The Elephant in the Room: Protected Characteristics – Race

I often ask myself how, in 2021 is Race still an ‘Elephant in the Room’ in the workplace. The Race Relations Act first came into force in 1965 and outlawed discrimination on the “grounds of colour, race, or ethnic or national origins” in public places. It was then updated in 1976 and 2000 and replaced […]

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Dyslexia in the Workplace

An employee who has been struggling with his work has recently told me he has dyslexia. Does the organisation have any obligations to the employee in this respect? Dyslexia is predicted to affect approximately 10% of the British population, according to the British Dyslexia Association meaning it is incredibly likely that a current or future […]

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Walking The Plank

There may well come a time in your business life when you REALLY need a member of staff to walk the plank (leave). There are many reasons why this may be the case, but you must be aware of the ‘legal’ reasons for dismissal which are limited to: capability, behaviour, redundancy or some other substantial […]

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Equal Pay

Avoiding Pay Differences The Equal Pay Act came into effect in 1970. It prohibits less favourable treatment between men and women in terms of pay and conditions. What does this mean? What it doesn’t mean is that men and women have to be paid exactly the same exact amounts of money. But, if you’ve got […]

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Who you take advice from matters ……… A LOT!

Would you allow a GP to carry out brain surgery on you? Would you want your accountant giving you a manicure? The answer to both, I suspect, is NO! So why do people listen to family and friends when they need advice on their staff? The answer we are sometimes given is “because they have […]

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It appears you can have your cake AND eat it

So this is a very quick video to tell you that today, finally, the Supreme Court have ruled on the case of Gary Smith versus Pimlico Plumbers and Charlie Mullins. Charlie Mullins famously said that his workers, the people that work for him, the plumbers, “couldn’t have their cake and eat it”. But it appears […]

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