Itinerary

10:00 - 10:10: Opening words from Michael Leftley, Head of Employment, Incentives and Immigration Group 

10.10 - 11:10: Recent and future employment and immigration law developments

Speakers: Amanda Steadman, Principal Knowledge Lawyer and Sarah Harrop, Partner

This session will bring you up to speed on all the key legislative and case law developments from the last 12 months, before looking ahead to consider what's on the horizon.  Amanda and Sarah will cover a variety of development and the agenda is likely to include the following areas:

• Unfair dismissal
• Whistleblowing
• Working time
• Employment contracts
• Employment status
• TUPE
• Immigration
• What's on the horizon?

11:15 - 11:45: A spotlight on equality law developments

Speaker: Carly Mather, Managing Associate

Carly will shine the spotlight on the many interesting developments in the equality sphere from the last 12 months and is likely to cover the following areas:

• Proving discrimination
• Disability
• Religion
• Pregnancy and maternity
• Family leave

12:15 - 13:15: you have the choice of attending break-out sessions A or B:

Session A: It's a scandal: handling explosive allegations in the modern workplace

Speakers: Jamie Hamnett, Partner and Annabel Mackay, Managing Associate

The powerful impact of the #MeToo movement and recent scandals from a range of sources, from the Presidents Club Charity Dinner to high profile law firms, have all increased the pressure on businesses to get their responses right when serious allegations are raised.  And often, that is no mean feat.  

Jamie and Annabel's session will draw upon our experiences over the past 12 months, and will provide you with strategies for managing risk whilst balancing the respective interests of the accused, the complainant and the business, including: 

• Tips for the day 1 "triage" assessment
• Key considerations for the investigation: natural justice and the conflicting interests of the parties, including how to handle historic and anonymous allegations, and complaints involving third parties
• Operating in a regulated environment and the impact of law enforcement agencies
• Outcomes.  Does the employer's defence work? Can you settle?  What is the position regarding NDAs and references?  
• Over to you – your views and experiences of how to effect cultural change

Session B: Key business immigration issues for employment lawyers and HR professionals in a post-Brexit era

Speakers: Sarah Harrop, Partner and Head of Immigration and John Bracken, Associate

The uncertainty regarding Brexit is causing employers and employees alike to raise questions regarding UK immigration issues, both concerning EEA and non-EEA nationals.  This session will cover the key topics that employment lawyers and HR professionals who are not UK immigration specialists need to be aware of when considering these issues.  Sarah and John will cover:

• The key principles of UK immigration law
• The current system of registration certificates, residence cards and permanent resident for EEA national and their families
• Brexit - how will you engage EEA nationals in future and what steps do you need to take for your existing EEA national employees?
• Working visas for non-EEA nationals - overview of Tier 2 of the points based system

14:15 - 15:15: Strategies for private sector employers facing equal pay claims

Speaker: Daphne Romney QC

Are we moving into a new era of private sector equal pay disputes?  The last few years have seen a shift in the focus of disputes from the public to private sector, with a number of high-profile retailers facing multi-million pound equal pay claims.  The publication of the first round of gender pay gap reports in 2017 has only intensified the interest in pay equality within the private sector.

We are delighted to be joined for this session by the pre-eminent expert in equal pay law, Daphne Romney QC.  As well as acting in many of the high-profile public-sector disputes in recent years, Daphne is an expert on gender pay gap reporting and is the author of the only stand-alone practical textbook on the law and practice of equal pay (due to be published in November 2018).  In this session, Daphne will consider the rise of equal pay disputes in the private sector, the potential impact of gender pay gap reporting and strategies for employers facing claims.

15:45 - 16:45: You have the choice of attending break-out sessions A or B:

Session A: Effective management of organisational change in a challenging employment landscape

Speakers: Andrew Burns QC and Kate McGough, Legal Director

The combination of the post-Brexit, gig-economy and new tech employment landscape means that all employers will be facing large and small-scale changes over the next few years.  Off-shoring, outsourcing, changing terms, consultation and industrial relations will be vital tools for employment lawyers when case-law on TUPE, collective consultation, s. 145B and imposing contractual changes present increasingly complex challenges.

This session will be based around a case study of business change and will be run by TUPE expert Kate McGough and leading employment silk, Andrew Burns QC.  Andrew is the 'go-to' barrister for complex employment and industrial action disputes.

Session B: Employee aspects of the new corporate governance regime

Speaker: Nicky Griffin, Principal Knowledge Lawyer

Having managed the gender pay gap reporting exercise, employers now need to steel themselves for the new reporting obligations affecting financial years beginning on 1 January 2019.  Nicky's session will explore the new requirements for:

• companies with 250 or more employees to report on how the directors of the company have: (i) engaged with their employee population on a wide range of matters: and (ii) had regard to their interests; and
• quoted companies with 250 or more employees to disclose and explain the "pay ratio" between the CEO's remuneration and that received by employees on the 25th, 50th and 75th percentile of pay and benefits within the company.

Nicky is a leading authority on the remuneration and employment aspects of corporate governance and is a key member of our Corporate Governance team (ranked Tier 1 in the current edition of Legal 500).

16:45 - 17:45: Panel discussion: what does technology have to offer HR and employee relations?

Panel speakers:

• Caroline Price, Senior Vice President, HR and L&D, Canon Europe Ltd
• Gerry O'Neill, CEO, Curo Compensation
• Stuart Hearn, CEO, Clear Review
• Peter Clark, CEO, Qlearsite

This panel session will explore the risks and benefits of introducing HR technology into your business.  Our panel is made up of HR professionals who have championed HR technology within their businesses and expert HR technology providers.  The panel will offer their views on how technology can work to your advantage and how to overcome any anxieties about making the leap.  You will have the opportunity to share your experiences on this area and pose questions to our panel.

17:45: Closing words from Michael Leftley, followed by a drinks reception