Turning down a flexible working request can seem low risk at first sight. The statutory process is straightforward enough. Employers must handle requests reasonably, consult before refusing, and give a decision within two months. A refusal must rely on one of eight permitted business reasons – like additional cost, inability to reorganise work, or detrimental… [Read More]
Protected conversations: how to get them right
Most HR professionals have heard of ‘protected conversations’. But do you know where the protection ends? Section 111A of the Employment Rights Act 1996 allows pre-termination discussions to be kept out of ordinary unfair dismissal claims. The idea is simple: both sides can speak frankly about settlement without those words coming back to haunt them… [Read More]
Contracts of employment: legal and factual implied terms – what you need to know
If a contract is silent on a particular issue, the law can step in to fill the gap. This happens in two main ways: Understanding the difference helps HR teams know what can be managed and what cannot. Terms implied by fact These are unwritten provisions that tribunals read into a contract because they’re necessary… [Read More]
New EHRC guidance on single-sex spaces
The updated Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions, and Organisations (the Draft Code) incorporates the Supreme Court’s judgment in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers. That case confirmed that “sex”, “woman” and “man” in the Equality Act 2010 mean biological sex. A Gender Recognition Certificate does not change a person’s sex for… [Read More]
