In this week’s MMD, we have the usual from the podcast and our video updates.

Daniel has prepared a video on the amendments to the Home Office guidance including an increase in the financial penalties for any breach.

On the podcast we look to the future and update listeners on topics and guests and discuss how the podcast is made.

Finally, there is still space on our Equality and Diversity seminar on the 7 March 2024. To register your place please reply by return or email seminars@chadlaw.co.uk.

THE MMD PODCAST

Episode 17: The Podcast, Podcast.

With Nils O’Donoghue on holiday this week, join Sam Pawson and Pauline Buckley as they discuss how they created and developed the MMD Podcast and their plans for its future.

To listen to the podcast on Spotify, click here or scan the QR code below.

THE MEDIA HUB

Ask the experts

If you have any questions that you would like answering on the podcast, please email mmd@chadlaw.co.uk

THE MEDIA HUB

Counting down the hours

This video discusses recent amendments to the Home Office guidance on completing right to work checks, including the increase in penalties to £45,000 for a first breach and the changes to checks on EU workers. We also pick up on a recent query relating to students, and discuss the need to ensure evidence of term dates is provided to ensure any restrictions on working hours are not breached.

You can watch the video here.

There have been lots of relevant employment law/HR updates this week.

Flexible Working legal update (The Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023)

The Act makes changes to the current rights of employees to request a flexible working amendment to their contracts of employment. The changes are namely:

• Employees will be entitled to make two requests in any 12-month period. Previously, employees were only entitled to make one request. However, it will not be possible to make a further application while another application to the same employer is already proceeding.
• Employees will no longer have to give an explanation as to what effect the requested change may have on the employer or how such effect should be dealt with.
• Employers will need to make a decision in two months, subject to agreeing a longer decision period. This has been reduced from a period of three months.
• Employers cannot refuse a request unless the employee has been consulted.
• The new regulations revoke regulation 3 of the Flexible Working Regulations which requires an employee to have to have been continuously employed for a period of at least 26 weeks to be entitled to make a flexible working request. Therefore, no service will be required in order to make a flexible working request.

These changes will come into effect from April 2024. Should you require an updated Flexible Working Policy, please get in touch with a member of our Employment Team and we would be happy to assist.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/millions-to-benefit-from-new-flexible-working-measures

UPCOMING EVENTS

We have lots of exciting events coming up which we would love for you to be a part of.

To register your interest in any event, please email seminars@chadlaw.co.uk. We look forward to seeing you there!

JOIN US FOR OUR MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS SESSIONS

Through our relationship with Tailored Learning Solutions who provide mental health first aid courses in our business, we are now able to announce that we are running multiple courses at our Wakefield office including the following:

Mental Health First Aid (2 day course)

• 24/25th April
• 26/27th June
• 25/26th Sept

Mental Health First Aid – Refresher (1/2 day workshop)

• 24th September

Suicide First Aid – LITE (1/2 day workshop)

• 25th June

Suicide First Aid – Understanding Suicide Intervention (1 day workshop)

• 25th November

Mental Health for Managers Workshop (1 day workshop)

• 26th April
• 14th October

The details of these sessions can be found at the Tailored Learning Solutions website: https://www.tailoredlearningsolutions.co.uk/book-online?category=all-services

If you would like further information and details of the cost for these events, please email carolgledhill@chadlaw.co.uk