Firm culture is under ever-increasing scrutiny and is widely considered to be at the heart of the most serious employee misconduct and ethical lapses. Senior management should lead by example and ensure a good culture is...more
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has emphasised in recent years that firms should consider nonfinancial misconduct when assessing the fitness and propriety of staff. ...more
The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has recently published two speeches reiterating the broad and fundamental importance of diversity and inclusion within financial services. ...more
All dual-regulated and FCA solo-regulated firms are now under the scope of the Senior Managers & Certification Regime (SMCR), with many working hard in recent months to ensure all aspects of the regime are well embedded. ...more
With the United Kingdom’s vaccination programme well underway, many employers are struggling with the best course of action for how to approach COVID-19 vaccines and their workforce. As mantras like “No Jab, No Job” circulate...more
On 3 March 2021, the UK government confirmed the continuation of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) through the end of September 2021. The CJRS was due to end on 30 April 2021 and has, so far, supported more than...more
As businesses continue to grapple with the effects of the pandemic in the spring of 2021, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has granted companies a six-month extension to report their gender pay figures. ...more
3/4/2021
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Pay ,
Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) ,
Gender Equity ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Grace Period ,
International Labor Laws ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Pay Gap ,
Reporting Requirements ,
UK ,
Wage and Hour
With growing reports of an increase in online harassment during government-imposed pandemic lockdowns, a recent UK Employment Appeal Tribunal case alerts employers to their obligations with respect to tackling bullying,...more
2/15/2021
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Harassment ,
Hostile Environment ,
International Labor Laws ,
Labor Regulations ,
UK ,
UK Employment Appeal Tribunal ,
Workplace Bullying
HM Treasury in the United Kingdom released its sixth direction concerning the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme on 26 January 2021. Many of the central features of the furlough scheme have not changed, including the level of...more
Following the announcement of its third national lockdown on 5 January 2020, the UK government has updated its guidance on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, stating that employers may furlough employees in circumstances...more
1/15/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Retention ,
Furloughs ,
Government Lockdown ,
HMRC ,
Infectious Diseases ,
International Labor Laws ,
Job Retention Schemes ,
Relief Measures ,
UK ,
Wage and Hour
The United Kingdom on 2 December became the first country to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for coronavirus (COVID-19), with approximately 500,000 people receiving the vaccine in the first two weeks of the largest...more
UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced on 17 December that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) is to be extended until 30 April 2021. This represents a further extension of one month. ...more
In a judgment handed down on 13 November 2020, the High Court held that the UK government failed to provide workers with the right not to be disadvantaged for taking steps in response to serious and imminent danger and did...more
The eagerly anticipated news of coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine candidates last week has been welcomed by the scientific community across the globe. For employers, the news has prompted consideration of the potential...more
11/24/2020
/ Biotechnology ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
FDA Approval ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Life Sciences ,
Pfizer ,
Popular ,
Research and Development ,
UK ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) in the United Kingdom (UK) has released its full guidance for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) extension, which was first announced by the UK government on 31 October 2020. The scheme...more
The United Kingdom has announced a second extension to the country’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) in less than a week. The CJRS will now run until 31 March 2021, with some revised details compared to the previous...more
The UK Financial Conduct Authority recently published Policy Statement 20/12, which sets out the final rules on the extension of the Senior Managers and Certification Regime implementation deadlines for the certification...more
The United Kingdom’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has been extended by one month, replicating the furlough measures previously in place April through July....more
The United Kingdom has amended its new job protection scheme to require employees to work 20% of their usual hours in order to receive a government subsidy, and employers that knowingly received money to which they weren’t...more
Chancellor Rishi Sunak outlined a new sixth-month Job Support Scheme (JSS) on 24 September to replace the coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (JRS) that is due to end on 31 October 2020....more
After a recent decision by the UK Employment Appeal Tribunal, councils and similar institutions across the United Kingdom may want to reassess the terms of their agreements with individuals providing services, and...more
The UK Financial Conduct Authority recently closed its consultation (CP20/10) to extend the deadline for solo-regulated firms to conduct their first fitness and propriety assessments of certified staff and train all staff on...more
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published a consultation paper on 3 August on amending its Dual-Regulated Firms Remuneration Code and relevant guidance in light of the EU’s revised Capital Requirements Directive (CRD...more
The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy published a statement on 30 July announcing that furloughed employees will receive statutory redundancy pay based on their normal wages, rather than a reduced furlough...more
A new act in the United Kingdom provides power to HMRC to claw back coronavirus (COVID-19) support payments and issue penalties for deliberate and inadvertent misuse of such schemes....more