- The Court of Appeal has held that gross negligence can constitute gross misconduct. The case concerned a manager who became aware that another manager had sent an email which attempted to interfere in an important management consultation exercise, but had done nothing to remedy the situation. The court determined that the negligence was so serious that it resulted in a loss of trust and confidence sufficient to justify dismissal (Adesokan v Sainsbury’s Supermarkets).
2. The EAT has held that in a redundancy situation, if the employer invokes a mobility clause and the employee refuses to relocate, the reason for dismissal may be the employee’s conduct rather than redundancy. In a situation like this the statutory redundancy payment will not be due. Whether the dismissal is fair will depend on the facts of each case (Kellogg Brown & Root (UK) Ltd v Fritton, Kellogg Brown and Root (UK) Ltd v Ewer).
3. The Government has published The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017, which extend the annual gender pay gap reporting duty to public sector employers with over 250 employees.
4. An inquiry has been launched by the Women and Equalities Committee following new data that indicates that fathers do not feel supported in the workplace to care for their children. The deadline for responses to the inquiry is 1 March 2017.
5. A joint report by the Women and Equalities Committee and the Petitions Commission has recommended that the Government takes urgent action to improve the effectiveness of the Equality Act 2010 in relation to workplace dress codes.
