Annual Employment Law Conference, 2 July 2008

This keynote address will look at the way recent employment legislation has bedded down, how the government’s commitment to regulatory reform will affect employers, and what government sees as the next challenges in employment law.

Pat McFadden, Minister of State for Employment Relations and Postal Affairs

• latest developments on grievance and disciplinary procedures and what is to replace them
• case law on contracts of employment
• statutory rights for employees – the latest law
• redundancy consultation – back on the legal map.

Dominic Regan, Solicitor and Trainer
Ian Smith, Barrister and Clifford Chance Professor of Employment Law, The Norwich Law School, University of East Anglia

Dominic Regan and Ian Smith

• equality law developments
• TUPE – case law following the new regulations
• stress, bullying and harassment – what’s the latest?

Dominic Regan and Ian Smith

Dominic Regan and Ian Smith

When managed effectively, flexible working, use of the internet and social networking tools can enable organisations to become both more efficient and more innovative as well as help promote a culture of inclusion and engagement. However, misuse of the internet by an employee in the workplace can result in an employer being liable for criminal prosecution. And managing remote, multi-site and home working environments present a number of further challenges for HR practitioners both in terms of health and safety legislation and the IT security implications.

This seminar will provide essential guidance on how HR can help harness the use of these technological enablers to benefit the organisation through effective management of the employment contract. It will help you strike a balance between the demands of the business, the needs of employees and the requirements of legislation.

Chair: Chris Brown, Employment Policy and Strategy Consultant, Hawridge Consultancy Ltd

Speaker: James Davies, Partner and Joint Head of the Employment and Incentives Department, Lewis Silkin

Warning – employment tribunals can seriously damage your organisation’s health! In addition to the financial cost and drain on management time, the negative impact on employee engagement and corporate reputation can be severe.

The recent Gibbons Review heard evidence that early mediation in the workplace is key to resolving disputes before irretrievable breakdown of the employment relationship occurs. But how can mediation play a bigger role in your organisation? How can you successfully build the business case for it? And when and where is mediation most likely to be effective?

This seminar will provide you with practical advice and support on the role that mediation can play in successfully resolving workplace disputes.

Chair: Mike Emmott, Employee Relations Adviser, CIPD

Speakers: Fiona Colquhoun, Director and Mediator, Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution
Susan Miller, Director of Human Resources, City University

In 2006/7 the number of discrimination claims accepted for tribunal has doubled. And that’s without including nearly a thousand new age discrimination claims!

This seminar will provide you with a comprehensive overview of recent developments in discrimination case law and legislation covering all the key issues including:

• age and the default retirement age including how age discrimination is being justified
• changes to legislation on religion or belief and sexual orientation: provision of goods and services
• recent developments in disability discrimination
• associative discrimination. Can able bodied employees claim disability discrimination?
• do employers risk liability for third party discrimination?
• amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act
• what is the potential impact of a Single Equality Act?

Chair: John Nicholson, Head of Staff Diversity and Equality, HM Prison Service

Speaker: Michael Ball, Partner, Employment Department, Halliwells LLP

With 95% of employers offering some kind of flexible working arrangement, moves to extend the right to request could lead to a significant rise in the number of employee requests – an increase that HR needs to be fully equipped to deal with.

This seminar will bring you up to date on all relevant case law and feature a practical case study on the challenges and rewards of implementing family friendly policies in the workplace. It will help you to more effectively manage the often competing demands of having to be an employee champion whilst delivering strategic value to the business.

Mark Mansell, Employment Partner, Allen & Overy
John McCluskey, Human Resources Director, Cabot Financial (Europe) Limited