The workplace as we know is ever evolving so make sure you are up to date with the latest issues in the workplace by reading this edition where we consider vaping at work, monitoring employees and the tattoo taboo..
Please click on the links below to read the different articles in this month's Workplace Law.
Most employers tend to categorise E-cigarettes with traditional, tobacco, cigarettes and do not give it a second thought that they could be caught out by their current no-smoking policies.
If you follow this school of thought, you may want to keep reading because the use of E-cigarettes is not covered by the Health Act 2006 and so, unlike traditional cigarettes, the use of E-cigarettes is not banned, by legislation, in public places or workplaces.
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Last year, in Barbulescu v Romania, the European Court of Human Rights decided that employers were able to monitor their workers’ emails where there was a good reason for doing so. Now, in a surprising turn of events, that decision has been reversed on appeal.
While employers have a legitimate interest in protecting their businesses and ensuring that their workers are using company time and equipment properly, the Court also recognised that worker’s private lives extend into the workplace.
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Love them or hate them, tattoos are popular and more and more people have them. From Judi Dench to Harry Styles, an increasing amount of people are choosing to decorate their bodies with ink.
In fact, statistics show that one in five adults in the UK now sport tattoos. It appears that body art has moved from a rebellious sub culture to the main steam, but has the workplace kept up with this change? A number of policies and dress codes continue to prohibit visible tattoos and there are calls to make this practice unlawful.
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