Search results
1484 results ordered by
Thinking - Blog
Reimbursement of Maternity Leave Pay Scheme in Hong Kong
Hong Kong's statutory maternity leave has been extended from 10 weeks to 14 weeks with effect from 11 December 2020. From 1 April 2021, the Hong Kong Government has started accepting applications to reimburse employers' payment in respect of the extended period of maternity leave.
Read more
Thinking - Publication
Hong Kong Employment Law Changes in 2020 and What to Expect in 2021
2020 has brought about a significant number of changes to working life in Hong Kong. In light of the protests and COVID-19, there has been a widespread adoption of working from home ("WFH"). In addition, there has been new legislation enhancing the statutory rights of employees. In this article, we provide a review of these changes in 2020 and set out what we are to expect in 2021.
Read more
Thinking - Publication
COVID-19 – Key vaccine considerations for employers
There have been a number of articles which have considered Hong Kong employers' rights to direct their workforce to be tested and vaccinated against COVID-19. The general consensus amongst legal practitioners in Hong Kong is that there is no statutory right to direct an employee to undergo testing and vaccination.
Read more
Thinking - Blog
Is the promise of a severance payment a reasonable adjustment?
In this busy time, HR professionals would be forgiven for thinking that nothing beyond the realms of coronavirus is receiving any attention, however cases are still being decided and one Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) case, regarding employers' duties to provide reasonable adjustments for disabled employees, is worth some further consideration.
Read more
Thinking - Blog
COVID-19 legal update – Your workforce: Could workers who can work from home (and their employers) break the law by returning to the workplace too soon?
The government has stated that that those who can work from home should do so and those who cannot should go to work. Is it an offence to go to the place of work when it is possible to work from home?
Read more
Thinking - Blog
COVID-19 HK: Employment Update
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, it is anticipated that more and more businesses will need to make plans for cost-cutting measures.
Read more
Thinking - Blog
COVID-19: Your workforce – furloughing - act to mitigate the risk of exposure to tax evasion offences as scheme could be open to abuse
Jim Harra, Chief Executive at HMRC, has informed a Treasury Committee meeting that he expects the government's multi-billion pound employee furlough scheme to be targeted by criminals seeking to exploit the £60 billion pledged in Chancellor Rishi Sunak's unprecedented Coronavirus protection package.
Read more
Thinking - Blog
Hot off the Press: COVID-19 - Your workforce: a Q&A on claiming for wage costs through the Job Retention Scheme
On 26th March, HMRC issued guidance on claiming for wage costs through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. We explore some answers to key questions and add some questions of our own.
Read more
Thinking - Blog
COVID-19 Your workforce: a caution against putting equality on the backburner
UK business, like much of the rest of the world, is and will, for some time, remain firmly in the grip of COVID-19's tentacles.
Read more
Thinking - Blog
COVID 19 Your workforce: What on earth is "furlough"?
Meaning of furlough, especially in the context of companies dealing with the impact of COVID-19.
Read more
Thinking - Blog
COVID-19 Your workforce: pay and costs - practical ideas our clients are exploring
COVID-19 Your workforce: pay and costs - practical ideas our clients are exploring. These are extraordinary times that place extraordinary pressures on all of us, including dealing with your workforce. We set out below some ideas that we are hearing about from our clients and some areas you may wish to think about in terms of your employee costs.
Read more
Thinking - Blog
COVID-19 Your workforce: supporting mental health when home working
COVID-19 Your workforce: supporting mental health when home working. Many of us are working from home during this crisis and while this can be an effective way of working for some, it is less happy for others; loneliness, caring for vulnerable dependants and challenging home environments are all being experienced. There may be members of your teams who fall into these categories.
Read more
Thinking - Blog
Sharpen your blue pencil: the doctrine of severance in employment cases
In Tillman v Egon Zehnder Ltd [2019] UKSC 32, one such business asked the Supreme Court to reconsider the law and to change it to be fit for modern day purposes. In its landmark judgment handed down in July, the Supreme Court has done so. The core facts of the case are not unusual. Egon Zehnder (EZ) is a global specialist executive search and recruitment business. EZ recruited Mary-Caroline Tillman in 2004. As the High Court judge observed, the company regarded Ms Tillman as “a bit special”. She was recruited into a senior role on a salary of £120,000 and first year bonus of £100,000 and then rose steadily through the ranks of the organisation. By 2012, Ms Tillman was joint global head of the company’s financial services practice and a shareholder in the Swiss holding company.
