offer advice on: Our news section highlights a new pay transparency law in New York, while our listener’s question touches on Elon Musk’s email to Twitter staff asking them to commit to working “long hours at high intensity” and being “extremely hardcore”. Further reading: CIPD: Cost of living crisisCIPD: Tackling in-work povertyHSE: Home workingTLT: Bellman Christmas party ruling*** Send us your questions and we'll answer them in a future episode – email emplawpodcast@tltsolicitors.com or tweet us using #TLTemploymentpodcast or @TLT_Employment You can find out more about our employment team at tltsolicitors.com/employment Sign up to receive our updates at tltsolicitors.com/signup If you’ve enjoyed listening, please rate us and write a review.

In this episode, we’re joined by Bobbi Pickard, CEO of Trans in the City, to discuss how employers can improve their approach to trans and non-binary inclusion in the workplace. We explore questions like: We discuss the importance of vocalising a clear position on trans and non-binary inclusion and educating staff. We also discuss the benefits of creating a safe and welcoming environment, from recruiting the best talent to allowing people to do their best work. As Bobbi says, it takes years to change a company’s culture, but today’s graduates are already exploring their identities and have high expectations about equality, diversity and inclusion. Further reading: Grainger plc & Ors v NicholsonMaya Forstater v CGD Europe & Ors Ms R Taylor v Jaguar Land Rover LtdUnited Nations Global Compact*** Send us your questions and we'll answer them in a future episode – email emplawpodcast@tltsolicitors.com or tweet us using #TLTemploymentpodcast or @TLT_Employment You can find out more about our employment team at tltsolicitors.com/employment Sign up to receive our updates at tltsolicitors.com/signup If you’ve enjoyed listening, please rate us and write a review.

50 years on from the Sex Discrimination Act, sexism is unfortunately still common at work. And yet studies repeatedly show that more diverse workplaces are more successful. In this episode, we discuss questions like: We look at how gender equality issues are changing, and help HR and legal teams to navigate the risks, challenges and debates. We also highlight a story that considers: when is a sex discrimination case not a sex discrimination case? As employers continue to face challenges with recruitment and retention, it’s more important than ever that they’re able to show a strong hand with regards to ESG and ED&I issues. Useful links: Acas – Improving equality, diversity and inclusionThe Fawcett Society – Menopause and the workplaceTLT - Addressing menopause in the workplace*** Send us your questions and we'll answer them in a future episode – email emplawpodcast@tltsolicitors.com or tweet us using #TLTemploymentpodcast or @TLT_Employment You can find out more about our employment team at tltsolicitors.com/employment Sign up to receive our updates at tltsolicitors.com/signup If you’ve enjoyed listening, please rate us and write a review.

Can an employer really claim to have strong ESG credentials if they aren’t addressing societal issues like race equality and discrimination, and if they’re simply relying on policies and training? How can employers meet the changing expectations of regulators, investors, employees, job candidates and clients? The legal definition of race is much broader than many people realise. In this episode, Kanika Kitchlu-Connolly, co-chair of TLT’s BAME network, joins our employment team to discuss: Our news update covers fire and rehire practices and the rights of agency staff. Further reading: Acas: fire and rehire practicesBITC: Race at Work CharterRare Recruitment: Race Fairness CommitmentEHRC: using positive action to address workplace disadvantageSend us your questions and we'll answer them in a future episode – email emplawpodcast@tltsolicitors.com or Tweet us using the hashtag #TLTemploymentpodcast and tag @TLT_Employment You can find out more about our employment team at tltsolicitors.com/employment Sign up to receive our updates at tltsolicitors.com/signup If you’ve enjoyed listening, please rate us and write a review.

Returns to work are set to become even more challenging with the advent of hybrid and remote working, to the extent that the traditional toolkit may no longer be fit for purpose. In this episode, our employment and regulatory teams discuss five new challenges for HR and legal teams, and share their insights and advice surrounding: There are some recurring themes, including: Our listener question addresses the timely topic of mandatory vaccinations at work, and what we’ve been seeing and advising clients. Useful link: HSE guidance on home working *** Send us your questions and we'll answer them in a future episode – email emplawpodcast@tltsolicitors.com or Tweet us using the hashtag #TLTemploymentpodcast and tag @TLT_Employment You can find out more about our employment team at tltsolicitors.com/employment Sign up to receive our updates at tltsolicitors.com/signup If you’ve enjoyed listening, please rate us and write a review.

