The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (the ‘furlough scheme’) ended on 30 September 2021. What happens next? The furlough scheme supported many organisations through the Coronavirus pandemic. Now that it has finished, employers need to make the difficult decision on whether they can bring back workers onto their full hours, or if redundancies need to be … Read more …
For many years, when considering the question of someone’s employment status, judges would give the example that a chauffeur was an employee and a taxi driver was self-employed. These days, things are no longer that simple. Many of us have followed the recent discussions in the newspapers about Uber drivers and their battle in the … Read more …
Marriage is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 (the Act). This means that treating someone less favourably because they are married (or because they are having marital difficulties) may be unlawful discrimination. The law and marriage It is worth noting that the law acts in favour of marriage. Under the Act, it is … Read more …
The Cornerstone Judgment raises important questions for Christian organisations, such as Edward Connor Solicitors, who are seeking to conduct themselves in accordance with their beliefs, whilst obeying the law prohibiting unlawful discrimination. The full judgment can be read here. It is lengthy and we have written this article to clarify the key issues and principles, … Read more …
Getting to grips with the legal status of those who “work” in your organisation can be confusing. For example, are they actually an employee? It’s important to get right because different types of working create different obligations and rights, and one way we should seek to honour God is by properly honouring our obligations to … Read more …
The last few years have been eventful, to say the least, and have had a huge impact on the UK economy. One of the unfortunate consequences of such a climate may be the need to consider redundancies within the workplace. This may be uncharted territory for many organisations. Get it wrong and there could be … Read more …
Are you confident who within your organisation or church is an employee, worker or volunteer? It’s important you know, because things have recently changed in a big way for those classified as “workers”. As a result of “The Good Work Plan” initiative, legal changes impacting employment law came into effect in April 2020. Churches and … Read more …
Naturally upon the tragedy of losing a child, churches and other Christian organisations would want to pastorally care for their employees. There may be many ways that pastoral support is offered and in terms of time away from work, this is likely to have taken the form of compassionate leave. Compassionate leave is discretionary and … Read more …
Please note, this is not intended to be a full summary of the law, and advice should be sought on individual situations. Whilst there is clearly a benefit to a church or other Christian organisation in employing staff with minimum fuss and expense, there are also risks. Employers are subject to various anti-discrimination laws. These … Read more …
People can work for charities and churches in many different ways. Some are employees, some are office holders and some volunteer their time. As you manage and care for your staff, it’s important to recognize the difference between volunteers and voluntary workers. A voluntary worker is not a volunteer in the normal or legal sense … Read more …
