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The development of Empathetic AI, which purports to be able to detect human emotions, raises significant questions for employment, particularly around data privacy and potential bias. Smile! You’re on camera! And we are detecting your heart rate, pupil dilation, blood pressure, temperature, and other physiognomic measurements… Empathic Artificial Intelligence is a sub-group of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems which makes use of empathic technology: algorithms that…
Under the UK government’s new Living with Covid strategy, mandatory self-isolation has now ended in England and free testing will end on 1 April. What does this mean for employers? On 21 February 2022, the UK government published its plan for Living with Covid including the timetable for removing Covid measures in England. From 24 February, the legal requirement to self-isolate following a positive test was replaced…
The UK government has published its promised national disability strategy setting out various steps it will take to remove barriers faced by disabled people in their lives. This article looks at the main work-related measures. The background In the latest Family Resources Survey (2019/20), over 14 million people in the UK (one in five) reported a disability, which was an increase of 2.7 million since 2009 to…
Ius Laboris UK firm Lewis Silkin have surveyed employers on how they are responding to the lifting of lockdown restrictions: many are maintaining a cautious approach. This was a pulse survey carried out between 19 and 21 July involving 59 HR leaders and in-house counsel in a cross-section of businesses collectively employing over 400,000 employees. The survey confirms that employers are taking a cautious approach…
The UK Employment Appeal Tribunal has ruled that ‘gender critical’ beliefs are protected philosophical beliefs for equality law purposes, while confirming that a belief in ‘gender identity’ is also a protected characteristic. This means that it is unlawful to discriminate against someone because they do or do not hold either of those beliefs. Background to the case Maya Forstater was a consultant for CGD Europe, a not-for-profit…
The main post-Brexit EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) deadline is looming on 30 June 2021, however there are other deadlines and considerations that applicants and their employers in the UK may not be aware of. In this article we highlight a selection of issues that relate to the main deadline, or that will start to have practical implications after 30 June 2021. Main EU Settlement Scheme…
This article summarises the right to ask for flexible working in the UK and explains how discrimination law applies in this context. Introduction Employees seeking a better balance between the demands of work and personal life may seek a change in their working arrangements, for example, through part-time working, job-sharing or a change in working hours. While there is no right to insist on working in…
With a vaccination against coronavirus in sight, many employers will understandably be eager to have their employees vaccinated in hope of their workplace finally returning to some form of normality. This article explores some of the legal issues. Can employers provide the vaccination to their employees? The government’s medical experts have published an outline of how any vaccine will be rolled out. It is clear…
This article looks at the increasing popularity of agency workers in light of coronavirus and the main points that businesses in the UK should consider when seeking to engage them. Agency workers form a growing part of the UK workforce, with many businesses viewing them as a key part of their workforce strategy, particularly as a route to recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19…
This article discusses the current rules regarding face coverings at work in the UK and some of the practical issues that arise for employers. At the end of August there were reports of a ‘debacle’ on a flight from the Greek island of Zante to Cardiff, which resulted in 193 passengers and crew facing two weeks‘ self-isolation. The incident prompts several questions, not just for…