Employment Law Bitesize podcast series
Welcome to our series of podcasts exploring the people aspects of ESG.
Within this series of bite-sized episodes, our Employment Team explore people-related issues relevant to both HR professionals and in-house legal teams, and what ESG really means in the context of your people agenda.
Senior Counsel Sarah Baker and Associate Chris Wilkinson provide an introduction to the series and what you can expect here:
If you have any questions, please get in touch.
In our first episode, Employment Associates Chris Wilkinson and Laetitia Ajimal discuss speak up culture and handling complaints. The conversation centres around the concept of 'Speaking Up', its importance, how whistleblowing differs from a grievance, and the protection afforded to whistleblowers under UK law. The need for businesses to regularly review their policies and methods of responding to complaints is also covered.
In episode two, Senior Associate James Wells and Associate Tom Hunt from our Employment team are joined by Senior Associate James Hulmes from our Dispute Resolution team to discuss emerging trends in investigations. The podcast covers the increased expectations on businesses to investigate complaints and concerns, the circumstances giving rise to investigations in an ESG context and considerations around legal professional privilege when conducting an investigation.
In episode three, Senior Associate Naomi Pollock and Associate Harry Wade from our Employment team discuss the new duty on employers to prevent workplace sexual harassment, which will take effect in October 2024. The pair explain the steps that employers will need to take (in relation to implementing policies and training managers, for example) and also look at some of the challenges for employers when investigating sexual harassment allegations.
In episode four, Senior Counsel Sarah Baker and Trainee Solicitor Hattie Rawlings from our Employment team interview Jackie Buttery, Head of Benefits and Rewards at Travers Smith, to understand how we are incorporating ESG into our employee benefits strategy. Our speakers explore legal obligations employers have towards their employees' mental health, discuss the potential of green initiatives within the employee benefits space, and unravel the tie between ESG and employee wellbeing. Furthermore, they shed light on the ways companies can bolster their support for employees via benefit packages and underscore the role communication plays in successfully implementing ESG strategies.
In this episode, Associates Chris Wilkinson and Sophie Macpherson from our Employment team shift the focus to flexible working and family friendly policies. The hosts consider upcoming changes to the right to request flexible working in the UK, as well as a number of other family friendly developments in the pipeline, including the implementation of carer's leave, neonatal leave, changes to paternity leave and enhanced redundancy protection. These changes predominantly come into effect from April 2024.
In this episode, Knowledge Counsel Adam Rice and Trainee Solicitor Daisy Robinson from our Employment team explore the topic of how employers should approach their treatment of workers from an ESG and ethics perspective, covering three key areas:
Click below to learn more and ensure compliance:
In this episode, Senior Counsel Sarah Baker and Associate Harriet Willis from our Employment team discuss diversity, equality and inclusion with a focus on the implications and differences of positive action and positive discrimination according to UK law. While positive action can be used to increase diversity in the workplace, an understanding of the nuance between positive action and positive discrimination is imperative to avoid the risk of discrimination claims from groups not benefiting from it.
Listen below to hear our recommendations on how to mitigate the risks in implementing positive action measures and how to benefit while remaining compliant:
In this episode, Senior Associate Matthew Davis and Associate Olivia Rhys-Evans from our Employment team discuss diversity and inclusion, focussing on reporting requirements and regulatory considerations from an ESG perspective. The pair address mandatory D&I reporting (such as gender pay gap information), as well as the Financial Conduct Authority's proposals for a new regulatory framework for diversity and inclusion in the financial sector.
Click below to learn about the current landscape, developments, and suggested methods of preparing for the changes to come:
In this episode, Associates Hanna Bates-Martens and Holly Robson in our Employment team discuss ESG in the context of remuneration and benefits with Partner Mahesh Varia from our Tax team and head of the Incentives and Remuneration group. Our speakers explore the ways in which businesses are increasingly using ESG metrics in their compensation structures to encourage desired behaviours and help achieve their ESG objectives.
Listen below to learn how this is being achieved:
In this final episode, Knowledge Counsel Anna West and Associate River Clarke from our Employment team talk with Director Sarah-Jane Denton from our Operational Risk & Environment team. They discuss potential developments in the modern slavery regime, as well as the ongoing expansion of sustainability and ESG reporting, and the increasing focus on supply chain diligence.
Listen below to understand how these new obligations affect your business and the steps you can take to prepare:
