Expert Analysis

• Prepping For A Duty To Prevent Workplace Sexual Harassment

  

  With the Worker Protection Act set to roll out this October, employers should anticipate their newly heightened positive obligation to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace and begin updating their policies and addressing potential risk areas now, say Fiona McLellan and Rachael McKenzie at Hill Dickinson.

• Employment Tribunal Fee Proposal Raises Potential Issues

  

  The proposal to reintroduce employment tribunal fees in a recent U.K. government consultation poses serious concerns over the right of access to justice, and will only act as a deterrent for claimants and appellants, says Yulia Fedorenko at CM Murray.

• Dissecting Recent Developments Against The Misuse Of NDAs

  

  The U.K. government's recent plans to nullify nondisclosure agreements that prevent victims from reporting crimes should remind lawyers to proactively consider the necessity of such agreements, especially in light of the Solicitors Regulation Authority's warning notice on drafting improper NDAs, say Clare Davis and Macaela Joyes at RPC.

• 3 Notable Pensions Reforms In Spring Budget

  

  The U.K. government’s spring budget introduced reforms to improve pension outcomes through the value for money framework and the lifetime provider model, as well as to encourage investments in Britain — three interlinked areas that could pressure trustees and providers to rethink how they approach investments, say Liz Ramsaran and Marcus Fink at DWF.

• Uber Payout Offers Employer Lessons On Mitigating Bias

  

  Uber Eats' recent payout to a driver over allegations that the company's facial recognition software was discriminatory sheds light on bias in AI, and offers guidance for employers on how to avoid harming employees through the use of such technology, says Rachel Rigg at Fieldfisher.

• Tracing The Effects Of Salary Hikes For Sponsored Workers

  

  The government's new salary thresholds for sponsored workers herald substantial wage increases for the majority of occupations, introducing changes to the sponsorship landscape that disproportionately affect private sector employers, says Gary McIndoe at Latitude Law.

• What To Know About Latest UK Employment Law Changes

  

  As a range of employment law changes came into force this month, such as increased redundancy protections for pregnancy and new parents, employers should ensure compliance with the new requirements, including by providing training and updating internal policies, say lawyers at MoFo.

• Opinion

  Employment Tribunal Fees Risk Reducing Access To Justice

  

  Before the proposed fee regime for employment tribunal claims can take effect, the government needs much more evidence that low-income individuals — arguably the tribunal system's most important users — will not be negatively affected by the fees, says Max Winthrop, employment law committee chair at the Law Society.

• Tribunal Cases Illustrate Balancing Act Of Anti-Bias Protection

  

  Recent employment tribunal discrimination cases show employers the complexities of determining the scope of protected characteristics under the Equality Act, and responding proportionately, particularly when conflicts involve controversial beliefs that can trigger competing employee discrimination claims, say Michael Powner and Sophie Rothwell at Charles Russell.

• Comparing The UK And EU Approaches To AI Regulation

  

  While there are significant points of convergence between the recently published U.K. approach to artificial intelligence regulation and the EU AI Act, there is also notable divergence between them, and it appears that the U.K. will remain a less regulatory environment for AI in the foreseeable future, say lawyers at Steptoe.

• Employer Lessons From Ruling On Prof's Anti-Zionist Views

  

  In Miller v. University of Bristol, an employment tribunal recently ruled that a professor's anti-Zionist beliefs were protected by the Equality Act 2010, highlighting for employers why it’s important to carefully consider disciplinary actions related to an employee's political expressions, says Hina Belitz at Excello Law.

• ECJ Ruling Clarifies Lawyer Independence Questions

  

  The European Court of Justice's recent ruling in Bonnanwalt v. EU Intellectual Property Office, finding that a law firm had maintained independence despite being owned by its client, serves as a pivotal reference point to understanding the contours of legal representation before EU courts, say James Tumbridge and Benedict Sharrock-Harris at Venner Shipley.

• How Employers Should Respond To Flexible Work Requests

  

  U.K. employees will soon have the right to request flexible working arrangements from the first day of employment, including for religious observances, and refusing them without objective justification could expose employers to indirect discrimination claims and hurt companies’ diversity and inclusion efforts, says Jim Moore at Hamilton Nash.

• What COVID Payout Ruling Means For Lockdown Loss Claims

  

  While the High Court's recent COVID-19 payout decision in Gatwick v. Liberty Mutual, holding that pandemic-related regulations trigger prevention of access clauses, will likely lead to insurers accepting more business interruption claims, there are still evidentiary challenges and issues regarding policy limits and furlough, say Josianne El Antoury and Greg Lascelles at Covington.

• Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents

  

  Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.