Morton Fraser's Podcasts

David Hossack and Sarah Gilzean talk to Dr Sigi Joseph and Dr Jane Catley about the importance of health and wellbeing in the workplace and the simple steps that employees and employers can take to reduce the impact of ill health at work. 

David Hossack talks to discrimination expert Sarah Gilzean about the recent decision in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers and the impact of the case for employers and service providers.

David Hossack talks to Sarah Gilzean about Higgs v Farmor's School where an employee was dismissed for expressing her beliefs on social media and how employers can justify taking action in these circumstances.  

In our latest podcast, David Hossack speaks to Alan Delaney, Employment Lawyer and Melissa Hall, Data Protection Lawyer about the use of biometric recognition systems with employees. The podcast includes learnings from previous ICO enforcement action and practical tips for employers on what to consider before implementing these technologies.

In our latest employment law podcast, David Hossack speaks to Hayley Johnson about various recent changes to employment law, including the introduction of neonatal leave, as well as discussing where we are with the Employment Rights Bill.

David Hossack is joined by Joe Atkinson, a lecturer in employment law at the University of Southampton, to discuss a report he has co-authored calling for a new generation of rights to protect workers from the rise of "management by algorithm".

David Hossack and Sarah Gilzean are joined by Litigation Partner, Richard McMeeken to discuss a recent case where the interpretation of a trade union's tweets led to a defamation action being brought by the employer in the context of a workplace dispute.

As we mark International Women's Day on 8 March, Sarah Gilzean talks to Consultant Gynaecologist, Dr Lucky Saraswat, about endometriosis, the legal risks that can arise in the workplace and the simple steps that employers can take.

In this week's podcast, David Hossack and Caroline Maher discuss the increasing number of employers issuing return to office mandates and the legal issues which arise from this.

In this week's employment law podcast, David Hossack and Elise Turner are joined by special guest speaker Fiona Lewis of the charity SAMH to explore the topic of burnout in the workplace, why it happens, the potential effects, the relevant legal obligations and the steps that employers can take to mitigate against the risk of stress and burnout.

In our latest podcast, Alan Delaney and David Hossack discuss how employers can take steps now to prepare for the significant new rights set to be introduced by the Employment Rights Bill.

Innes Clark and David Hossack discuss the key changes to employment law that employers should be aware of including all the latest on the Employment Rights Bill.

 In our final podcast of the year, Lindsey Cartwright and David Hossack discuss the CIPD Good Work Index and how a positive culture can reduce conflict in the workplace.

In our fortnightly podcast, David Hossack and Kerri McGaff discuss the Employment Appeal Tribunal case of Thomas v Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and another, in which the EAT considered whether "English Nationalism" could amount to a protected belief in the context of the claimant, an agency worker, having been dismissed prior to the expiry of his fixed-term contract.

In our latest Employment law podcast, Elise Turner speaks to David Hossack about the case of Alsnih v Al Quds Al-Arabi Publishing and Advertising, in which it was found that an employee was unfairly dismissed for refusing to download a work-related app to her personal phone.

In our latest podcast, David Hossack and Innes Clark discuss the recently published annual UK employment tribunal award statistics, including the highest awards made.

In our latest employment podcast, Sarah Gilzean talks to David Hossack about the recent case against Next in which 3,500 women won their equal pay claims when the employer was unable to justify the pay difference on the basis that they were paying male warehouse workers the market rate.

In our latest employment podcast, David Hossack speaks to Hayley Johnson about new guidance published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission on Supporting Disabled Workers with Hybrid Working arrangements. Hayley signposts the practical tips included in the guidance and discusses how these can be used to encourage conversations between staff and managers about any barriers to working effectively.  

In our latest employment podcast David Hossack is joined by Jenny Dickson, Health and Safety expert and Chair of Morton Fraser MacRoberts to consider the practical steps that need to be taken by employers in the aftermaths of accidents at work.

In our recent podcast, David Hossack and Fiona Meek look at the recent EAT case of Masiero & others v Barchester Healthcare PLC, where the EAT concluded that the dismissal of the Claimants for refusing to comply with the mandatory covid vaccination policy was fair.  

With the law set to change in October to put the onus on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, David Hossack and discrimination expert Sarah Gilzean discuss what employers need to do to comply.

Care should be taken if an employer is considering dismissing an apprentice, as a higher legal threshold applies for terminating a contract of apprenticeship in Scotland compared to other employees. In our latest podcast, Nikita Sandhu discusses the case of Hassan v Commsworld Ltd with David Hossack and highlights why the employer was found to have unlawfully terminated their apprentice's contract.  It was accepted in this case that the individual was a common law apprentice. Even if a contract describes the arrangement as an apprenticeship, if the key features of a common law apprenticeship are not present then it is open to the Employment Tribunal or Court to find that the individual was not, in fact, a common law apprentice.  Please note that the above applies to the law of Scotland. Different considerations apply to apprentices in England and Wales.

In light of the recent General Election, Stuart McWilliams and David Hossack discuss what is likely to change for employers sponsoring work visas and what other reforms would be useful in the visa system.

In our latest employment podcast, David Hossack speaks to Innes Clark and Hayley Johnson about the new employment legislation that the Labour Government has promised to introduce - what changes can we expect to see and when? Are these the most significant changes we have seen to the world of work over the past 20 years?

