Ergo Law

Don’t slip up with difficult conversations. if you have been invited to a protected conversation by your work, read about what to do here. Our solicitors are settlement specialists and can guide you through these tricky situations securely we will make sure you don’t misstep. https://www.ergolaw.co.uk/blog/2022/10/5/what-is-a-protected-conversation #:~:text=Can%20an%20employer%20say%20anything,has%20been%20%22improper%20behaviour%22.

No times table practice for Tilda today! School is on strike so school of life lessons with Ergo it is. She was excited to meet STV News and Kaye Nicolson who was in the office filming for doing our bit to increase diversity of telly experts, Kaye now has a p5 tiger expert in her contact book 🐯

Redundancy- unfortunately it can be seasonal. We often see numbers of affected employees increasing at this time of year. It's especially true now as businesses are facing uncertainty and increased costs. If you are an employee in a consultation process, brought into a protected conversation or without prejudice discussion about redundancy- we can help. Our blog post gives good pointers and our solicitors are specialists in this area and provide compassionate, knowledgeable advice and support to guide you through choppy waters.

What is a Protected Conversation | Ergo Law — Ergo Law Employment law solicitors in Edinburgh Find out what a Protected Conversation involves with experienced employment solicitors, Ergo Law. Discover the best advice for going into your pre-termination negotiations.

It’s going to be a room full of fabulous business people and we can’t wait to celebrate their fantastic achievements tomorrow 👏🥂

Women's Enterprise Scotland | Finalists 2022 WE'RE DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE OUR FINALISTS Our panel of judges have completed their assessment of all the applications and have selected the following shortlist of finalists in each category.

Women's Enterprise Scotland | Awards 2022 These prestigious awards will be presented at our glittering evening event to celebrate the talents of women across Scotland - and help to create more role models to inspire the next generation of leading businesswomen.

What is a protected conversation? In a nutshell, it is a special kind of off-the record discussion, protected from certain consequences by employment law. It often precedes a settlement agreement. Our Associate Solicitor Claire has written this blog to explain the term and when it is used.

What is a protected conversation? — Ergo Law Employment law solicitors in Edinburgh If you have attended a confidential meeting with your employer, the terms ‘s111A’ and/or ‘protected conversation’ may have been used. Here, we explain the term, why employers use it, and when it will apply.

Note to self: book blow dry, look out heels and sparkly dress....we've got an awards night to attend! Looking forward to 27 October and a night in glamorous Glasgow for the Women's Enterprise Scotland awards at which Ergo Law will be a finalist in the outstanding business category. Whatever happens, in the party-like-you-mean-it category, we'll be leading the field!

Being offered a settlement agreement can seem like a daunting process so last year we started a series called 'simplifying settlements'. The blogs talk through some of the key concepts relevant to settlement negotiations, hoping to make the process more straightforward for both employee and employer.

To learn more about announcing your departure after a settlement agreement, follow the link below or get in touch at [email protected]

https://www.ergolaw.co.uk/blog/2021/3/12/settlement-agreement-series-2-announcements?rq=simplifying%20settlement

Simplifying Settlement Agreements 2: Announcements — Ergo Law Employment law solicitors in Edinburgh This is the second blog in our series ‘simplifying settlement agreements’ where we tackle these agreements clause by clause and give you the essential information in a nutshell. Our associate solicitor Claire Henderson explains the key aspects of confidentiality clauses and what to look out for.

Being offered a settlement agreement can seem like a daunting process so last year we started a series called 'simplifying settlements'. The blogs talk through some of the key concepts relevant to settlement negotiations, hoping to make the process more straightforward for both employee and employer.

To learn more about confidentiality in settlement agreements, follow the link below or get in touch at [email protected]

https://www.ergolaw.co.uk/blog/2021/3/12/settlement-agreement-series-1-confidentiality?rq=simplifying%20settlement

Simplifying Settlement Agreements 1: Confidentiality — Ergo Law Employment law solicitors in Edinburgh This is the first blog in our series ‘simplifying settlement agreements’ where we tackle settlement agreement confidentiality clauses. Read more now.

In the news...

