Shelter-in-place or stay-at-home orders have been prevalent throughout the United States since March 2020 as state and local governments have sought to protect their citizens from the spread of the COVID-19 virus while at the same time reopen their economies in accordance with phased reopening plans. Keeping abreast of the…
As TMT businesses plan for 2021 they are building on the opportunities and challenges arising from 2020. Many…
It has been estimated that in the UK, poor mental health costs employers up to GBP 45 billion per year. While not all mental health issues lead to sickness absences, employers are increasingly recognising the importance of mental well-being for productivity, broader employee engagement, and the need to promote an open culture that breaks down the taboo on the subject.
COVID-19 has brought these issues into even sharper focus, with new challenges to mental health as a result of the lockdown, furlough, and economic insecurity.
On 14 January 2021, BEIS published its report on improving workplace support for victims of domestic abuse following its review last summer. The report sets out best practices for employers and BEIS’ proposed next steps. These include a recommendation that all organisations should, wherever possible, implement a domestic abuse policy and train ‘champions’ to recognise signs of abuse as well as other workplace support measures. Going forwards, BEIS intends to establish a working group to drive culture change and best practice, and issue a government consultation into making flexible working the default. Following the BEIS report, Acas updated its advice on homeworking during the pandemic to include advice on how to support staff that are experiencing domestic abuse.
Singapore Recreation Club v Abdul Rashid Mohamed Ali and another [2020] 5 SLR 883 provides a timely reminder of the possible pitfalls that employers may encounter when terminating employment. Employers should take note of the High Court’s observations given the trend of increasing numbers of wrongful dismissal claims brought against former employers.
You can find current episodes (and subscription links) here. A brief description of each episode follows below and we hope you…
In brief The Labor Appeal Court in South Africa recently found that an employer has a right to institute disciplinary proceedings for misconduct during an employee’s notice period, even if such employee resigned with immediate effect in breach of the contractual obligations. However, what was not clarified is the legal…
In brief Having been delayed by the government at the eleventh hour last March, there are now less…
We’ve identified and mapped out our most relevant blog posts, articles and video chats to serve as a quick and handy roadmap to recovery and renewal for your company. Our 2021 Employment & Compensation Resource Navigator provides US multinational companies organized links to Baker McKenzie’s most helpful, relevant thought leadership in one brief document. Arranged alphabetically by topic, the Navigator can be saved to your desktop for quick reference when an issue arises.
The Hong Kong government recently announced that three types of COVID-19 vaccines will be available for the city’s residents, raising hopes of things returning to business-as-usual in the not too distant future. While the specifics of the vaccine rollout are still unknown, employers have many questions on what this means in practice. Issues include how the vaccine can be used to protect workforces as well as an understanding of employer responsibilities in relation to the offering of vaccines to employees.