In our latest employment podcast, we are joined by Tatiana Pignon from the Autonomy Institute to discuss a follow up report looking at the longer term effects of a four-day working week pilot which took place in the UK in 2022. Details of the report can be found via this link Making It Stick: The UK Four-Day Week Pilot One Year On - The Autonomy Institute

In our latest employment podcast David Hossack is joined by Grace Corby of Cloisters Chambers to discuss the use of AI in employment and the proposed Artificial Intelligence (Regulation and Employment Rights) Bill. As one of the team involved in the drafting of the Bill, Grace is well positioned to cast light on this area. Details of the Bill, which was an outcome of a TUC taskforce, can be found here Artificial Intelligence (Regulation and Employment Rights) Bill | TUC  

In our recent podcast, David Hossack and Fiona Meek look at a recent employment tribunal decision which has attracted a significant amount of publicity, regarding an employee who was dismissed and discriminated against in light of her gender critical beliefs.

In our latest employment podcast, hosted by David Hossack, Innes Clark and Hayley Johnson discuss the employment law changes that Labour are proposing in the event that they win the general election.

In our latest podcast, David Hossack and Ellen Grant discuss the recent Supreme Court decision of Secretary of State for the Department of Business and Trade v Mercer and the impact this judgement may have on the protection of workers who take part in industrial action during working hours.

David Hossack speaks to Hayley Johnson, Legal Director and Andrew Crammond, Barrister from Trinity Chambers about what you need to know about how Employment Tribunal hearings work in practice from giving evidence, how hearings in England and Scotland differ, to dos and don'ts during hearings.

David Hossack talks to Sarah Gilzean about the case of Lister v New College Swindon where a teacher was dismissed for - amongst other things - failing to use a pupil's preferred name and pronouns.

In our weekly podcast, David Hossack and Caroline Maher discuss the Employment Appeal Tribunal case of Omooba v Michael Garrett Associates Ltd (T/A Global Artists) and another in which the EAT considered whether there had been direct religion or belief discrimination or harassment when a Christian actor was dismissed from a role.  

David Hossack is joined by Tim LaTulippe from iDiscovery Solutions to discuss investigative steps that employers might take when there is a concern about sensitive information being taken by a departing employee. Tim's contact details can be found at Timothy LaTulippe - Director, UK/EEA (idsinc.com)

In this week's employment podcast, Lily Braunholtz and David Hossack discuss the recent case of Rentokil Initial UK v Mr M Miller which looked at whether redeployment in an alternative role for a trial period could be considered a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act.

The CIPD's new guidance on managing terminally ill employees is considered in this week's podcast by David Walker in conversation with David Hossack.

In our weekly podcast, David Hossack and Alan Delaney discuss the new statutory Code of Practice on Dismissal and Re-engagement which is expected to be brought into force this summer and the steps employers should take to comply with this.

The penalty for hiring someone without the right to work is now £45,000 for a first offence. Business immigration expert Stuart McWilliams and David Hossack talk about the possible consequences for a breach of the right to work rules, how and when businesses should be checking the right to work and the practical steps that need to be in place.

In this week's podcast, David Hossack and Innes Clark discuss the latest employment tribunal compensation award limit increase as well as taking a trip down memory lane to look at how employment tribunal compensation for unfair dismissal claims has developed over the years.

In this week's podcast, David Hossack and Rhianna Robinson discuss the recent case of Bathgate v Technip Singapore PTE and what it means for the ability to settle future claims within settlement agreements, whether known or unknown at the time of signing.

In this podcast David Hossack is joined by Sue Johnson, Managing Partner, Inclusion & Diversity Consulting Practice at Odgers Berndtson to take a fresh look at Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and to consider how this can impact positively on the performance of an organisation.

Nikita Sandhu and David Hossack discuss a recent Employment Tribunal case where it was found that the Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames discriminated against a trans employee by “deadnaming”.

In this week's podcast, Sarah Gilzean and David Hossack discuss the recent news that the Labour Party are considering extending the right to bring equal pay claims to those who believe they are being paid less on grounds of their race or disability. Protection against pay discrimination on these grounds already exists so are these proposals really necessary?  

In our weekly podcast, David Hossack and Lily Braunholtz discuss the recent case of Wilson v FCA and what it means for flexible working.

In our weekly podcast, David Hossack and Fiona Meek discuss a recent case which centred around a "heat of the moment" resignation and look at the legal rules around retracting a resignation given in these circumstances.

Emma Mamo, Assistant Director of Workplace & Business Development at Scottish Action for Mental Health, and MFMac's Nicole Moscardini, discuss the challenges that employers and employees may face with hybrid working from a legal and wellbeing perspective. They also provide practical tips for employers and employees on how to get the most out of hybrid working to create and foster a positive working environment. To find out more about improving mental health in the workplace including using Wellness Action Plans, please visit the SAMH website using the following link: samh.org.uk/get-involved/workplace/improving-mental-health-wellbeing-in-my-organisation

Sarah Gilzean and David Hossack discuss the recent decision of the Court of Session on this question and other potential developments on this issue.

In our weekly employment podcast, David Hossack and Innes Clark discuss the key legislative changes that employers should prepare for this year.

David Hossack and Andrew Gibson discuss the introduction of the new Section 19A of the Equality Act on 1 January 2024 and the potential implications of this for employers and employees.

In our weekly employment law podcast, David Hossack and Innes Clark reflect on the key employment law developments of the past 12 months.

David Hossack and Andrew Gibson discuss the potential impact of the Supreme Court ruling in Police Service of Northern Ireland v Agnew.

In this week's podcast, David Hossack and Alan Delaney look at the recent guidance for employers from the ICO on monitoring staff at work.