Shoosmiths LLP

Amy Leech, employment law associate and Shoosmiths’ mental health and wellbeing champion, considers the benefits of having an employee led mental health champion network within your business. As an employer, you will have lots of opportunities to look after your employees’ mental health. However, many organisations are still just paying lip service to it. Lots of businesses are sending employees to mental health talks or providing employees with an additional “wellbeing” day off. But do short term activities such as these really go to the root of the problem? I am not suggesting that a business’s approach to mental health can be changed overnight...

As organisations start to rebuild post pandemic, many will be considering the introduction or reintroduction of bonuses to their employees. However, when it comes to payment of bonus to those who have had time away from work, employers need to take care. Bonuses can either be contractual, where the employer is obliged to pay the bonus if the relevant conditions are met, or discretionary, where the employer can decide whether to pay the bonus, as long as that decision is made in good faith...

The State opening of parliament began with the Queen’s Speech and was delivered by Prince of Wales this year. Our experts respond below to the speech at large.Alex Bishop, co-head of the Shoosmiths Birmingham office, said: “We were delighted to see Birmingham and the Commonwealth Games specifically mentioned in the Queen’s Speech, marking this pivotal year for the city. It is imperative we leverage the opportunity the Games will bring to propel the city forwards and to take advantage of the levelling up agenda. Any support Government can give to further this objective is most welcome - giving greater autonomy to the regions has to be a move in the right direction”...

Leading UK law firm Shoosmiths has announced the opening of its latest application window for funding grant allocations from the Shoosmiths Foundation.The Shoosmiths Foundation is a grant-making body working to help address societal issues, empower sustainable change and improve the lives of the people and the environment in the UK. Grants are available for UK registered charities undertaking work in the UK...