Read more
Thinking - Blog
Put your little stone in the great mosaic
IWD is a day designed to galvanize such desire for change into real, sustainable action by people, by business and by government. And on Thursday 8th March many of us will pause for thought. In our reflections, one question will come up time and time again: what can I actually do to improve gender equality?
Read more
Thinking - Video
Gender Pay Gap Reporting – are you ready?
Hear Patrick Brodie and Kelly Thomson discuss the requirements on businesses to comply with Gender Pay Gap Reporting legislation.
Read more
Thinking - Publication
Some holiday pay reading
A new decision on holiday pay and commission.
Read more
Thinking - Publication
Employment update, December 2015
Implied terms: when can a term be implied into a contract?
Read more
Thinking - Publication
Employment update, November 2015
Penalty clauses: what is the test where a clause is claimed to be unenforceable?
Read more
Thinking - Publication
Employment update, October 2015
Whistleblowing: A dispute about terms of employment can be a matter of “public interest”
Read more
Thinking - Publication
Employment update, September 2015
HR assistance in disciplinary procedures: how much is too much?
Read more
Thinking - Blog
Restrictive Covenant Clause Enforced Despite it Containing a Drafting Error
The High Court has just handed down its judgment in the case of Prophet Plc v Huggett.
Read more
Thinking - Blog
Different Emails, Read Together, Can be a Qualifying Whistleblowing Disclosure
In the case of Norbrook Laboratories (2B) Limited v Shaw the EAT considered whether emails sent to different recipients could be taken as a whole to amount to a qualifying disclosure for the purposes of a whistleblowing claim.
Read more
Thinking - Blog
British National Working Overseas Has No Right to Bring a Claim in the Employment Tribunals
For employers who engage staff to work overseas, determining whether the can bring a claim in the Employment Tribunals is becoming increasing difficult.
Read more
Thinking - Blog
Collective Redundancy Consultation: Expiry of Fixed Term Contract Does Not Count Towards 20+ Headcount
University College v University of Stirling [2014] CSIH 5.
Read more
Thinking - Blog
Report Card
We're casting our critical eye over the Government's employment law proposals and writing its school report.
Read more
Thinking - Blog
Faith and Freedom
In a debate that has lasted several years, one of my colleagues and I have been at odds on the case of Lillian Ladele, the Islington registrar who refused to conduct civil partnership ceremonies.
Read more
Profile
Thinking - Publication
Data Dispatch - March 2025
Welcome to the latest edition of Data Dispatch from the Data Advisory team at RPC. Our aim is to provide you on a regular basis with an easy-to-digest summary of key developments in data protection law.
Read more
Thinking - Publication
Cyber_Bytes Issue 72
Welcome to Cyber_Bytes, our regular round-up of key developments in cyber, tech and evolving risks.
Read more
Thinking - Publication
AI-as-a-Service – Key Issues
Artificial Intelligence-as-a-Service (AIaaS), in the same vein as Software-as-a-Service and Infrastructure-as-a-Service, refers to cloud-based tools that allow businesses to gain access to an AI model hosted by a third party provider.
Read more
Thinking - Publication
Procuring AI – Commercial Considerations Checklist
Many companies will no doubt be considering using AI within their business to take advantage of the massive opportunities for increased productivity and cost efficiencies promised.
Read more
Thinking - Publication
AI and Privacy – 10 Questions to Ask
We set out in this section 10 key questions to ask yourself at the outset when developing or deploying AI solutions in your business.
Read more
Thinking - Publication
The Ethics of AI - The Digital Dilemma
This is Part 6 of 'Regulation of AI – raising the trillion dollar bAIby'
Read more
Thinking - Publication
Part 5 – AI Regulation Globally
On 30 October 2023 the G7 published its international guiding principles on AI, in addition to a voluntary code of conduct for AI developers. The G7 principles are a non-exhaustive list of guiding principles aimed at promoting safe, secure and trustworthy AI and are intended to build on the OECD's AI Principles, adopted back in May 2019.
