In brief The Employment Rights Bill (ERB) introduces a new requirement for employers to prevent third party harassment of employees in the course of their employment. Once in force, this requirement will apply to harassment because of any protected characteristic not just sexual harassment. It is an extensive obligation because…

In an article published in HR magazine, David Woodward gives advice on what businesses should consider when conducting a workplace investigation.

As the UK’s Parliament has now been dissolved until the general election on 4 July 2024, most draft legislation will no longer proceed. However, some unfinished business is passed through agreement between the government and the opposition parties in what is known as the “wash up” process. These include laws on non-disclosure clauses, fair allocation of tips, additional paternity leave where the mother (or primary adopter) of a child dies, and the statutory code on fire and rehire.

The employment tribunal ruled that a Christian actor was not discriminated against because of religion or belief when she was dismissed from the role of a lesbian character and her agency terminated her contract following a social media storm after an old Facebook post was discovered saying that she believed homosexuality to be a sin.

An employment tribunal has held that the University of Bristol’s decision to dismiss a professor based on comments he shared regarding his protected anti-Zionist beliefs was both an unfair dismissal and unlawful discrimination because of his protected belief.

The Parker Review Committee has published its latest report on ethnic minority representation at board level and within senior management at FTSE350 companies, and the 50 largest private companies in the UK. Ethnic minority directors currently represent 19% of FTSE 100 directors, 13.5% of FTSE 250 directors and 11% of relevant private company directors.

In this episode of FInsight: The Global Financial Institutions Industry Podcast, Blair Robinson (Partner, New York) and Lorren Martin (Senior Associate, London) discuss how financial institutions are navigating issues around inclusion, diversity and equity (ID&E) on both sides of the Atlantic and globally, with Rachel Farr (Senior Knowledge Lawyer, London).

Employees will have a statutory right to a week’s unpaid leave each year to care for a dependent from 6 April 2024. The Carer’s Leave Regulations 2024 have been laid before Parliament and are expected to be made shortly. They set out details of the scheme intended under the Carer’s Leave Act 2023, as previously reported.

Employers will need to decide whether they wish to enhance the new rights, for example, by paying for some or all of the leave, as part of an employee benefits package to recruit, retain, and support employees with caring responsibilities. Some employers may already offer a form of contractual carer’s leave.

From 6 April 2024, the current right of employees on maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave (“family leave”) to be offered suitable alternative employment in preference to other employees who are at risk of redundancy will be extended to cover pregnant employees, and those who have recently returned from such types of family leave.

In this article originally published in Risk & Compliance Journal written by Baker McKenzie employment and financial services regulatory experts, we explore the diversity and inclusion proposals recently put forward by the UK financial services regulators.