With excitement mounting as England moves onto the next stage of the 2018 World Cup, here at Hethertons we are advising employers to plan ahead. That is to avoid the sudden spate of unplanned absences and short notice holiday requests that always accompany these tournaments.

There are, however, solutions available that can ensure your business remains trading, while your staff remains content. As Senior Associate Solicitor in our Employment Law team, David Scott, explains: “Every time there is a major sporting event employers start to grow concerned about an increase in staff away time, but employers can put measures in place without removing the spirit of the competition.

As mentioned in last month’s bulletin, a team of walkers from Hethertons Solicitors took part in this year’s York Legal Walk and managed to raise an impressive total of over £500.

The nine volunteers, a mixture of lawyers and other staff from our York office, made up the largest team taking part and completed the 10 km course in aid of Yorkshire Legal Support Trust.

In Health and Safety news, a sawmill, where an employee lost his leg, has been fined £400,000.

The incident, which occurred at A & J Scott’s in Northumberland, saw an employee suffer a life-changing injury as he tried to clear a blockage in the machinery he was operating. Climbing onto the lumber edger, a machine used for straightening and smoothing rough sections of wood, he became entangled in the moving parts, which resulted in his leg being severed below the knee.

According to research published by Close Brothers Asset Finance, one in four small and medium enterprises (SMEs) admits to having a gender pay gap.

The study showed that the figure was consistent throughout the UK and comes at a time when the Government’s own figures reveal that almost 80 per cent of organisations and public sector bodies are not paying their female workers as much as their male ones.