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The Future of Work Hub’s 2024 report: ‘Strategic priorities shaping the workforce and HR agenda in 2024 and beyond’ is here!
31 January 2024The world of work is undergoing profound and extensive disruption. Large-scale trends are transforming work, workforces and workplaces. The legacy of the pandemic has combined with a tense economic and social landscape, presenting businesses with significant challenges. How can businesses best navigate this increasingly complex environment? And, if you are in HR or have people responsibilities, what are the key strategic issues and areas of priority action for 2024 and beyond?
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Home Office announces timeline for immigration reforms
30 January 2024The Home Office has issued a new statement outlining the launch dates for major reforms to the Skilled Worker and Partner routes. This, along with other recent announcements confirms a packed timeline of immigration reforms due to be made over the next year.
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Processing delays as changes loom
29 January 2024The Home Office is struggling to cope with a surge of demand for immigration application-related services ahead of an increase in the Immigration Health Surcharge and upcoming changes to the Skilled Worker and Partner routes.
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In-House Employment Lawyers Coffee Break: Episode 3 - Employment law in 2024
Podcast
26 January 2024Listen here for the latest developments and essential practical takeaways (short enough to fit into a 10-minute coffee break!). Lawyers from our IHELC team will discuss key developments in employment law with our usual pragmatism and insight, a touch of humour and a sharp focus on the in-house lawyer’s perspective.
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Lewis Silkin's Data, Privacy & Cyber Team Watch Outs for 2024!
26 January 2024We all know that things move quickly in the world of data and so to celebrate Data Protection Day 2024, or Data Privacy Day 2024 for those across the pond, we’ve selected ten key themes we think will have the most impact for our clients in the year ahead.
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Refusing requests to work remotely in a hybrid workplace
25 January 2024Increasing office attendance remains high on the agenda for many employers, but upcoming changes to the flexible working regime could prompt more requests to work from home. Against this background, we consider a recent Employment Tribunal judgment which provides employers with some comfort that, if handled correctly, they can refuse requests to work entirely remotely, especially from employees in managerial positions where a degree of in-person time may be needed.
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Illegal working civil penalties due to triple from 13 February 2024
25 January 2024The civil penalty an employer may receive for employing an illegal worker will rise from £20,000 to £60,000. This significantly increases the financial risk to employers of failing to carry out rigorous and compliant right to work checks.
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Acas Code of Practice on handling requests for a predictable working pattern: Lewis Silkin’s consultation response
25 January 2024We have submitted a response to Acas’ consultation on its draft statutory Code of Practice on handling requests for a predictable working pattern. The draft Code helpfully recognises the similarities between this new regime and the more familiar one of flexible working. However, there are new concepts and processes in the legislation which may be challenging for employers to navigate without further clarity and detail.
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Ambush Marketing and the Law: A look ahead to the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games 2024
24 January 2024The biggest sporting event of 2024 will undoubtedly be the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games held in Paris. As ever when it comes to big sporting events of this nature, we expect ambush marketing (where a brand piggybacks on an event to promote their products without an official association with that event) to be a key concern.
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Does the ASA need to revisit its gender stereotyping rules? - Brinsley Dresden comments for Campaign UK
Press
23 January 2024The ASA has come under scrutiny for banning a poster ad for Calvin Klein which features an image of singer-songwriter FKA twigs with a denim shirt draped over her naked body. Brinsley suggests the need for a light-touch approach from the regulator, which provides clarity but doesn't stifle creativity.
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Lewis Silkin expands IP practice to Leeds with legal director appointment
Press Release
22 January 2024Lewis Silkin has today announced the appointment of Aaron Trebble as legal director in the firm’s Intellectual Property practice group. Based in Leeds, Aaron’s appointment marks the expansion of Lewis Silkin’s IP360 service to the city, further enhancing its offering to creative and innovative businesses in the north of England.
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Zero hours contracts
Inbrief
19 January 2024Zero hours contracts allow organisations to hire individuals without guaranteeing them any work.
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The Working Time Regulations 1998
Inbrief
19 January 2024The Working Time Regulations 1998 (WTR) were originally introduced to implement the European Working Time Directive in the UK. They remain in force (with some amendments) now that the UK has left the EU.
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Redundancy
Inbrief
19 January 2024This Inbrief looks at how employers can minimise the risk of legal claims when dismissing employees by reason of redundancy. The starting point is making sure that there is a genuine redundancy situation. The crucial thing then is to follow a reasonable procedure, including consulting the affected employees, applying a fair selection process and considering alternative employment. Finally, those dismissed should be given their correct redundancy pay.
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M&A employment law support - top ten questions
Inbrief
19 January 2024In mergers and acquisitions (M&A) navigating the legal requirements and ramifications of the deal can be tricky.
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Are Smart Buildings becoming trendy?
19 January 2024Before we dive into the trends surrounding Smart Buildings, we should take a step back and look at what the Smart Building market is doing, and it’s safe to say it’s growing. In fact, it’s predicted that the market for Smart Buildings is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26.5% from 2023 to 2030. That’s an impressive rate – as a comparison - Netflix had a compound quarterly growth rate (CQGR) of 27.5% between 2016 and 2021.
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M&A employment law support: TUPE clauses in a business transfer agreement
Inbrief
19 January 2024If the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE) apply to a business sale, it has significant ramifications for both the buyer and seller. This Inbrief examines how the business transfer agreement can best cater for these issues.
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NYT v OpenAI: The Publishing Sector’s AI Content-Scraping Conundrum
19 January 2024Text and Data Mining (TDM) – and “web scraping” more generally – has been thrust into the spotlight with the recent explosion of Generative AI. At the heart of the issue lies a tension between AI companies on the one hand and publishers on the other.
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How careful attention to warranties can avoid transfer nightmares
18 January 2024This article outlines the importance of warranties in football transfer agreements.
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Immigration Health Surcharge due to rise imminently
18 January 2024Substantial rises to the Immigration Health Surcharge have now been approved by Parliament to come into effect on 6 February 2024. Individuals hoping to avoid these should submit their UK immigration application by 5 February 2024 to be sure they are not impacted.