The University of Exeter has been ordered by an Employment Tribunal to pay compensation to an academic after finding that they had been unfairly dismissed after 29 years of service.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/jan/18/loud-academic-awarded-more-than-100000-for-unfair-dismissal

‘Loud’ academic awarded more than £100,000 for unfair dismissal University of Exeter ordered to pay compensation to physicist Dr Annette Plaut, who was sacked after 29 years

In the news… Morrisons follows IKEA in cutting sick pay for unvaccinated staff.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-59902929

Morrisons confirms sick pay cut for unvaccinated staff The supermarket joins a list of firms which pay the legal minimum to unvaccinated staff obliged to isolate.

Did you know that you can still self-certify for up to 28 days of sick leave? Previously self-certification was only possible for up to 7 days. This change is due to end on 26 January 2022.

To learn more, see the UK government's website: https://www.gov.uk/taking-sick-leave

Taking sick leave Fit notes (formerly sick notes), holiday during sick leave, returning to work, long-term sick, dismissals

In the news...

Ikea has confirmed that unvaccinated staff will no longer be entitled to company sick pay when required to self-isolate.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-59930206

Ikea cuts sick pay for unvaccinated staff forced to self-isolate The retail giant joins a growing list of firms changing their rules as staff absences and costs begin to bite.

Did you know that the rules on self-certifying absences have changed? These came into effect on 17 December 2021 and will last until 26 January 2022. During this period, employees can self-certify for up to 28 days of sick leave; previously self-certification was only possible for up to 7 days.

To learn more, see the UK government's website: https://www.gov.uk/taking-sick-leave

Taking sick leave Fit notes (formerly sick notes), holiday during sick leave, returning to work, long-term sick, dismissals

Happy Hogmanay from everyone at Ergo!

Maternity Action, a maternity rights charity, recently published a report about workplace health and safety for pregnant women in the pandemic. Among its key findings was the lack of accurate information being provided to women about their rights and respective employers' obligations.

If you would like to learn more, you can read the full report here:https://maternityaction.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/UnsafeandUnsupportedHSFinal-compressed.pdf

maternityaction.org.uk

We’ve donated to Lawscot Foundation's festive campaign to help support those in need & give the gift of education this Christmas. Find out how to join in here: https://www.lawscotfoundation.org.uk/passtheparcel

Lawscot Foundation supports students with bursaries, mentoring and further career development - it is a massively important mission.

We now pass the parcel to and Lefevres Litigation-know-how

In this week's blog, we look at the judicial review of the UK government's Covid-19 Self-employed Income Support Scheme.

The Court of Appeal held that the Scheme indirectly discriminated against new mothers but that this was justified because it was introduced as an emergency form of support at the start of the pandemic.

Want to know more? Take a look via the link below:

https://www.ergolaw.co.uk/blog/2021/11/30/uks-covid-19-self-employed-support-scheme-discriminated-against-new-mothers-the-motherhood-plan-v-her-majestys-treasury-2021-ewca-civ-1703

UK’s Covid-19 self-employed support scheme discriminated against new mothers: The Motherhood Plan v Her Majesty’s Treasury [2021] EWCA Civ 1703 — Ergo Law Employment law solicitors in Edinburgh On 24 November 2021, the Court of Appeal handed down its judgment in the case of The Motherhood Plan and Kerry Chamberlain v Her Majesty’s Treasury and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs

Last week, the UK government confirmed the extension of their Covid-19 vaccination policy to all NHS workers. We take a look at the policy and explain what it means for NHS employees in this week's blog.

If you would like to know more, or have any questions of your own, do get in touch at [email protected].

www.ergolaw.co.uk/blog/2021/11/19/legal-update-no-jab-no-job-uk-government-passes-regulation-mandating-covid-19-vaccinations-for-all-nhs-workers

Legal Update | No jab, no job? | UK government passes regulation mandating Covid-19 vaccinations for all NHS workers — Ergo Law Employment law solicitors in Edinburgh The UK government has confirmed the extension of its vaccination policy to all NHS workers. We look at what this might mean in practice.

In this week's blog, the Ergo team answers some of our most commonly asked questions, ranging from the client onboarding process to settlement agreements.

If you would like to know more, or have any questions of your own, do get in touch at [email protected].

https://www.ergolaw.co.uk/blog/2021/10/5/your-most-commonly-asked-questions1

Your most commonly asked questions — Ergo Law Employment law solicitors in Edinburgh In this weeks blog, the Ergo team answers some of our most commonly asked questions, ranging from the client onboarding process to settlement agreements.

