Is reading an employee's personal messages at work breach of privacy?
You may have heard about the case of Barbulescu v Romania which was widely reported in the media as it appeared to give employers the go…
When can an employer dismiss an employee who is not as unwell as they claim?
In a recent case the Employment Appeal Tribunal held an employee’s dismissal for exaggerating his illness was fair.
What happened?
Mr Ajaj…
Brexit - An Employment Armageddon?
The unthinkable happened yesterday – at least for 48% of UK voters – the UK has voted to exit from the European Union.
The differences in…
Public Sector Exit Payments
May 2016 saw the Enterprise Act 2016 be passed by the UK Parliament.
From an employment perspective, one of the key provisions of the Act…
Voluntary Registration of Title & Keeper Induced Registration
The Scottish Government’s drive to ensure transparency of land ownership includes accelerating the registration of titles to land in the…
The Extension of the Community Right to Buy
The Community Right to Buy rules have been extended by the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 and the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill.…
Ransom Strips
Many landowners who have considered selling land for development will be aware of ransom strips but any considering the voluntary…
Dealing with Concurrent Disciplinary Proceedings and Criminal Charges
What can, and should, an employer do if an employee is charged with a criminal offence?
The recent conviction of Sunderland player Adam…
Taxing Times - LBTT 3% Surcharge for Rural Property Transactions
From 1st April 2016 additional surcharges to LBTT will apply to some residential property purchases.
After 1st April 2016 the Scottish rate…
Borrowers Be Prepared: Closure of the Register of Sasines to Securities
From 1 April 2016 the Register of Sasines was closed to new Standard Securities.
As a Standard Security must be registered in the same…
Family Law specialist Stephen Brand, gives evidence at Scottish Parliament on possible family law reform
Family Law Partner Stephen Brand was invited to give evidence about the Family Law Scotland Act 2006 and how it is working in practice for…
Worried about Worrying?
There have been several high profile cases of sheep worrying in Scotland over the last few months and a resulting increase in press…
Scottish Government seeks to remove time-bar for childhood abuse victims
The nature of childhood abuse is that it is very difficult for the victim to come forward and speak about it. Publicity surrounding high-…
Holiday Pay: Two steps forward, two steps back?
The latest Employment Appeal Tribunal decision has been published relating to how holiday pay should be calculated for employees who do not…
Narrowing the Gap - Gender Pay Reporting
Plans that Employers will have to publish details on the gender pay gap in their workplace have been published.
Today Nicky Morgan, MP…
New Bill set to Criminalise the Distribution of Intimate Pictures
A new bill is currently proceeding through the Scottish Parliament which seeks to criminalise the distribution of a person’s intimate…
Can employers withhold sums due by an employee when they leave?
We have had a few queries recently about whether sums owed by an employee to their employer can be recovered from their final salary…
Jokes and cultural issues in the workplace
When Michael McFeat posted a picture of co-workers at a work canteen along with a caption, I doubt he expected that less than a week later…
Big Changes for Big Data
Data protection in the UK is currently regulated by the Data Protection Act 1998 which pre-dates the advent of Facebook, Twitter, and the…
Ten Resolutions to make 2016 a less stressful HR year
Ten actions employers and HR professionals should take now to for a less stressful 2016
Employment Law Solicitor, Amy Jones shares his New…
What's new for Employment Law in 2016?
As we all get used to dating documents 2016 and Festive excesses become a distant memory, it’s a good time to consider the last year and…