After Me Too and Black Lives Matter, there are growing signs that disability could be the next recipient of a major social media movement, not to mention new legal duties for employers. In the UK, the government has published a new National Disability Strategy including mandatory reporting for employers, the employment gap is impossible to ignore, and the Tokyo Paralympics sparked the campaign WeThe15 representing the world’s 1.2 billion people with a disability. But are employers ready for this? Disability varies wildly from other areas of equality law, and as PageGroup CEO and disability rights champion Steve Ingham recently said, many employers simply think: “It’s too complex an issue to grapple with” and therefore don’t engage. We discuss: We also explain cases covering: Our listener question looks at four-day working weeks and what employers should consider when defining the scope of a trial. Useful link: EHRC Code of Practice *** Send us your questions and we'll answer them in a future episode – email emplawpodcast@tltsolicitors.com or Tweet us using the hashtag #TLTemploymentpodcast and tag @TLT_Employment You can find out more about our employment team at tltsolicitors.com/employment Sign up to receive our updates at tltsolicitors.com/signup If you’ve enjoyed listening, please rate us and write a review.

Employee wellbeing has risen up the corporate agenda during the pandemic. However, this is set to become an even bigger issue in the coming months, as HR and legal teams navigate the impact of hybrid working, the right to work flexibly, the end of furlough, long Covid and more. How can employers address the stigma around mental health and wellbeing? What does proportionate support look like? And what new risks and challenges do they face? In this episode, we discuss: We also explain how TLT is using the Mindful Business Charter to reduce unnecessary stress in the workplace and show respect for colleagues’ wellbeing. Send us your questions and we'll answer them in a future episode – email emplawpodcast@tltsolicitors.com or tweet us using the hashtag #TLTemploymentpodcast and tag @TLT_Employment You can find out more about our employment team at tltsolicitors.com/employment Sign up to receive our updates at tltsolicitors.com/signup If you’ve enjoyed listening, please rate us and write a review.

Should HR be more involved in the design and rollout of workplace technology? Will modern technology force us to replace roles (performed by people) with functions (performed by people, technology, robots and algorithms)? At what point do employees start to resent technology impinging on their jobs? When it can do 10%, 20% or 30% of their role faster and better than they can? These are just some of the questions we explore in this episode on workplace technology and its impact on employees. Jonathan Rennie and Sarah Maddock in our employment team are joined by Emma Erskine-Fox from our data privacy and cybersecurity team. We dig into this complex topic and highlight the issues HR and legal teams need to be aware of, and share our thoughts, cases and practical tips. Our news section covers a rare case where the tribunal gave some useful advice and a stark warning against allowing your equalities training to go “stale”. Our listener’s question asks about dismissal and reengagement or “firing and rehiring”, which has become increasingly popular during the pandemic. Read our short guide to this practice. Note: since we recorded this episode, the court in the Netherlands has ordered Uber to reinstate the five British drivers who were struck off by robot technology. Send us your questions and we'll answer them in a future episode – email emplawpodcast@tltsolicitors.com or Tweet us using the hashtag #TLTemploymentpodcast and tag @TLT_Employment You can find out more about our employment team at tltsolicitors.com/employment Sign up to receive our updates at tltsolicitors.com/signup If you’ve enjoyed listening, please rate us and write a review.

The pandemic has required many people to balance work with heightened childcaring responsibilities. For employers, this means considering the needs of working parents like never before – flexing policies, considering flexible working arrangements and other solutions and supporting people with their mental health and wellbeing. The challenges are many and varied, from changing working arrangements to managing performance issues. At the same time, the law recognises the need to be pragmatic and protect the interests of the business. This is a big topic, but in this episode, we seek to answer some of the burning questions, including: The pre-pandemic issues surrounding working parents have not gone away, and are still very much on the agenda. We consider what changes we might see in the law moving forward. In our news section, we cover: Useful links: EHRC Working Forward campaign Send us your questions and we'll answer them in a future episode – email emplawpodcast@tltsolicitors.com or tweet us using the hashtag #TLTemploymentpodcast and tag @TLT_Employment You can find out more about our employment team at tltsolicitors.com/employment Sign up to receive our updates at tltsolicitors.com/signup If you’ve enjoyed listening, please rate us and write a review.