ICYMI: Earlier this year, we wrote a series called 'simplifying settlement agreements', where we tackled the agreements clause by clause and explained much of the legal jargon which can worry people!

If you'd like to know more, take a look at blog 1 in the series at the link below 😊

https://www.ergolaw.co.uk/blog/2021/3/12/settlement-agreement-series-1-confidentiality?rq=simplifying%20settlement%20agreements

Simplifying Settlement Agreements 1: Confidentiality — Ergo Law Employment law solicitors in Edinburgh This is the first blog in our series ‘simplifying settlement agreements’ where we tackle these agreements clause by clause and give you the essential information in a nutshell. Our solicitor Sacha Carey explains the key aspects of confidentiality clauses and what to look out for.

This week, in recognition of Disability Awareness Day, which took place on Sunday 12 September, we will be looking at the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on disabled employees in the UK.

As always, if you would like to know more about any of the topics raised, you can contact us at [email protected]

https://www.ergolaw.co.uk/blog/2021/9/17the-hidden-effects-of-the-pandemic-on-disabled-employees

The Hidden Effects of the Pandemic | How can you support Disabled Employees? — Ergo Law Employment law solicitors in Edinburgh In recognition of Disability Awareness Day , which took place on Sunday 12 September, we will be looking at the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on disabled employees in the UK in this week’s blog.

In our second blog on 'no jab, no job' policies, we look at the possible extension of the UK policy to all NHS workers.

Click the link below to find out more:

www.ergolaw.co.uk/blog/2021/9/3no-jab-no-job-legal-barriers-to-extension-of-government-policy

No jab, no job? | Are there legal barriers to extending the Government policy to all healthcare workers? — Ergo Law Employment law solicitors in Edinburgh In this blog, we will discuss what legal barriers there may be to an extension of the policy to workers in any health or social care setting within the NHS.

In the most recent blog from our homeworking series, we ask - is homeworking coming to an end?

The blog looks at the current guidance of the Scottish government and considers when employees might be expected in the office and what returning means for both employee and employer.

www.ergolaw.co.uk/blog/2021/8/13working-from-home-the-new-normal-returning-to-the-office

Working from home, the new normal? | Returning to the office — Ergo Law Employment law solicitors in Edinburgh This week’s question - is homeworking coming to an end? We look at the current guidance of the Scottish government and consider when employees might be expected in the office and what returning means for both employee and employer.

This is the second blog in our series on homeworking, inspired by our director Emma’s interview with STV.

Here, we focus on potential challenges for employers while staff are working from home and how to overcome these.

www.ergolaw.co.uk/blog/2021/8/03working-from-home-the-new-normal-challenges-for-employers

Working from home, the new normal? | Challenges for employers — Ergo Law Employment law solicitors in Edinburgh This is the second blog in our series on homeworking, inspired by our director Emma’s interview with STV. Here, we focus on potential challenges for employers while staff are working from home and how to overcome these.

In our latest blog, we discuss the UK government's decision to mandate Covid-19 vaccinations for care workers.

This is the first blog in our series looking at the 'no jab, no job' policies and potential legal issues for both employer and employee.

www.ergolaw.co.uk/blog/2021/7/29no-jab-no-job-uk-government-passes-regulations-mandating-covid-19-vaccinations-for-care-workers

No jab, no job? | UK government passes regulation mandating Covid-19 vaccinations for care workers — Ergo Law Employment law solicitors in Edinburgh The recent decision by the UK government to require those working in the care sector in England to be vaccinated against Covid-19 has reignited the debate on the legality of ‘no jab, no job’ policies in other sectors

In this blog, inspired by our director Emma’s interview with STV last week, we take a look at how employers can comply with their legal obligations while staff are working from home.

This will be the first blog in a series which looks at the law on wfh and its future in a post-covid world.

www.ergolaw.co.uk/blog/2021/7/27working-from-home-the-new-normal

Working from home, the new normal? | Your obligations as an employer — Ergo Law Employment law solicitors in Edinburgh This is the first blog in our series on the future of homeworking, inspired by our director Emma’s interview with STV, where we look at the law on homeworking, challenges employers might face as a result, and its future in a post-covid-19 world. In this blog, we focus on employers’ legal obligat...