Welcome to the April 2023 edition of Employment Matters: our round-up of the latest developments in employment law and key issues affecting employers and HR professionals.
We begin with a focus on workplace culture. With allegations of bullying, sexism and racism by the Welsh Rugby Union recently in the news, our Workplace Investigations team considers the challenges of investigating an organisation's culture. Continuing the theme, the Government has just announced a new "failure to prevent fraud" corporate offence under which employers will be liable for fraud committed by their staff. Our White Collar Crime & Investigations team explains what businesses can do to prepare.
Restrictive covenants are by definition anti-competitive. We team up with our Competition colleagues to discuss recent proposals in the UK and US to ban non-compete restrictions as well as the increasing scrutiny of employment practices by competition authorities.
The Chancellor's Spring Budget included helpful changes to EMI plans as well as a call for evidence on improving and simplifying all employee share plans. Our Incentives team highlights these developments in the firm's Budget update, which also includes analysis by our Private and Tax colleagues of other headline Budget announcements such as pension reforms.
There is a growing awareness among employers and within Government of the importance of having a cohesive and supportive approach to women's health issues. To mark Endometriosis Action Month last month, we consider the impact of endometriosis in the workplace and what employers can do to support employees who are living with it.
Finally, we turn to transferring employees - a subject very much at the forefront of our minds, following our recent merger with Taylor Vinters! Our Immigration team sets out key issues for employers transferring staff to the UK from within a group of companies. We also celebrate the launch of a much-needed and accessible new employment law book, A Practical Guide to TUPE and Employee Transfers – Core Legal Principles, Tricky Issues and How It Really Works in Practice, written by my Employment partner, Dominic Holmes.
As always, if you would like more information on how best to manage employment and any other issues in your business, please get in touch with your usual Mishcon de Reya contact or with a member of the Employment team.