News & Events

Ensuring Staff Safety

Some recent court cases have highlighted the affect of heavier penalties since the implementation of the Definitive Guideline for the Sentencing of Health and Safety, Corporate Manslaughter and Food Safety and Hygiene offences. These came into effect in February 2016 and followed the publication of...

17 October, 2016

Misconduct October 2016

When you have cause to consider suspending a domestic/household member of staff due to a perceived act of misconduct where can you turn to for reference on how to proceed? Firstly, we would stress that before taking action at all, you should take appropriate professional advice. However,...

12 October, 2016

Focus on Car Use

When you ask your domestic/household staff member to nip down the road in the car for you how do you stand legally...

11 October, 2016

Don’t Cross the Line

Just a bit of banter...

11 October, 2016

Caring Options – September 2016

When care home costs rise by more than 10 times the increase in pensioner incomes, rocketing by 5.2% in the last year, what are the alternative options in caring for your ageing relatives...

10 October, 2016

Pilon Changes

There are more tax changes in the pipeline which you as an en employer, or prospective employer of domestic/household staff need to be aware. It is some way off yet, but there are changes forthcoming which will affect payments made at the termination of employment, in...

06 October, 2016

Part time request after maternity leave

If your domestic/household employee returns from maternity leave and asks to work part-time do you have to agree..? It has been established in employment law that in this situation the employee can indeed ask for flexible working hours, perhaps on a transitional basis, but what are...

06 October, 2016

Pensions Auto-Enrolment Dates to Watch

How does the government's Pension auto-enrolment scheme affect you, as an employer of domestic and/or household staff? The short answer is, that it all depends on the numbers of people you employ. It has been a legal requirement for employers to enrol eligible employees automatically into...

09 September, 2016

Just because you are used to them, doesn’t mean they are not potentially dangerous.

As a member of domestic/household staff, you will be used to using cleaning chemicals on a regular basis. But no matter how normal this procedure is, you should never forget that many cleaning products in the home, garage or shed are potentially dangerous and should...

19 August, 2016

Can You Check An Employee’s Phone For Messages?

Are you, as an employer of domestic staff, entitled to check your employee’s phone to see if they have been gossiping about you to others? This whole area is a delicate issue which came under the spotlight recently at an Employment Tribunal. It arose when a...