Insights
Should mobile phones be banned from work meetings?! Kaajal Nathwani took part in a discussion on BBC Radio 5 Live…
The CEO of JP Morgan, Jamie Dimon, is banning staff from being on mobile phones in work meetings. Can employers do this? Hear Kaajal’s thoughts from an employment law perspective.
Full discussion here: Stephen Nolan – 11/04/2025 – BBC Sounds
Kaajal Nathwani taking part in a panel discussion on BBC Radio 5 Live…
….focusing on Amazon, amongst others, and their much publicised mandate enforcing a full time return to the office from January. She discusses the legal position of such a mandate and implications of enforcing the same
Osborne & Wise Partner, Kaajal Nathwani, appearing on Tony Livesey’s BBC Radio 5 show
She discusses why fast food giant McDonald’s is in the news again regarding it’s treatment of employees. With a recent 29 dismissals but a reported 700 claims, including for sexual harassment, have they managed to meet any of the obligations included in the signed section 23 agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission?
Menopause in the workplace roundtable
A virtual roundtable discussing the legal, practical and cultural impact of menopause at work. Featuring key speakers:
Kaajal Nathwani – Partner, Osborne & Wise – Employment Lawyer
Lisa Seagroatt – Founder, HR Fit for Purpose – Health and Wellbeing specialist
Pat Duckworth – Women’s Health Strategist
Third Party Harassment
What should an employer be doing to try and prevent harassment of its employees by client, customers or other third parties?
Recent changes in the law around third party harassment mean employers need to action to prevent this.
📽️ In this video short we cover some practical examples and what preventative steps employer’s should be taking in this area.
ℹ️ For further information on how Osborne & Wise can assist your business contact us on info@osbornewise.com
‘Right to Switch off’
This video short discusses the changes proposed by the Labour party manifesto.
The ‘right to switch off’ requires that employees do not have to work outside of core hours. We feel that it will follow other European countries who already implement a ‘voluntary code of practise’.
What businesses can do to prepare:
Review current working practices – organise work flow effectively
Have conversations with employees about what should be expected of them outside of core working hours.
Optimising technology and encouraging rest and time away from work which can lead to increased productivity in the long term.
Flexible working as a ‘genuine default’
In this video Dan reviews the Labour party’s proposal to make flexible working a ‘genuine default’ or the ‘new norm’.
But what does this mean? We feel it will mean a shift in the burden from employee to employer.
An employer who wishes to refuse a flexible working request will have to demonstrate why it can’t be granted.
How do businesses prepare?
Undertake an internal review on how the requests are currently processed
Review related policy documents
This is not a right to flexible working but will create a shift in employee expectations and how tribunials will review these decisions.
Labour Reforms: Unfair dismissal, a Day 1 Right
Once brought in employers will have to follow a fair process and justify a dismissal as fair from the 1st day of employment.
Here’s what we’re saying to our clients to ensure they are prepared for these changes:
• Familiarise yourself with what a ‘fair’ process would look like
• Tighten up and improve recruitment processes
• Review probation periods & length of those periods
From 6 April 2025, the Government will introduce a new statutory right to neonatal care leave. The purpose of this is to provide additional support for parents who need to take time off work to care for their newborn baby who requires extended hospital care. Subject to certain eligibility requirements, neonatal care leave may […]
Last week, over 200 pages of amendments to the Employment Rights Bill were published in response to consultation with various stakeholders. These amendments are wide ranging and cover a number of the new protections, including changes to zero hours contracts, sick pay, trade union law and many other areas. In this article, Penny Morrison summarises […]
We are regularly contacted by HR managers half way through a PIP or performance dismissal process as a check in. Sometimes the process is faultless, other times there’s a need to start again because of slip ups along the way. This can be very costly and disheartening for management. In the worst case these mistakes […]
All too often employers will make a decision to recruit and then rush through a process into order to fill the requirement. Line managers will often be in the unenviable position of needing to find the ‘right’ person for the job or jobs within a matter of weeks. All of a sudden good process goes […]
Today’s tribunal ruling in the long running ASDA equal pay litigation could give rise to a £1.2 billion pay out and a significant increase in these types of claims in the private sector. The lowdown on equal pay claims The Equality Act 2010 states that men and women in the same employment performing equal work must receive […]
Kaajal Nathwani, a partner at Osborne & Wise, takes a closer look at the changes taking place related to sexual harassment in the workplace and the heightened responsibilities being placed on employers to prevent and respond to sexual harassment Click here for the full article
Employers are reminded to act with caution in taking any actions in relation to employees who are protected under the Equality Act 2010 when pregnant. The recent case of Shakil -v- Samsons Ltd is a reminder that actions taken by an employer could be discriminatory and result in a substantial award being made by an […]
The New Deal is aimed at improving the lives of working people by strengthening their individual and collective labour rights. The authors examine the more radical concepts. Labour’s promises include: • Banning zero hours contracts;• Removing the qualifying period for certain employment law rights;• Banning ‘fire and rehire’;• Introducing collectively bargained fair pay agreements;• Introducing […]
The government has recently passed the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 and it will come into force on 26 October 2024. In short, it creates a new, proactive statutory duty on all employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. Any failure to do so will result in an increase of up to 25% […]