Julian Cox, partner and head of the London employment practice at law firm BLM, discusses the latest changes in employment law, with advice to businesses on how to best manage employees returning to working from home.
With the last couple of years requiring employees to work-from-home (WFH), and normal working habits changing in the blink of an eye, the face of employment law has seen fundamental changes. Businesses have had to adapt to new guidance and laws, navigating new fields of compliance and methods of engaging with staff.
Despite the nation's hope, we find ourselves yet again with new restrictions, with many businesses in England now having to shift back to a full-time WFH model. Though the sense of confusion and concern feels familiar, we are in a slightly different boat than we were in March 2020, when only a minority of businesses offered full-time WFH. Since then, during the ups and downs of the pandemic, how the UK works (including the rest of the world) has changed beyond recognition.
With some companies changing their work practises overnight, many have gone so far as to implement permanent changes, even as the country reopened in July this year. There were also businesses who adopted a hybrid policy – a best of both worlds, so to speak.
On the other hand, some businesses took a hard-line approach by demanding a return to the offices as soon as they were able. Businesses that fall into one of these two groups, and which are covered by the 'work from home if...
Actress Nana faces a crucial legal moment today as the appeal sentencing trial is held for a man in his 30s, identified as A, who broke into her home and later counter-sued her. The Seoul High Cou...