Welcome to Clarkson Wright & Jakes, Solicitors and Notaries in Orpington, Kent

With the current tropical conditions, Laura Claridge looks at some common weather and work questions. Is there a maximum operating temperature? In short, no.  During working hours, the temperature in indoor workplaces must be reasonable.  To...

Here is our most recent equality and diversity data. Diversity Statistics 2021 AGE   16-24 5% 25-34 15% 35-44 37% 45-54 24% 55-64 14% 65+ 5%     GENDER   Female 68% Male 32%     ...

Social media cases in the Employment Tribunal have involved everything from employees posting derogatory comments about their employer, sharing offensive content, cyber bullying and everything in between. There are high profile examples of individuals...

Not just further extensions… Whilst the Government has announced extensions to many of its tenant-friendly protections for the commercial leasehold sector, it has also announced that new primary legislation will be introduced, following its recent...

Following the tribunal case last year which confirmed that ethical veganism can be a protected belief, comes another high profile case on the subject.  This time, looking at whether “gender-critical beliefs” are capable of amounting to a...

Fire and Rehire has been in the spotlight recently with high-profile cases like British Gas where staff were dismissed and re-engaged on new terms with longer hours and lower pay.  The TUC has claimed that one in 10 workers have been threatened with...

According to NHS guidance on COVID recovery, many will feel better within a few days or weeks and most within twelve weeks.  For some, symptoms will last longer, including fatigue, shortness of breath, chest tightness, ‘brain fog,’ insomnia,...

It remains to be seen whether the government will stick to its roadmap for the complete reopening of society on 21 June and when the work from home guidance will be lifted.  Many staff have been working from home for well over a year now. ...

When a person receives a dementia diagnosis, this doesn’t automatically mean they cannot make important decisions. However, as their symptoms worsen, they may no longer be able to make decisions about their finances, health or care. We refer to this as...

Following the relaxation of the rules on foreign travel after 17 May 2021 and the introduction of the traffic light regime, we look at some of the issues that may arise at work. Current Government advice, (even after 17 May) is that people should not be...

IMPORTANT UPDATE: As many workplaces remained closed and in person checks would pose difficulties for many from 17 th May 2021, the Home Office has agreed to put the date back to the 21 st June 2021.   In March 2020, the Government announced that...

Recent Office for National Statistics research found that one in five UK adults had experienced some form of depression in early 2021.  Many will find it hard to adjust back into the workplace, and the toll of the pandemic on mental health is likely to...

  Flexible working According to the BBC, 43 out of 50 of the UK’s biggest employers do not plan to bring staff back to the office full time after restrictions ease, with hybrid working – part of the week in the office and part of the...

Rodgers v Leeds Laser Cutting is one of the first pandemic related claims to be heard in the Employment Tribunal.  Mr Rodgers a laser cutter, had less than two years’ service, so lacked the service to bring a claim for ‘ordinary’...

IR35 came into effect in April 2000 with the aim of stamping out a deemed form of tax avoidance where contractors would seek to avoid paying tax and National Insurance Contributions by supplying their services via an intermediary (usually a personal services...

The Employment Appeal Tribunal in the case of Allay (UK) UK Ltd v Gehlen sends a reminder to all employers to keep their equal opportunities training up to date if they intend to rely on the statutory reasonable steps defence in claims made against them for...

The Supreme Court has handed down its Judgment in the long running dispute between Royal Mencap Society v Tomlinson-Blake on whether workers on sleep-in shifts should be paid the national minimum wage for hours spent asleep concluding that they should not be...

Take a listen to our podcast where the CWJ team discuss an issue faced by UK organisations. Latest episode (3) - Managing poor performance or capability This month, Judith Curran and Chris Moore cover the problematic issue of managing poor...

Employment Law Facts and Figures Guide 2021 - click here to download IR35: the changes to off-payroll rules in the private sector postponed in April 2020, are now in force.  This shifts responsibility for assessing employment status and...

Just over a year ago, employers and employees were thrust into homeworking with the Government direction to stay home and work from home where possible. For those employers who had already embraced remote working the transition was no doubt less bumpy but...

As part of our series of articles and podcasts on the transition of employees back to the workplace, we look at an increasing number of issues facing employers and HR teams as the vaccination programme roll out continues and lockdown restrictions begin to...

In the first of CWJ's bite-sized podcasts, Chris Moore, HR Director at CWJ speaks to Judith Curran, Partner and Head of Employment at CWJ on the various issues that employers are considering over the coming months on bringing their employees back to the workplace.  

With Government advice to “work from home if you can” continuing to apply until at least 21 June, HR teams are having to continue to look at new ways of working. While workplaces continue to be disrupted, with many working from home or on...

Many businesses under extreme financial pressure as a result of the ‘lockdowns’ and restrictions imposed by the government have turned to their business interruption insurance policies for financial assistance. The decision by the Supreme Court...

A complex court case over conflicting dispute resolution provisions has highlighted a simple, but vital, lesson on the importance of corporate reporting requirements for all UK registered companies, as the pandemic sees offices unattended or subject to...