Month: July 2021

The highs and lows of office temperatures

30 July 2021

Last week’s fantastic heatwave predictably resulted in a flurry of calls from employees suffering in hot and stuffy offices asking me what the maximum temperature in an office should be. Conversely, I also received a number of enquiries about minimum office temperature as some employees were left shivering as a result of overzealous air conditioning […]

Unemployment Rates 2021: Women Over 65

29 July 2021

Frequent readers of the didlaw blog will have seen our focus on the disproportionate adverse impact of the pandemic on some groups.  Now the spotlight has swiveled to focus on women over 65 years old. According to data released from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) last week, the unemployment rate in women over the […]

Workplace Dress Code or Employee Discrimination?

28 July 2021

Is it discriminatory to apply a neutral policy preventing employees from wearing anything that is a sign of political, philosophical, or religious belief? No, held the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in IX v WABE eV; MH Müller Handels GmbH v MJ. This was a case involving two German employees working for different employers but […]

New Government Proposals on Sexual Harassment at Work – A Missed Opportunity?

27 July 2021

The global #metoo movement, which took off in 2017 following the allegations against Harvey Weinstein, has shone a welcome light on workplace sexual harassment in the UK.  In recent years we have seen women working in a number of sectors make very public disclosures about how they have been mistreated at work. This has created […]

Can constructive dismissal be an act of harassment under the Equality Act?

26 July 2021

Yes, held the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) in Driscoll (née Cobbing) v V&P Global Ltd and anor. Mrs Driscoll was employed by V&P Global Ltd as an executive assistant/operations manager. She commenced employment on 2 April 2019 and resigned less than 4 months later, on 29 July 2019.   She brought several claims in the […]

Football, Social Media and Employee Misconduct – Some Thoughts on Euro 2020

23 July 2021

Well, that was Euro 2020 (played in 2021) – how was it for you? I think for most England fans it is fair to say that the tournament was a bitter-sweet experience. Some frustration at a stodgy start. A growing sense of euphoria as our young and talented team slowly grew into the tournament. And […]

Returning to work on 19 July – the key points

22 July 2021

So called ‘Freedom Day’ has arrived and has been met with anxiety by some and relish by others.  Whichever side of the fence you are on one thing is clear… everything is a bit unclear. So, what actually changes from 19 July 2021? From 19 July 2021 the legal ‘requirement’ for home working where possible […]

self-isolation and employment rights

21 July 2021

When this blog ‘goes to press’ Freedom Day will have arrived.  The day we have all been dreaming about for 16 months.  Or is it? The reality is that 19 July 2021 does not represent the freedom that many of us envisaged. Headlines are awash with the Beta variant hitting our shores, the curves on […]

Cock Up or Conspiracy? Some Good News for Whistleblowers in University Hospital North Tees v Fairfield

20 July 2021

One of the age-old problems faced by whistleblowers lies in proving that the reason for a particular workplace detriment is related to a whistleblowing disclosure. As in discrimination cases, employers do not generally advertise the fact that they are punishing an employee for an unlawful reason. The ‘smoking gun’ e-mail or text message in which […]