News and Knowledge

Cafe Charged €3,200 For Unfair Dismissal

A cafe business was charged €3,200 for unfair dismissal of a waiter who ate a croissant whilst at work. The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) deemed the manner of the dismissal to be contrary to the principle of fairness. The waiter in question stated that he needed to eat something before he took medication, and proceeded to…

Gender Discrimination: Men More Likely To Feel Discriminated Against At Work

Statistics gathered by SME Loans have revealed that upwards of 8.2 Million UK employees feel they have experienced discrimination due to their gender throughout their working lives.   Of the 2000 workers polled, 26% believed that gender discrimination had cost them in some way in the workplace, with the survey surprisingly revealing that more men…

Poor Mental Health Amongst Workers – Costing Increase for Employers

According to a recent report by the charity Mind and recruitment firm Deloitte, the increase in prevalence of poor mental health amongst workers is affecting employers in more ways than just absence.   With many staff reportedly scared to admit to struggling emotionally to colleagues and management, time spent at work is often unproductive as…

Workplace Bullying and Fear

According to a recent report by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), a quarter of employees think that their company turns a blind eye to workplace bullying and harassment. The report, based on two online surveys, one for more than 2,000 workers and the other for HR Professionals and decision-makers, revealed that more…

Mistaken Identity Can Be An Act Of Discrimination

An Employment Tribunal has ruled in favour of the Claimant, who believes he was being singled out as lazy because of his race, after it transpired that he was being mistaken for another black Sergeant in his wing at Colchester’s Military Corrective Training Centre. Mr. Randy Date, of Grenada in the Caribbean, had been previously…

20 jobs cut from ASDA Headquarters

Yesterday it was announced that ASDA is to cut around 20 positions within its property team. This news follows the competition watchdog in April 2019 blocking the proposed merger between ASDA and Sainsburys. An Asda spokesperson has said that these job cuts are part of changes to its structure to ensure the chain is “fit…

An employee right to day one flexible working requests – Is this idea flawed?

The Labour Party has recently pledged, if they are elected, that they will introduce the right for employees to apply for flexible working from day one of employment.

Too good to be true? Sainsbury’s and ASDA merger – *Update 21/02/19*

News Update - In April 2018, Sainsbury's and ASDA (the ‘Retailers’) announced their intention to merge. ASDA Sainsburys Merger Update - Oakwood Solicitors Ltd

Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace

Stress due to workload is one thing, but when it’s brought on by bullying and harassment it’s quite another matter. Read our article for more information.

Leeds United Lose Employment Tribunal Case

As a follow up to my recent article regarding the Employment Tribunal case Leeds United were facing, the verdict from the Tribunal has now been released.   Leeds United lost both claims against them, namely unfair dismissal and sex discrimination. Lucy Ward, who worked for the Club for 17 years as their Education & Welfare…