Quick & Practical Legal Updates
1. New Employment Laws
Our summary of the new laws is here – they include:
- changes to flexible working rules
- leave for carers
- an extra public holiday
- changes in redundancy protection for pregnant staff
- an increase in the national minimum and living wages
If you need more information or want to discuss what you need to do (e.g. updating staff handbooks, contracts, etc) please get in touch.
2. Greedy Jobs
In many sectors working long hours is the norm and is often considered necessary in a competitive environment (tech, media, finance, law, etc particularly in the startup and scaleup world). And it’s no surprise that greedy jobs don’t mix well with family life, which is why they’ve been identified as one cause for the persistence of the gender pay gap. See our blog for more on greedy jobs, the ‘motherhood penalty’, why it matters, what you can do and how we can help.
3. Office Romances
Roughly 1 in 10 couples meet at work. And although there are many happy stories of workplace romances, for some, the fallout can be messy. The high-profile example of McDonalds’ ex CEO is one example where it can go horribly wrong. Check out our blog for more information on this, the legal issues to be aware of, and what you can/should do.
4. Data Protection Myths
There’s still plenty of confusion around GDPR and data protection, so Rustam Roy tackles some common myths that we come across regularly here. From ‘once compliant, always compliant’ to ‘we’ve got a privacy policy, so we’re ok’…
5. Fines for Breaches
The UK and EU data protection authorities are starting to fine smaller businesses, particularly those in technology – see some recent examples in our blog here. So, it’s important that you:
- Assess what personal data you hold and process and continue to do so, particularly when you roll out new products/ services/ markets.
- Document it and do a risk-assessment for each instance.
- Ensure you have inter-company agreements for group companies that include updated ‘standard contractual clauses’ where needed (unless you have implemented binding corporate rules, or can use a relevant exemption).
If you want to discuss any of the above or anything else please get in touch.
