Our Club HR webinar on 22 September looked at considerations for a return to the office and hybrid working.
Our in‐house specialists Jemma Forrest, Robin Turnbull and Laura McCabe discussed the key employment law and health and safety law considerations for returning to workplaces and hybrid working now that many of the COVID-19 restrictions have been removed and a significant proportion of the population vaccinated.
We provided valuable insights into employment law issues arising from both home & hybrid working including:
We’ll also covered health and safety law considerations for those managing staff whether at home or in the office.
Jemma Forrest | Associate
Jemma advises clients in all aspects of contentious employment issues including unfair dismissal, discrimination, redundancy, disciplinary and grievance issues and whistleblowing, to name a few. She has experience representing clients at tribunal hearings (as well as virtual hearings) and can assist employers with non-contentious matters such as drafting contracts of employment, reviewing policies and advising on TUPE transfers. Jemma also advises HR clients on ad hoc employee relations matters as well as employees in relation to settlement agreements. Jemma has recently trained as a mediator and has extensive experience of mediations alongside a keen interest in this form of dispute resolution.
Robin Turnbull | Senior Associate
Robin provides legal advice on all aspects of employment law from disciplinary and grievance cases, to organisational change, policy reviews, a wide variety of equality and diversity issues, and TUPE. He also has a particular focus on Employment Tribunal and Employment Appeal Tribunal litigation with an enviable success rate of over 90% for over 35 substantive hearings. After successfully defending Acas against claims of whistleblowing, unfair dismissal and breach of contract, the client commented: “Your professionalism was first class and I’d definitely recommend you to anyone needing help with their employment.” Drawing on all of this experience, he frequently delivers bespoke training to senior managers and HR professionals.
Laura McCabe | Director & Solicitor Advocate
Laura has represented individuals, private companies and public bodies in all types of procedural and substantive hearings in various legal disciplines, including in commercial, financial, insolvency and property litigation matters, health and safety, professional negligence, housing and debt recovery matters. She has used her expertise to help develop the next generation of lawyers having tutored in civil litigation on the Diploma in Legal Practice at the Strathclyde University and in commercial litigation on the Professional Legal Practice Diploma at Edinburgh University. Laura’s varied experience means that she is well placed to advise and support clients on every aspect of their case delivering clear, comprehensive legal expertise, conducting advocacy and, where appropriate, obtaining pragmatic results for clients.
Our complimentary Club HR events are designed to inform you of key employment law developments facing your organisation. We will help you refresh your knowledge, consider the potential impact on your business, and plan ahead for future developments. It is also an opportunity for you to share your experiences and perspectives with us in an informal setting.
Should you need any further legal help, our employment law team is offering free consultations through its online legal clinic. They can help with all aspects of employment law, for both employers and employees, providing legal advice on areas including homeworking, contractual changes, return to work and furlough. Find out more and book an appointment by contacting one of our experts Mandy Armstrong or Jemma Forrest.
