Kimberley Whalen-Blake

When it comes to fostering inclusivity in the workplace, the UK has several vital laws and regulations in place. The key provisions are contained within the Equality Act 2010.

The latest Employment Law legislative changes as of July 2023.

Age is one of the nine protected characteristics defined in the Equality Act 2010 (the linchpin piece of legislation in England and Wales that deals with discrimination). Surprisingly age discrimination has only been illegal in the UK since 2006 – far...

2023 is looking like it will be a year of much change. So, what are the key things to keep your eyes on? Fasten your seatbelts, a fast journey through the headlines is set out below.

Another week and another claim across my desk where a no malice intended ‘joke’ has resulted in a Tribunal claim being made against my employer client for harassment. The trend in these types of cases is increasing year-on-year. Employment tribunal claims relating to workplace ‘banter’ rose by 44% in 2020 and 2021. Whether this increase be a result of harassment being more highly publicised since the #metoo movement and employees feeling more empowered to raise these issues or because they are now less tolerant of the behaviour, the statistics show that unless businesses start addressing workplace banter, they are rolling the dice with an employment tribunal claim. The defence of it was just ‘banter’, harmless, jovial, workplace fun, is proving to be less and less strong at resisting these claims.

A few weeks ago, the Coronavirus was barely on people’s radars and the term “furloughing” unheard of. Every day we are faced with developments that are significantly impacting our businesses. The government have announced some support...

A few weeks ago, the Coronavirus was barely on people’s radars and it seemed a world away from the state of play today. Every day we are faced with developments that are significantly impacting our day to day lives, and our businesses. This article is...