Employee monitoring isn’t just about using software to check that people are working hard enough. It can be digital, manual, well intended or even a regulatory requirement. But whether you’re monitoring devices, collecting data to make employment decisions or using CCTV (or even microchips), there’s a whole host of data protection and employment risks to consider. In this episode, we discuss: Our news section covers: Two legal challenges against Uber regarding automated decisions about employees The ICO’s final guidance on data subject access requests, including when you can “stop the clock” and what constitutes a manifestly unfounded or excessive request We also answer your questions about whether an employee can withdraw an access request and how employers should be preparing for the end of the Brexit transition period. Useful links TLT update on ICO guidance ICO guidance on DSARs Send us your questions and we'll answer them in a future episode – email emplawpodcast@tltsolicitors.com or tweet us using the hashtag #TLTemploymentpodcast and tag @TLT_Employment You can find out more about our employment team at tltsolicitors.com/employment Sign up to receive our updates at tltsolicitors.com/signup If you’ve enjoyed listening, please rate us and write a review.

Unconscious bias (UB) is a growing legal issue for employers. It’s widely regarded as a barrier to equality, diversity and inclusion, and employment tribunals are looking more closely at motivation and bias in discrimination and harassment cases. While it’s been talked about for a number of years, many employers still aren’t doing enough to reduce the risk of UB infiltrating people’s decisions about candidates and colleagues. In this episode, we discuss: In our news section, we cover: We also share our views on the government’s long-term “back to work” plan, including refusal to return to work, unfair dismissal, flexible working requests and indirect sex discrimination. Further reading: AI – ethical considerations and the privacy legal framework Seven top questions on returning staff to work during the pandemic Send us your questions and we'll answer them in a future episode – email emplawpodcast@tltsolicitors.com or tweet us using the hashtag #TLTemploymentpodcast and tag @TLT_Employment You can find out more about our employment team at tltsolicitors.com/employment Sign up to receive legal insights at tltsolicitors.com/signup If you’ve enjoyed listening, please rate us and write a review.

HR teams need to plan for the inevitable rise of flexible and agile working after the Covid-19 pandemic. Risks and questions abound, from discrimination and harassment to protecting employees’ physical and mental health and wellbeing. In this episode, we look at: We also look at what recent news stories have taught us about the wide scope of equalities protections and the need for a dress code for virtual meetings. In our listeners’ questions, we discuss the use of personal devices for work purposes when working remotely and the expected rise in whistleblowing claims as a result of the pandemic. Useful links: ICO’s tips on working from home securely TLT’s ‘Fit for the future’ hub Send us your questions and we'll answer them in a future episode – email emplawpodcast@tltsolicitors.com or tweet us using the hashtag #TLTemploymentpodcast and tag @TLT_Employment You can find out more about our employment team at tltsolicitors.com/employment Sign up to receive legal insights at tltsolicitors.com/signup If you’ve enjoyed listening, please rate us and write a review.

Whistleblowing is growing at an alarming rate. This is being driven by high profile cases as well as campaigns against systemic issues like data privacy and sexual harassment. There has also been an increase in complicating factors – including whistleblowers raising grievances and additional issues arising part way through an investigation. Having an effective whistleblowing policy is now considered fundamental to good corporate governance, culture and risk management. The decisions you make early on can have a significant impact on the risks and how the investigation unfolds. Some of the biggest risks include financial and reputational damage. There is no cap on whistleblowing claims and they can become part of an organisation’s permanent digital footprint. In this episode, we look at: We also look at some recent news stories, including: Useful links Parental bereavement leave and other April 2020 changes The Whistleblowing Commission’s Code of Practice TLT’s coronavirus hub Send us your questions and we'll answer them in a future episode – email emplawpodcast@tltsolicitors.com or tweet us using the hashtag #TLTemploymentpodcast and tag @TLT_Employment You can find out more about our employment team at tltsolicitors.com/employment Sign up to receive legal insights at tltsolicitors.com/signup If you’ve enjoyed listening, please rate us and write a review.

