HR Focus - May 2011
Welcome to May’s HR Focus
News - Award spurs on employment law team
Weightmans has more than one reason to
celebrate its merger with Mace & Jones after its employment
team was crowned ‘Employment Team of the Year’ at the Liverpool Law
Society Awards, held on 7 May at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in
Liverpool.
The Employment Team of the Year award was a
highly contested accolade with competition from DWF and Hill
Dickinson.
The victory comes as another member of the
employment team, Laura Kearsley, has been shortlisted for Assistant
Solicitor of the Year at The Lawyer Awards.
Martin Edwards who is now an employment
partner at Weightmans collected the award. He said:
“Everyone was delighted to take home
‘Employment Team of the Year’. For those formerly with Mace &
Jones it was recognition of what they have brought to Weightmans:
outstanding employment law expertise.”
Events - Tribunal Claims
Tribunal claims are on the increase and many
employers are frustrated about the costs, time and distraction of
employment tribunal litigation.
We can’t promise to wave a magic wand and make
tribunal claims disappear but we do help many employers (1) avoid
claims (2) manage claims effectively and efficiently and (3)
succeed in defending claims brought.
In this, our latest practical employment
seminar, we will share with you our own views and recommendations
on ensuring that you succeed in claims brought against you, how to
avoid the emergence of a “claims culture” within your workforce
and, where you are in potential difficulties, how to deal with
potential settlements.
We are running the seminar, nationally, on
various dates, times and locations. Click on the
link below for further information. We hope you can
join us.
Tribunal claims event details
If you would like further information or to
book your free place contact askemployment@weightmans.com.
In this month’s edition:
Continuing duty of care to former employees:
Giving references. Mark Landon, Partner in the London team, considers
the recent case of McKie v Swindon College where
the High Court had to consider whether an employer owed a
former employee a duty of care in respect of negative comments it
made about him in an e-mail to his current employer some six years
after the employee had left.
Preece v JD Wetherspoons plc ET2104806/10
The importance of having a well thought out
social media policy. Jane Hobson,
Partner in the Midlands team, reviews the decision in the recent
case of Preece v JD Wetherspoons where an employee was dismissed
for making comments about customers on a social networking
site.
Obesity – a huge workplace issue
Obesity and the workplace: What can employers
do? Mark Leach, Partner in the
Manchester team, looks at the impact of obesity on employers and
the steps they can take to mitigate this.
Government review of Employment Regulation
As the Government announces further issues to
be added to its review of employment legislation, Lee Rogers, Associate in the Liverpool team,
considers the scope of the review and likely results.
Q&A
And finally, in our Q and A section, Laura Kearsley, Associate in the Midlands team,
answers: Concerns have been raised with HR over two colleagues who
are in a relationship together? How should the employer
broach the subject and what can they do to prevent any negative
consequences for the team and the business as a whole?
If you have any comments or queries about
anything in this month’s edition or you have a question for our
Q&A section, please email askemployment@weightmans.com
or call Laura, Editor on 0121 200 3480.
This update does not attempt to provide a full
analysis of those matters with which it deals and is provided for
general information purposes only and is not intended to constitute
legal advice and should not be treated as a substitute for legal
advice. Weightmans LLP accepts no responsibility for any loss that
may arise from reliance on the information in this update. The
copyright in this update is owned by Weightmans.