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Be sure to follow a fair process in any disciplinary or dismissal

12 July 2023

The facts of Crew & Mason v Three Milestone Education from Exeter Employment Tribunal are quite surprising given they involve allegations of two teaching assistants discussing both the use of cocaine whilst on school premises and having cocaine delivered to the school car park. Colleagues overhearing these conversations understandably escalated the issue to management and […]

The ET has a duty to assist litigants in person – those who are not legally represented at trial

10 July 2023

A judgment released by the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) last week, in the case of Moustache v Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation, is an encouraging read for litigants in person (that is, Claimants who represent themselves and do not have access to a solicitor or barrister). The Claimant Ms Moustache was a litigant in person […]

Open Justice – if I go to court what information will be in the public domain?

7 July 2023

What is open justice? The Judicial College say the principles of open justice can be broken down into the following elements: Various case law endorses this sentiment. Lord Diplock in Attorney General v Leveller Magazine stated proceedings “should be held in open court to which the press and public are admitted and… all evidence communicated […]

The home-work juggle for the school holidays

5 July 2023

As the school summer holidays approach, I have been busy planning what I am going to do with my daughter while at work. My mum used to open the door and say come back at lunch time  – this is not recommended, my daughter is only 5 after all, but in the absence of having […]

Harassment is only harassment under the Equality Act if you are aware of it!

3 July 2023

Sometimes the law isn’t quite as straightforward as you think it is. You do not think it is difficult to prove that you have been harassed. But under the Equality Act 2010, for an employer to be liable the harassment has to meet the following criteria: A person harasses another if: But what happens if […]

Feeling suicidal because of work?

30 June 2023

Every year it is estimated that between 5,500 and 6000 people in Britain take their own lives. Life for many people is difficult and it is an unrealistic fallacy to expect those people to leave their troubles at the door when they come into work. Little surprise then that the suicide of a colleague or […]

Sofia gets gold

26 June 2023

This is a blog about my beautiful niece Sofia, who is now an Olympian champion. Why am I writing about her – well Sofia has Downs syndrome and this week competed in the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin representing Norway in Rhythmic Gymnastics. She won two golds, three silver and one bronze medal in her […]

What is disability discrimination in the workplace?

23 June 2023

Disability discrimination in the workplace is where someone who has a disability as defined in section 6 of the Equality Act 2010 is subjected to adverse or detrimental treatment because of their disability. Special protections are enshrined in law to protect disabled people from poor treatment at work but sadly this does not mean that […]

Can a compromise agreement waive future claims?

21 June 2023

In March 2023 an Employment Tribunal (ET) struck out the claimant’s claims in Clifford v IBM ET 3302436-2022. It gave two reasons: (1) that the discrimination claims had been compromised by a 2013 compromise agreement between the parties; and (2) on the basis that in their view neither the unlawful deduction of wages nor any […]