‘During these unprecedented times, working from home on a full-time basis has become the ‘new normal’. This is in stark contrast to before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic began, when out of 32.6 million people in employment, only 1.7 million regularly worked from home. The change to enforced homeworking was swift and represented significant changes to the lifestyle and routines of both employers and employees, which, in turn, creates a number of legal and practical issues for employers. It is currently unknown how long homeworking will last for, or indeed if the outbreak of COVID-19 will cause a shift towards homeworking on a permanent basis.’
Thomas More Chambers, 30th April 2020
Source: www.thomasmore.co.uk
‘The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) has set out the rights and responsibilities of employers and employees when working from home, in response to government advice for many workers to stay away from the office.’
Local Government Lawyer, 20th March 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘A union representing legal workers has expressed outrage at the “classist allocation of risk” that is seeing law firm partners work from home while other staff are forced into the office during the coronavirus pandemic.’
Legal Futures, 18th March 2020
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The dispute arose from the claimant’s back problems, which, it was agreed, made her disabled within the Equality Act 2010. She was unable to travel far and wanted to work mainly from home. This caused difficulty because her role, auditing the performance of National Health Service bodies, was “client facing” and required her to visit those bodies. She was eventually dismissed for reason of ill-health capability after an occupational health report and negotiations with her union representative. The respondent was concerned that she was not meeting her financial targets, i.e. the required amount of chargeable time billed to the respondent’s clients. These receipts from clients funded her salary. There were not enough clients within the short travelling distance from her home that she could manage.’
3PB, 7th February 2020
Source: www.3pb.co.uk
‘The case of a City lawyer told that leaving work slightly early to pick up her children was setting a bad example, shows how the profession needs to work on changing the culture of presenteeism, a flexible working specialist has argued.’
Legal Futures, 20th November 2019
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘A law firm has given its solicitors a concierge service to run their errands, prompting criticism that they are trying to chain staff to their desks.’
Daily Telegraph, 31st August 2019
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
‘Companies could be forced to compensate workers on zero-hours or flexible contracts for cancelled shifts, under government proposals.’
The Guardian, 19th July 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The flexible operating hours (FOH) pilots for civil and family courts are to begin on 2 September, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has announced.’
Litigation Futures, 24th June 2019
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘Agile working is on the rise in the legal profession, with employees free to work where, when and how they choose.’
The Guardian, 26th March 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Top women judges have called on senior lawyers to take responsibility for ensuring there is no discrimination in their organisations rather than leaving it to diversity specialists.’
Legal Futures, 11th March 2019
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The government has introduced what it claims to be the biggest package of workplace reforms for 20 years after concerns that ministers have failed to appeal to voters who are “just about managing”.’
The Guardian, 17th December 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Early and late sittings will be piloted in civil and family courts, giving people greater access to hearings that can fit around their busy lives.’
Ministry of Justice, 16th November 2018
Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice
‘Step out of the office & take some time to reflect on your work/life balance, says Matthew Kay.’
New Law Journal, 13th June 2018
Source: www.newlawjournal.co.uk
‘Three-quarters (74%) of male lawyers believe there has been progress on gender equality in the legal profession over the past five years but less than half (48%) of their female colleagues agree, a global survey has found.’
Legal Futures, 8th March 2018
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
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