18 – 24 March 2024 marked Neurodiversity Celebration Week, a week held annually which aims to challenge misconceptions regarding neurological differences. We look at what employers can do to improve neurodiversity support in the workplace going forward. Neurodiversity is an umbrella term which is used to describe alternative ways of thinking and learning and it includes conditions such as autism, dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) ...
The Sexism in the City inquiry was set up to establish what progress has been made in tackling sexism in the financial services sector. We discuss the findings and offer advice for those in the sector trying to navigate the current regulatory landscape. The financial services industry is crucial to the UK economy. It employs more than 2 ...
The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) has issued a final rule to implement the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”). The final rule, which aims to provide clarity regarding the protections afforded to employees and duties imposed upon employers under the PWFA, is set to be published in the Federal Registrar on April 19, 2024. It will thereafter become effective on June 18, 2024, 60 days after its publication ...
Guernsey Insurance M&A Our specialist insurance M&A team have advised on a number of other high-profile insurance industry transactions, including: the sale of Humboldt Re by the Credit Suisse Pension Fund; the acquisition of Kelvin Re by Humboldt Re, and the subsequent merger to create Marco Re; the acquisition of Old Mutual Guernsey by Northstar Bermuda; the acquisition by Islands Insurance Group of Hepburns Insurance, including its operations in both Jersey and Guernsey; the
In recent years, a growing number of construc- tion companies have established employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs).1 The interest in an ESOP is often generated by the need for an exit strat- egy for one or more of the owners of a closely held business, a common scenario in the construction industry ...
Global research company Chambers and Partners recently published the Chambers Insurance & Reinsurance Global Practice Guide 2024, with chapters from the Philippines authored by SyCipLaw partners ...
Watch the webinar video and study our key takeaway points from our latest webinar focused on avoiding illegal working and managing risk. Our 2024 webinar programme is focused on supporting HR teams to protect the employee brand proposition of the organisations they work for. Presented by our leading team of employment lawyers these sessions will equip you on how best to handle key risks that could undermine the organisation’s employee brand ...
The Government is consulting on legislative changes to introduce greater flexibility to access surplus funds in defined benefit pension schemes. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) opened consultation further to publishing a paper entitled “Options for defined benefit schemes” on 23 February 2024 ...
Pension-Linked Emergency Savings Accounts (“PLESAs”) are a special retirement plan feature created under SECURE ACT 2.0. PLESAs were first permitted to be made available to participants as of January 1, 2024. PLESAs, which provide a flexible savings opportunity for non-highly compensated employees, can be added to certain defined contribution plans. New guidance regarding this option has been released, which may be of interest to employers and plan sponsors ...
Our third article in the series focusing on discrimination in the workplace, covers the protected characteristic of sex (gender). We discuss the current legal position, planned changes and suggested best practice for employers. What is sex discrimination? Sex discrimination occurs when someone is treated unfairly due to their gender. In the UK, it has been illegal for some time (subject to certain exceptions) with the law now incorporated into the Equality Act 2010 ...
Serco Leisure have been issued with an enforcement notice by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for unlawfully processing their employees’ biometric data through facial recognition technology and fingerprint scanning. What can we learn from this? With a rise in remote working as the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic continues, there has been a proliferation of workplace monitoring ...
On December 4, 2023, New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed into law the New York City Council’s bill, Int 0569-2022 (the “City Law”). The bill, known as the “Workers’ Bill of Rights,” will require New York City employers to abide by certain notice and distribution requirements by July 1, 2024. The notice and distribution requirements will inform employees and independent contractors of their rights under federal, state, and local law ...
April 2, 2024 By: Leah Lively and Alexandra Shulman On June 6, 2024, new amendments to Washington State’s noncompetition statute (RCW 49.62) will go into effect, which place further limitations on the use of noncompetition agreements in Washington. Substitute Senate Bill 5935 introduces several modifications to RCW 49.62 that Washington employers (and employers with Washington employees) should be aware of: Broader definition of “noncompetition covenant ...
By: Jennifer Misetich March 26, 2024 On March 25, 2024, the California Supreme Court issued its decision in Huerta v. CSI Electrical Contractors, which provides certain clarity on nuanced wage and hour issues and the scope of the term “hours worked ...
Another year, another mandate for California employers. By July 1, 2024, nearly all employers in the Golden State must have in place a workplace violence prevention plan. While the compliance deadline may be three months away, employers need to immediately take action to ensure completion and training by July 1. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), workplace violence is the second leading cause of fatal occupational injuries in the U.S ...
The Government have now published the Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules which confirm the changes being made to the Skilled Worker route as part of the ‘five-point plan’ to reduce net migration. We summarise the main points for employers to take note of ahead of the changes taking effect on 4 April ...
Shoosmiths’ mobility partner, Ben Gardner, was a speaker at SMMT Connected 2024, hosted in London. Ben moderated a panel discussion focused on the remaining challenges to a safe and responsible commercial rollout of automated vehicles. The summit was aimed at addressing the latest advancements in connected and automated vehicle technology. The UK’s automotive sector leads the charge in this transformative revolution, making substantial investments in cutting-edge technologies ...
On January 10, 2024, the Wage and Hour Division of the United States Department of Labor (“DOL”) published a final rule (the “Final Rule”), which became effective on March 11, 2024, modifying the DOL’s guidance on how to analyze who qualifies as an employee or an independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) ...
April is traditionally a month when employment law changes are made and this year is no exception. We provide a summary of the key changes employers need to be aware of and what steps they should take as a result of the changes. National Minimum Wage From 1 April 2024, the hourly National Living (NLW) and Minimum Wages (NMW) will increase to £11.44 (for workers aged 21 and over), £8.60 (for workers aged 18-20), £6.40 (for workers aged 16-17) and £6 ...
