Employment Law Conference Programme

Opening Remarks

Opening remarks from Ed Sweeney, Chair of Acas Council. ...more

Employee Relations: new ways of working

Hear from Jo Swinson MP, on the Government’s perspective on the latest employment legislation. ...more

Employment Law Update 2013

Hear Sean Jones QC and Professor Dominic Regan outline the latest developments in employment law, the proposed future changes in legislation, and how it will alter the rights of employees within your organisation. ...more

Refreshments and networking

Refreshments and networking ...more

Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act: what does it mean for employers?

This session will cover:

• understanding the impact of Acas pre-claim conciliation and extensions to limitation periods
• negotiating settlements: the limitations of the new rules on inadmissibility of settlement discussions
• financial penalties: when they arise and how to avoid them
• what do the changes to whistle-blowing legislation mean in practice?
• third-party harassment: are employers really off the hook?
...more

EU vs. UK Employment Law: disparities and gaps in compliance

This session will provide an overview of the most important recent and upcoming developments in European employment law, and how these will affect employers in the UK, including:

• discrimination: how recent European case law affects UK workers’ rights in relation to religious and political beliefs
• collective redundancy: a look at the interplay between UK and European redundancy law, with a focus on the upcoming changes
to the UK regime
• working time: the tension between UK and European law in relation to working time and holidays, and how employers can deal with this. ...more

Lunch

Lunch ...more

Government Changes to Tribunal Rules of Procedure

This session will cover:

• details on the ‘Fundamental Review’ by Mr Justice Underhill
• the need for stronger case management and the costs being implemented
• rejection and reconsideration
• the rise of alternative dispute resolution and how this could affect your organisation. ...more

Breakout session B: TUPE in Flux

This breakout session will cover:

• the evolution of service provision changes with recent case law examples
• assigned or not? Deciding who transfers
• TUPE consultation: latest developments and details arising
• dismissal and contract changes: chinks in the TUPE armour?
• the current proposals for reform and their potential practical impact. ...more

Breakout session A: Data Protection and Privacy: adopting a practical approach to subject access requests

This breakout session will cover:

• reducing the burden: keeping time and costs in check
• practical guidance on limiting the scope of electronic searches
• dealing with the overlap with litigation: examples and case studies
• update on developments: impact of 2013 EU review and theICO’s new Code of Practice. ...more

Refreshments and networking

Refreshments and networking ...more

Social Media Policies: an overview of a constantly changing scene

This session will cover:

• recruitment and social media: the risks of taking shortcuts
• issues that occur during employment: when is freedom of expression a step too far and can you spy on your employees?
• what misuse of social media justifies dismissal: where are the lines drawn?
• protecting client connections complicated by social media: what should you do about it?
• written polices: what should they say and do they help? ...more