Law At Work Ltd has achieved accreditation with the Scottish Living Wage Accreditation Initiative, as a Living Wage employer.

Their Living Wage commitment will see everyone working at Law At Work Ltd, regardless of whether they are direct employees or third-party contracted staff; receive a minimum hourly wage of £8.75. This rate is significantly higher than the statutory minimum for over 25s of £7.50 per hour introduced in April 2017.

The real Living Wage is an hourly rate set independently and updated annually. The Living Wage is calculated according to the real costs of living.

Director of Legal Services at Law at Work, Donald MacKinnon, said: “We are proud to join the 1000-plus Scottish employers to have received this accreditation. The decision to pay a Living Wage underlines our appreciation of each and every member of staff. We pride ourselves on being a good employer and by ensuring a wage that supports the cost of living we recognise that every employee forms an integral part of Law at Work.”

Employers choose to pay the real Living Wage on a voluntary basis. The Living Wage enjoys cross-party political support.

Peter Kelly, Director of the Poverty Alliance said: “I am delighted to welcome Law At Work Ltd as an accredited Living Wage employer. We have seen more employers across Scotland join the Living Wage movement in the last year than ever before. They know that paying the real Living Wage is critical not only for the wellbeing of their staff but for the long term success of their organisation, and that accreditation is a mark of responsible business.

“With uncertainty becoming a feature of our economy, the commitment of Living Wage employers should be applauded. Over the coming years we will work with them and other employers to ensure that even more workers can benefit from the real Living Wage”.

The annual fright-fest is getting bigger every year and now many companies mark Halloween by allowing staff to wear costumes in the office or hosting after-hours’ parties. It’s a fun way to create a break in routine but can be a scary time for employers.

Solicitor at employment law specialists, Law At Work, Paman Singh looks at how to avoid the perils associated with celebrating Halloween.

Fiendish Fancy Dress
A day of dressing up can lift the mood in the workplace, but co-workers could be spooked by costumes that are too revealing or in poor taste. There has been a growing trend for ’bad taste costumes’ but employees would be wise to consider if their outfits are offensive – such as the Oscar Pistorius ‘Blade Gunner’ outfit, now banned from Amazon, which came complete with boot-covers to represent his running blades and a gun. If you decide to allow a relaxed dress code, it’d be wise to send a reminder that appropriate attire is still expected.

As a practical tip, employees should be sure not to wear something which prevents them from carrying out required tasks. For instance, the popular comedy blow-up Tyrannosaurus-Rex costume may be an unwise choice for an employee who is required to be able to move around easily in their workspace.

Spirit Possession
Being taken over by a demon is one thing, being possessed by Jack Daniels is something else. Bosses are advised to make it clear to staff that the normal rules for alcohol in the workplace still apply and if alcohol is on tap then have plenty of water and soft drinks available. Employers are vicariously liable for the wellbeing and behaviour of staff even if a Halloween party is held outwith normal working hours and at a different location.

Shocktober
Employers should also be aware that office pranks may not be received in the way they were intended. With a reported 74% of workers[i] having taken part in an office prank it would be worth reminding employees that they should tread with caution. One prankster was fired from his job in a solicitor’s office for putting a beeping device in a colleague’s drawer. This led to a third-party security company being called in to search the entire building for ‘listening devices’ thought to have been placed by competitors. *The author can confirm that he was not involved in this incident.

Haunting Harassment
Employees dressing up may face jokes and remarks, however employers should reiterate that any fun should not spill over into harassment and ensure that all employees know that although it’s different from any other work day, that they are in work and normal rules still apply.

Deadly Decorations
It’s not enough to make sure that Halloween decorations aren’t in such bad taste that they offend some of your workforce or visitors to your premises, but consider too any health and safety issues. You could find yourself liable if an employee gets injured while stringing pumpkin bunting from the ceiling or turns up in a flammable costume that catches fire, potentially causing themselves serious harm or giving their colleagues an eyeful and an early scare.

Rites Rights
To Wiccans, Samhain (the beginning of winter) is a Pagan festival so demands for a day off should be treated in line with any other religion. Day of the Dead-style festivities are not considered appropriate on what is the most somber day of the year so there should be no pressure on employees from these creeds to take part, otherwise claims of workplace bullying could arise.

Paman says: “Halloween is one of those celebrations which some people embrace and others reject. If you choose to mark it in the workplace then you need to be sensitive to everyone’s views.

“Pranks and behaviour should still be appropriate to the workplace, even if your entire staff is dressed as Morticia and Uncle Fester. Mostly it comes down to common sense, but you would be well advised to set out a few guidelines to ensure that everyone has fun at work. There’s no need to over police any ghoulish gags, but an informal meeting reminding staff of the boundaries or issuing a memo would be wise.”

Following a strong start to the financial year, employment law, HR and health & safety market disrupters, Law At Work (LAW) has made five promotions across the business.

Former deputy director of legal services, Margaret Anne Clark becomes head of the employment law department overseeing a team of 12 highly trained solicitors across the firm’s Edinburgh and Glasgow offices. With more than 14 years’ experience working as an employment law solicitor, Margaret Anne has advised on an all aspects of employment law matters, with considerable experience in discrimination and equal pay issues across the retail, care and transport sectors.

The firm has 380 retained clients which range in size from 5 to more than 12,000 staff. Margaret Anne will drive forward expansion plans by securing more UK wide clients focusing on sectors including education, construction and retail. LAWs current UK wide client base include Interstate Hotels, City Refrigeration Holdings (UK) Ltd, Pineapple Studios and Dobbies Garden Centres.

Daniel Gorry who was previously a senior employment solicitor has been promoted to deputy director of legal services. Daniel joined LAW in 2006 and has specialist knowledge in complex restructures for the education and leisure sectors. He is also one of the firm’s authorities on employment tribunal matters and has spent the past 11 years representing clients on issues of unfair dismissals, discrimination and TUPE transfers.

The company’s client management division will now be led by Steven Smith who joined the firm in 2010 as operations manager. Steven brings a wealth of experience in client care and marketing.

In addition to senior promotions, Law At Work has offered full time positons to Paman Singh and Kirstie Beattie, who have recently completed their traineeships with the firm. Both Paman and Kirstie have worked on numerous employment law cases during this time, allowing them to develop knowledge in all aspects of employment matters. As the newest solicitors to the team, they bring with them a fresh outlook and have already begun building strong relationships with clients.

Magnus Swanson, chairman of Law At Work said; “In the last year LAW has grown rapidly as we integrated the Square Circle team and clients into our business.

“We place great value on nurturing talent and actively work towards promoting from within the organisation. The individuals who have been promoted each have hugely impressive track records and we are looking forward to the future.”

Speaking of the promotions, Margaret Anne Clark said; “Law At Work operates differently from other firms in the market and our objective has always been to change the conversation surrounding employment law. It is a privilege to be heading up such a talented group of solicitors, who as the future of the firm, are responsible for securing our position as the leading UK employment law, HR and health & safety specialists.

The promotions follow a period of significant investment for the company; including a rebrand and new website that features an enhanced client support area for all three strands of employee relations support – employment law, HR (including in-house support) and health and safety.