Author: Thomas Bennett

Picture this: a 2,000-word grievance lands in your inbox, bristling with legal phrases and suspiciously polished grammar.  Your employee has just discovered artificial intelligence (AI). In all sectors, managers are increasingly seeing grievances that resemble tribunal pleadings more than workplace complaints. AI tools can draft articulate, emotionally neutral documents in minutes. That can make genuine…

[ READ MORE ] from When AI writes the grievance: a new challenge for Human Resources

The office is not dead, but forcing people back may kill your culture faster than you think. The post-pandemic consensus is fraying. Some leaders swear by the productivity and culture of in-person work; others quietly admit that the commute, cost, and childcare maths no longer add up. UK data backs the mixed picture. Figures from…

[ READ MORE ] from The Great Return: should you push people back to the office?

How far can ‘banter’ go before it becomes harassment and can an employer really name their business something guaranteed to feature in tribunal headlines? What happened? The case of Ms S Sinclair v More Blacks, More Dogs, More Irish Ltd and Mr Soliman (ET Glasgow, 7 August 2025) almost reads like satire. The company’s name,…

[ READ MORE ] from When ‘banter’ is not funny

On 9th October 2025, Lord Chancellor David Lammy confirmed the Government will not revive employment tribunal (ET) fees.  A decision that speaks volumes about access to justice and budgets alike. In 2017 the Supreme Court killed off ET fees for breaching the right of access to justice. Since then, several governments have flirted with the…

[ READ MORE ] from Tribunal fees: not coming back any time soon

Recently, I visited a restaurant with two bathroom doors: one read ‘Urinals and lockable cubicles’, while the other simply read ‘Lockable cubicles’. Practical, clear and a neat reminder that how we design and signpost facilities carries legal as well as social weight. But is it legally compliant? Probably not. What do the signs really mean?…

[ READ MORE ] from When the toilet sign tells a bigger story

Artificial intelligence (AI) is now embedded in hiring and people management. But when algorithms go wrong, the legal and reputational fallout lands squarely on leaders. Scenario You deploy an AI CV screener to cut costs in early-stage hiring. The tool consistently downranks CVs with gaps longer than six months, catching many applicants who took time…

[ READ MORE ] from When human resources meets artificial intelligence: hidden risks you can not ignore

Scenario Your employee is on long-term sick leave with cancer. While they are away, the business shifts. Another colleague has been confirmed in a role that overlaps with theirs. HR must decide how much to share and how to phrase it. Too much candour risks distress. Too little candour risks litigation. So, what is the…

[ READ MORE ] from £1.2m lesson: why soft-pedalling role changes during sick leave backfires

Travel between home and the first job of the day does not count as minimum-wage work but travel between jobs might. Scenario You manage staff who travel to multiple sites.  Care workers travelling between patients’ homes, cleaners covering multiple office blocks or security guards posted at different venues.  Do you need to pay them for…

[ READ MORE ] from Does the National Minimum Wage apply to travel?

From 1st September 2025, the new failure to prevent fraud (FTPF) offence takes effect. It marks a shift: fraud prevention is no longer just about protecting your business from being a victim. It is about preventing fraud committed for your benefit. Under section 199 of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, a large…

[ READ MORE ] from Failure to prevent fraud: what do leaders need to know?

When the Coldplay ‘kiss-cam’ lingered on two senior executives from a US start-up, the crowd cheered. The internet did what it always does: it dug, shared and speculated. Within hours, their private relationship was public property. The question was not whether they broke the law, but whether they broke trust. With staff, shareholders or their…

[ READ MORE ] from Private lives, public risks: what can employers learn from Coldplay kiss-cam?

If your organisation manages competitive events or provides single-sex facilities, how can you balance inclusion with fairness, without falling foul of discrimination law? This dilemma is no longer theoretical. In Haynes v Thomson and others [2025] EWCC 50, the County Court dismissed a transgender woman’s claim of direct gender reassignment discrimination after she was excluded…

[ READ MORE ] from When is exclusion not unlawful discrimination?

The government has launched WorkWell, a pilot in 15 regions designed to move fit notes beyond ‘not fit for work’. With 93% of last year’s 11 million fit notes saying exactly that, the scheme aims to turn General Practice (GP) surgeries into hubs for return-to-work support rather than off-ramps to long-term absence. What is different?…

[ READ MORE ] from WorkWell: fit notes reimagined