Since the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force, HR teams have been flooded with requests by employees for a copy of the personal data the company holds about them. This is often done as part of threatened litigation and can be challenging to deal with, not least because the deadline is shorter and HR needs to make a judgment call on how to respond. The regulator has received a huge volume of complaints about how requests are dealt with, and you don’t want to be the first company to face a fine. In this episode, we look at: We look at the role of culture, IT and training and how self-serve platforms and automation can help foster an environment of trust and speed up the process. And we answer questions like: Do you have to use the search terms requested by the employee? And should you search instant messages, texts and WhatsApps? In our news round-up we look at: Useful links: ICO consultation Send us your questions and we'll answer them in a future episode – email emplawpodcast@tltsolicitors.com or tweet us using the hashtag #TLTemploymentpodcast and tag @TLT_Employment You can find out more about our employment team at tltsolicitors.com/employment Sign up to receive insights including our A-Z of employment law at tltsolicitors.com/signup Finally, if you’ve enjoyed listening, please rate us and write a review.

Chronic stress impacts employee wellbeing, productivity and company performance. With the World Health Organisation now classifying burnout as a workplace disease, employers need to understand their legal and moral duties to prevent, identify and manage this issue. In this episode crammed with top tips and examples we look at: In our news round-up we cover: social media issuesPeople Management Useful links from this episode: The Stevenson / Farmer review Equality Act 2010 Code of Practice HSE stress risk assessment template Send us your questions and we'll answer them in a future episode – email emplawpodcast@tltsolicitors.com or tweet us using the hashtag #TLTemploymentpodcast and tag @TLT_Employment You can find out more about our employment team at tltsolicitors.com/employment Sign up to receive insights including our A-Z of employment law at tltsolicitors.com/signup Finally, if you’ve enjoyed listening, please rate us and write a review.

From air con wars and dress codes to live streaming sports and unexplained absences, summer can present a unique raft of challenges for HR and legal teams. What starts off as an office moan can quickly escalate, with the most serious cases resulting in a discrimination claim. In this episode of TLT's employment law podcast, we look at three of the "hottest" issues you might face this summer and throughout the rest of the year, including: We share some cautionary tales and some best practice advice. We also look at the latest news headlines including tribunal system delays and the legality of positive discrimination to improve ethnic diversity, and answer your questions. Send us your questions and we'll answer them in the next episode – email emplawpodcast@tltsolicitors.com or tweet us using the hashtag #TLTemploymentpodcast and tagging @TLT_Employment You can find out more about our employment team at tltsolicitors.com/employment Sign up to receive insights on employment law at tltsolicitors.com/signup Finally, if you’ve enjoyed listening, please rate us and consider writing a review.

If an employee feels they have been the victim of discrimination or harassment at work because of a philosophical belief, they could claim for compensation. But what is a philosophical belief? Is fox hunting, life after death, veganism, Brexit or Scottish Independence protected under the Equality Act or is this just an opinion? And what happens when one person's belief conflicts with another's, like Christianity and homosexuality? There is no hierarchy of beliefs so how should employers deal with this? What impact has social media had on these cases, with it being so easy now for people to express their views on a particular topic? Philosophical beliefs can be a tricky area for HR teams to advise on, but it's a growing issue and important to get right from a reputational and financial perspective. TLT's employment team offers their views and shares some advice on how to deal with these cases, including the need to remain objective, listen and to have clear policies on how the company handles discrimination and bullying. We also comment on three recent news stories including: Finally, we answer some of your questions. Send us your questions and we'll answer them in the next episode – email emplawpodcast@tltsolicitors.com or tweet us using the hashtag #TLTemploymentpodcast and tagging @TLT_Employment You can find out more about our employment team at tltsolicitors.com/employment Sign up to receive insights on employment law at tltsolicitors.com/signup Don't forget, if you’ve enjoyed listening, please rate us and consider writing a review.