Legal Blog | Employment Law Insights and Updates | Hunter Law – Employment Lawyer Maidstone, Kent, UK

United supporter scores ‘own goal’ with football shirt

It’s the nature of competitive team sport that supporters of each side don’t generally like to ‘mix’ during the big games. Indeed, football, stadiums have ‘home’ and ‘away’ stands to keep the two sets of fans apart. Arguably no game is more emotive in this regard than a local derby. Faux pas triggers social media… Continue Reading…
Employer liability for harassment

Harassment at work is usually carried out by individuals – but under UK law, employers can still be held responsible. This is because of a legal principle called “vicarious liability” which means a business can be liable for harassment carried out by an employee if it happened “in the course of employment.” What does “in… Continue Reading…
Lay-off and statutory guarantee pay: An employer’s guide

Being ‘laid-off’ is often used interchangably with being made redundant or getting fired. However, in employment law terms, the term lay-off has its own specific meaning. What does lay-off mean in legal terms? The legal concept of ‘lay-off’ refers to a situation where the employer asks an employee not to come to work for a… Continue Reading…
Lone working in the UK: Legal duties and key risks

Many UK staff work alone, whether by design or default. What are the rules around lone working? And what do HR teams need to be aware of? What is lone working? The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines lone workers as those who work without close or direct supervision. This can include: What does the… Continue Reading…
5 ways to end an employment contract

The relationship between employer and employee is, at its root, a contractual one – with the contract of employment at its base. You might think that ending the relationship simply involves ‘ending’ the contract. However, the law recognises several different ways in which a contract of employment can come to an end – and each… Continue Reading…
Working time and Night Work

The Working Time Regulations 1998 provide the legal framework for working hours and rest breaks and outline special rules for night workers. For this reason, HR professionals must carefully manage night work arrangements. Here’s what you need to know. Who is a Night Worker? Under the Working Time Regulations 1998, a night worker is someone… Continue Reading…
NDAs: New restrictions enforced from October

Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) are legal contracts (or provisions of legal contracts) that require a person to keep certain information to themselves and not speak about it to others, usually for payment or something of value. For this reason, they are sometimes referred to as ‘gagging clauses’. In an employment context, they are often used… Continue Reading…
Anonymity in the workplace

Anonymity can encourage openness and honesty in the workplace – especially when it comes to whistleblowing, misconduct, or harassment. But while it has its benefits, anonymous complaints can present challenges that HR must handle carefully. Anonymity vs. Confidentiality Anonymity means that the identity of the employee who has come forward with a complaint identity is… Continue Reading…
Restructuring or Redundancy? Why words matter

The words “redundancy” and “restructuring” carry very different connotations. Redundancy is often received with dread as it implies cutbacks and job loss. Restructuring, on the other hand, sounds strategic and forward-looking. It’s no surprise therefore that employers often refer to redundancies as “restructuring” in an effort to deliver difficult communications sensitively. But beware – it’s… Continue Reading…
3 changes to the proposed ban on fire and rehire

What is fire and rehire? ‘Fire and rehire’ is a strategy used by some employers who – when unable to secure agreement with employees to new contract terms that suit them – resort to dismissing staff, then offering to rehire them on the revised terms. They may also hire new people on the revised terms… Continue Reading…