DMH Stallard Employment Law Updates

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Jun 2026

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Our podcast channel brings you the latest Employment Law updates which includes recent case law, legislative changes and general discussions on hot topics for business owners and HR managers to consider.

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32 recent

June 10, 2026Episode 3031 min

Risks and rewards of using WhatsApp in the workplace - should employers be worried?

WhatsApp’s journey from a personal messaging app to an everyday workplace tool has been rapid, with billions of users globally. Its appeal is obvious: quick, intuitive communication that mirrors the pace and informality of face‑to‑face interactions. Those same features, however, pose significant risk if they are poorly managed. In this podcast, our experts look at things from an employment perspective, and how the use of WhatsApp feature prominently in disciplinary matters, grievances, Tribunal litigation and data subject access requests. The informality invites off‑the‑cuff comments, jokes and opinions that can land badly and, potentially, fuel allegations of bullying or harassment. Even if messages are sent on personal devices to work-related group chats, employers may be found liable where conduct is linked to the workplace. Employers should also be mindful of data security; messaging platforms can be a vector for accidental disclosure of client or sensitive personal data, risking reputational damage and possibly regulatory sanctions. The challenge, therefore, is not whether to use messaging at all, but how to govern it. Hosted by Employment and Immigration Partner Adam Williams, with Employment Partner Hollie Ryan and Dispute Resolution Partner Nicola Billen joining the discussion to share their expertise and tips on how employers can reduce the risk of permitting the use of WhatsApp in the workplace.

March 31, 2026Episode 2940 min

How to successfully win an employment tribunal claim

In this latest podcast, our employment law experts discuss the practical strategies employers should take to maximise their chances of successfully winning or defending against employment tribunal claims. Since their initial introduction in the late 70s (know then as ‘Industrial Tribunals’), employment tribunals have developed significantly into a robust legal process which requires witness statements and procedural requirements and follows set rules to ensure a fair process. The number of claims brought before the courts continue to increase as employees become more aware of their rights. That rise looks set to continue following the Employment Rights Act 2025 reforms. The reduction in the minimum period of service required for an unfair dismissal claim changed from two years to six months, alongside existing risk in relation to discrimination and whistleblowing claims highlights the importance of employers documenting clear, legitimate reasons for all employment decisions. Hosted by Employment Partner Rustom Tata, with employment experts Simon Bellm and Lydia Goodman joining as speakers to share their expertise and tips on how to tackle tribunal claims.

February 16, 2026Episode 2832 min

Whistleblowing and the Employment Rights Act: What should employers expect?

In this latest podcast, our employment experts explore how forthcoming legislative changes, recent case law and European developments could reshape whistleblowing policies in UK workplaces. Hosted by Employment and Immigration Partner Adam Williams, with Employment Law partners Rebecca Thornley-Gibson and Hollie Ryan joining as speakers to examine the addition of sexual harassment as a new category of wrongdoing for the purpose of whistleblowing disclosures, the tactical implications for claims, and what tribunals are signalling in the current case law.

November 25, 2025Episode 2723 min

Employers duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees

An employer is generally under a duty to make reasonable adjustments for a disabled employee under Section 20 of the Equality Act, if they know or ought to reasonably know, that the individual in question is disabled and likely to be placed at a substantial disadvantage because of their disability. In this podcast, our employment experts look at the issues that employers need to consider and how far they need to go to make reasonable adjustments in the workplace to accommodate a disabled employee. Hosted by Partner and Head of Employment, Rustom Tata, with employment solicitor Lydia Goodman joining the discussion to share their expert insights and provide practical tips for employers and HR managers.

November 14, 2025Episode 2632 min

10 faux pas when dealing with misconduct issues in the workplace

Employers often have to deal with situations where an employee has committed acts of, or is facing allegations of, misconduct and there is the potential for a lot to go wrong. It is important that the employer gets the process right when dealing with issues of misconduct as the consequence of failing to do so can be damaging to the employer and could lead to them facing unfair dismissal claims, reputational damage and high settlement costs. In this latest podcast, we consider 10 common pitfalls made by employers when dealing with misconduct and how best to avoid them. Hosted by Partner and Head of Employment, Rustom Tata, with employment experts Hollie Ryan and Eloise Brennan joining the discussion to share their expert insights and provide practical tips for HR professionals.

