Last week the UK Government u-turned on its recommendation for employees to return to the office and the official position is now that employee’s should work from home ‘if they can’.
Category: Legal
Contracts, Human Resources HR, Employment and legal advice for owners and managers of SME small and medium sized business owners.
Businesses risk prosecution as staff admit working during furlough
Thousands of businesses could be at risk of prosecution for furlough fraud as staff admit contacting colleagues and completing work during leave.
Algorithms and fairness: lessons from the class of 2020
In this most strange of years, the problems with A-Level and GCSE results may seem like just another short-term political crisis.
Are the retailers pivoting to online sales adhering to consumers’ rights?
I recently placed an online order for a perishable product with a large, well-known company (who shall remain nameless). The wrong product was delivered and said company offered me the choice of credit, or a different item.
The end of the privacy shield: what next for international data transfers?
Earlier this month, the Court of Justice of the European Union issued a judgment that will have major implications for all businesses which transfer personal data internationally.
HMRC to clampdown on businesses that have abused the Furlough scheme
Furlough has undoubtedly been a huge success. According to the British Chamber of Commerce, since March the scheme has been used by two thirds of British businesses supporting approximately 9.4 million jobs.
Contact tracing revisited: Whatever happened to the UK’s smartphone app?
In my column on 4 May, I reported that the UK government was trialling a contact tracing app, which was due to be rolled out nationwide later that month.
Start-ups: Getting off on the right IP foot
COVID-19 has affected the business world in a variety of ways, but not all of them have been negative.
Filing an International Trademark: The nuts and bolts
21st century entrepreneurs truly live in a world without borders, marshaling economic opportunities that transcend country lines to produce and extract wealth from all available marketplaces at any given time.
Who’s watching us while we WFH? The pitfalls of monitoring a remote workforce
As the worst of the covid-19 heath crisis appears to be behind us at last and we begin to take our first tentative steps out of lockdown, thoughts have turned to the economic consequences of the pandemic.
Brighton & Hove Albion FC seeks trade mark protection for ‘Albion’
Brighton & Hove Albion FC has applied to the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) to trade mark the terms ‘Albion’ and ‘The Albion’, but what for and is the application likely to succeed?
COVID-19 – Directors’ legal duties and minimising the risk of personal liability
Ailsa Anderson, an associate solicitor at law firm Irwin Mitchell, looks at the new Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill and highlights how the legal duties of directors have changed during the coronavirus pandemic.
Government’s return to work plan puts businesses at increased risk of legal claims
On 10 May, Boris Johnson outlined the Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy. It’s safe to say that most were not expecting a significant or imminent ease of the lockdown restrictions.
Valuing your business for divorce proceedings during the uncertainty of COVID
Managing a business during the COVID pandemic is stressful enough, but imagine the extra complexity it adds for business owners who are in the process of divorcing.
Life after furlough leave – Employment issues employers may face
As it is anticipated that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will come to an end, following a winding down period, employers are having to consider now how they are likely to have to manage their businesses going forward