Read more
Thinking - Publication
Part 3 - AI regulation in the US
Back in October 2022, the White House published federal guidance – a Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights identifying five principles aiming to guide the design, use, and deployment of automated systems. It was designed to operate as a roadmap to protect the public from AI harms and was followed in October 2023 by the US President's Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence. The Executive Order sets out eight "guiding principles and priorities", detailing how those principles and priorities should be put into effect, and reporting requirements
Read more
Thinking - Publication
Part 2 - AI regulation in the EU
The EU AI Act, the main elements of which are covered in our previous article, entered into force on 1 August 2024. Most provisions apply from August 2026 but some apply earlier, or later.
Read more
Thinking - Publication
Part 1 - UK AI regulation
There has been consistent messaging from the UK Conservative-led government that the UK has decided to adopt a light touch approach to regulating AI. This was evident in the AI white paper published in March 2023 which outlined a principles based framework (see ['The Ethics of AI – the Digital Dilemma'] for more information about the principles themselves and see here for additional coverage of the AI white paper). The UK government held a consultation on the AI white paper in 2023 and published a response on 6 February 2024 that adds slightly more flesh to the bones of the UK framework.
Read more
Thinking - Publication
Regulation of AI - introduction
As with any new technology, existing data protection and privacy, intellectual property, competition, product liability, data security and consumer laws apply to its application in each jurisdiction. This has thrown up a number of important and newsworthy issues and considerations for AI developers and providers, legislators, consumers and rights holders. There are also several sets of high profile legal proceedings both decided and ongoing in several jurisdictions. These issues and legal proceedings are discussed in other sections of this AI Guide.
Read more
Thinking - Publication
Cyber_Bytes Issue 71
Welcome to Cyber_Bytes, our regular round-up of key developments in cyber, tech and evolving risks.
Read more
Thinking - Publication
Data Dispatch - January 2025
Welcome to the latest edition of Data Dispatch from the Data Advisory team at RPC. Our aim is to provide you on a regular basis with an easy-to-digest summary of key developments in data protection law.
Read more
Thinking - Blog
Key cyber developments: looking back over 2024
For the cyber market, 2024 brought with it many legislative and regulatory changes, as well as sophisticated cyber-attacks and ground-breaking law enforcement activity.
Read more
Thinking - Publication
Cyber_Bytes Issue 70
Welcome to Cyber_Bytes, our regular round-up of key developments in cyber, tech and evolving risks.
Read more
Thinking - Publication
New guidance on balancing data protection with the FCA's Consumer Duty and the TPR's Code of Practice
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and The Pensions Regulator (TPR) have published welcome guidance (Joint Statement) aimed at retail investment firms and pension providers on how to ensure their customer communications comply with the FCA's Consumer Duty (Consumer Duty) and the TPR’s Code of Practice (Code of Practice), whilst ensuring they follow the rules on direct marketing and data protection.
Read more
Thinking - Blog
Privacy developments – looking back and looking forward
In this article, we give you a high-level snapshot of the key data protection and privacy developments in the UK and EU in 2024 as well as developments we anticipate for 2025.
Read more
Thinking - Snapshot
EU publishes draft Code for general-purpose AI models
What measures are proposed by the EU AI Office to regulate general-purpose AI (GPAI) models?
Read more
Thinking - Snapshot
Ofcom rolls out implementation phases for compliance with the Online Safety Act
What is Ofcom’s timeframe for implementation of the Online Safety Act (OSA) and what actions will in-scope services need to take to ensure compliance?
Read more
Thinking - Snapshot
New Safer Phones Bill aims at “making social media less addictive” for young people
How does the Safer Phones Bill intend to protect young people online?
Read more
Thinking - Snapshot
Two years on from the Digital Services Act
How has the European Commission (Commission) enforced the Digital Services Act (DSA) since its inception?
Read more
Thinking - Snapshot
New Standard Contractual Clauses for data importers outside the EAA but subject to the GDPR
Are the EU’s Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) needed if a data importer is located outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and already directly subject to the EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR)? In other words, where third party controllers and processors are based outside the EAA but subject to the GDPR, do you still need the SCCs to enable a lawful international transfer to them?
Read more
Thinking - Snapshot
The UK’s new Data (Use and Access) Bill
What does the UK’s new Data (Use and Access) Bill (the Data Bill) mean for businesses?
Read moreStay connected and subscribe to our latest insights and views
Subscribe Here