October 15, 2025Episode 2536 min

Conflict in protected characteristics

Conflicts arising in respect of different protected characteristics have come to the fore in a number of recent high profile cases, particular in the context of sex, sexual orientation and gender critical beliefs. In this podcast, we discuss recent cases in this area, including Higgs v Farmor’s School and Maya Forstater v CGD Europe. An area which is also a cause for concern is the difficulties employers have in policing workplace conversations and adopting a zero tolerance approach to conversations that may cause offence to others. The sensitivities surrounding many of the reported employment tribunal cases have led to mainstream news headlines and perhaps this is one of the reasons that employees are becoming much more aware of their rights to voice their views and the potential limitations on employers to limit discussions and moderate behaviours. Conduct of employees causing offence to others is often dealt with by disciplinary action but since the Equality Act introduced religion or belief as a protected characteristic in 2003 employers have had to be mindful that any disciplinary action or other treatment does not amount to discrimination based on that individual holding that protected belief. Initially most cases focused on religion as the definition of “belief” was less clear. Speakers for this episode include Employment Partners, Rebecca Thornley-Gibson and Rustom Tata.

October 2, 2025Episode 2424 min

Serial litigants in the workplace - how to spot employment claims early

Employees, workers, and even job applicants are becoming more and more aware of their employment rights and how to bring a claim in the Employment Tribunals. With this, we are seeing a growing number of serial litigants, who seek employment with the primary purpose of creating disruption and subsequently lodging an Employment Tribunal claim. No organisation is immune, and even small start ups and charities can find themselves as respondents to baseless litigation. Employment Tribunals appear to be showing an increasing level of patience with litigants in person: they are very anxious not to be perceived as barring access to justice. As such, litigants in person – including serial litigants - are given significant support during the tribunal process. Hosted by Partner and Head of Employment, Rustom Tata, with speakers Simon Bellm and Lydia Goodman joining the discussion to share their expert insights and provide practical tips for business owners and HR teams when recruiting new employees.

September 16, 2025Episode 2319 min

Preventing sexual harassment in the workplace

In this latest podcast, our employment law experts discuss the new laws, introduced in October 2024, which places a positive duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of its employees in the workplace. These laws mean that if an employee is sexually harassed, and the employer has failed to take reasonable steps to prevent that from happening, any compensation can then be increased by up to 25%. So what steps should employers be taking to protect their business from sexual harassment claims? Hosted by Employment Partner, Rustom Tata, with Employment Partner Will Walsh joining the discussion as a speaker.

July 18, 2025Episode 2218 min

Without prejudice and protected conversation - when might an employer want to use it?

In this latest episode, our employment law experts look at without prejudice and protected conversations and when they might be used by an employer. These are used in all sorts of situations by employers. It might be used in situations where there’s a grievance causing a breakdown in relationship with the employee. There might be performance issues, a redundancy situation, long-term sick leave, or even for misconduct where the employer is not sure whether there's enough to justify a summary dismissal. Hosted by Rustom Tata, Partner and Head of Employment, with Greg Burgess, Partner in Employment, joining the discussion as a speaker.

April 16, 2025Episode 2142 min

Legislative changes to the Employment Rights Bill – what might happen and when?

In this latest podcast, our employment experts examine the recent changes to the Employment Rights Bill under the new Labour government and how these changes might impact businesses and HR teams. It’s fair to say that this piece of legislation will be one of the most significant developments shaping the employment sphere over the next decade. Hosted by Partner and Head of Employment, Rustom Tata, with speakers Greg Burgess and Rebecca Thornley-Gibson joining the discussion to provide their expert insights into some of the key points and major developments under the new reforms.