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Business Employment

Flexible working & family friendly

 

Our employment lawyers work with employers to help them retain talented staff who wish to balance and integrate their working and family lives advising employers on family friendly rights at work including shared parental leave, maternity leave, and adoption leave.

Where a mutually satisfactory compromise cannot be reached, we help employers to protect their business interests and justify their decisions objectively in a non-discriminatory manner. Where necessary we help employers to defend robustly discrimination claims in relation to family friendly issues such as return from maternity leave and flexible working requests.

Such claims need to be carefully handled because of their potential to adversely affect staff morale and the professional reputation of the business and senior management, as well as the risk of unlimited compensation awards.

Every employee with at least 26 weeks continuous service has the right to make a flexible working request. Only one request can be made in a 12-month period and an employer must deal with the request reasonably and can only reject it on the basis of eight prescribed business reasons. Our team can advise on how to handle such requests and avoid discrimination claims.

An exceptional balance of expertise and personality.”

Legal 500

Key contacts

Monica Atwal

Managing Partner

View profile

+44 118 960 4605

Read, listen and watch our latest insights

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  • 21 March 2024
  • Employment

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  • 20 March 2024
  • Employment

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  • 19 March 2024
  • Employment

Instant Messaging in the Workplace: Factors to be aware of

Workplaces have changed beyond recognition in the four years since the first COVID-19 lockdowns. This anniversary represents an opportunity to look back at how workplaces have changed in that period, from the increased use of flexible and hybrid working, to the continuing and significant integration of more technology in office-based work.

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  • 14 March 2024
  • Employment

The impact of technology-dependent Gen Z on the workplace – Amanda Glover writes for Business Voice magazine

In Business Voice magazine, Amanda Glover, Associate at Clarkslegal writes about the impact of Gen Z sharing details of their work woes on social media and how organisations should respond.

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  • 08 March 2024
  • Employment

The Labour Party proposes extensions to discrimination law

With a general election to come in 2024, it is vital that employers keep up to speed with the proposals of both major parties that are likely to affect the day-to-day operation of their business. 

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  • 27 February 2024
  • Employment

Changing Attitudes to Menopause

We have set out some answers to the frequently asked questions that employers ask when considering how to support a menopausal employee.

Clarkslegal’s innovative approach to solving complex cases is consistent; their quality standards are extremely high and their staff are efficient and friendly – overall 11/10!”

Carrol Douglas-Welsh, Head of Employee Relations – Scottish and Southern Energy