The Work Couch

Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast where we discuss all things employment.

As the Summer holidays draw to a close - and the backlog in employment tribunal cases continues - the Work Couch is going back to school with a lesson on judicial mediation (JM).

JM, which is a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), has a reported success rate of 65-70%, but how does it work in practice? Host Ellie Gelder is joined by senior associate Charlotte Reid and trainee solicitor Brodie Walker to explain:

• How JM differs from other forms of ADR;
• How JM works in practice and what employers can expect;
• The role of the judge in JM;
• When, in the life cycle of an employment tribunal claim or dispute, might the employer look to instigate the JM process;
• The pros and cons of JM; and
• The impact that the incoming Employment Rights Bill may have on the use of JM in the future.

* Please note these podcasts will not run on Internet Explorer

We hope you enjoyed this episode. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to stay up to date with all the latest episodes.

All information is correct at the time of recording.  The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice.

References

1. Guidance on Alternative Dispute Resolution issued by the President of Employment Tribunals in England and Wales (July 2023)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast where we discuss all things employment.

This year's Carers week theme is "caring about equality" and highlights the inequalities faced by unpaid carers, including a greater risk of poverty, social isolation, and poor mental and physical health. Sadly, and far too often, carers of all ages are missing out on opportunities in their education, careers or personal lives just because of their caring role.

To explore how employers play a critical role in removing these barriers, host Ellie Gelder is joined by two passionate advocates for carers: RPC's own Rachel Pears and Zahra Lakhan-Bunbury from Carers UK.

Rachel is associate director for responsible business and employment counsel at RPC, and is a carer herself. Last year, she spearheaded RPC's collaboration with Carers UK, which culminated in the Mind the Caring Gap report, which garnered widespread press attention.

Zahra, who is an account manager at Employers for Carers, the workplace arm of Carers UK, works with leading organisations including government departments, retailers and local authorities to identify and share best practice for supporting carers in the workplace. 

In part 2 of this series, Rachel and Zahra discuss:

·       Identifying as a carer and why some people don't see themselves as carers;

·       Distinguishing between different types of care and the unique challenges;

·       Caring responsibilities in the legal sector and some stark statistics;

·       The impact caring can have on the carer's physical and mental wellbeing; and

·       Key ingredients to create carer-friendly workplaces.

Listen to Part 1: Lived experiences, the law and the role of employers.

* Please note these podcasts will not run on Internet Explorer

We hope you enjoyed this episode. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to stay up to date with all the latest episodes.

All information is correct at the time of recording.  The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice.

References

Mind the caring gap: Exploring the impact of caring responsibilities in the legal sector (Report by RPC, LawCare and Next 100 Years, June 2024)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast where we discuss all things employment.

This year's Carers week theme is "caring about equality" and highlights the inequalities faced by unpaid carers, including a greater risk of poverty, social isolation, and poor mental and physical health. Sadly, and far too often, carers of all ages are missing out on opportunities in their education, careers or personal lives just because of their caring role.

To explore how employers play a critical role in removing these barriers, host Ellie Gelder is joined by two passionate advocates for carers: RPC's own Rachel Pears and Zahra Lakhan-Bunbury from Carers UK.

Rachel is associate director for responsible business and employment counsel at RPC, and is a carer herself. Last year, she spearheaded RPC's collaboration with Carers UK, which culminated in the Mind the Caring Gap report, which garnered widespread press attention.

Zahra, who is an account manager at Employers for Carers, the workplace arm of Carers UK, works with leading organisations including government departments, retailers and local authorities to identify and share best practice for supporting carers in the workplace. 

In part 1 of this series, Rachel and Zahra discuss:

• Their own experiences of caring and the impact on their respective personal and working lives;
• Existing statutory entitlements to time off work for carers, including the Carer's Leave Act 2023, which came into force on 6 April 2024;
• How an increasing number of employers are offering enhanced time off for their employees with caring responsibilities;
• The human and commercial reasons for employers to actively engage with this issue; and
• Why we need to be mindful when using the word 'resilience'.

Join us for Part 2 on 25 June, when we will look at the intersectional nuances of caring, the impact of caring on wellbeing, and how to create carer-friendly workplaces.

* Please note these podcasts will not run on Internet Explorer

We hope you enjoyed this episode. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to stay up to date with all the latest episodes. All information is correct at the time of recording.  The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice.

References

1.     Mind the caring gap: Exploring the impact of caring responsibilities in the legal sector (Report by RPC, LawCare and Next 100 Years, June 2024)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast where we discuss all things employment.

This week, host Ellie Gelder speaks to Patrick Brodie and Kelly Thomson about the landmark Supreme Court decision in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers, which has prompted many questions for UK businesses and employers.

Focusing on the law, Patrick and Kelly provide an accessible, balanced overview of the decision, including:

·       A brief background to the case and the key question for the Supreme Court;

·       The legal implications of the decision with respect to same-sex facilities;

·       Divergence between the definition of 'sex', 'man' and 'woman' in the Equality Act 2010 and in the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992;

·       Biological sex definition and varying perspectives;

·       The interim update guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission;

·       Various legal challenges to the decision; and

·       Practical measures for employers to balance their legal obligations with their cultural and inclusivity goals, especially in relation to their trans colleagues.

To learn more about trans inclusion and how to be an effective ally, please listen to this previous Work Couch episode, with Emma Cusdin, Global Butterflies.

* Please note these podcasts will not run on Internet Explorer

We hope you enjoyed this episode. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to stay up to date with all the latest episodes.

All information is correct at the time of recording.  The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast where we discuss all things employment.

To mark Mental Health Awareness Week and this year's theme of community, host Ellie Gelder is joined once again by Rebecca Norris and Camilla Wells, co-founders of Trauma Informed Law, an organisation which offers specialist support for trauma, burnout and overwhelm in the legal sector.

In the second part of this series, we discuss:

• Identifying the less obvious signs of trauma;
• How to foster effective psychological safety;
• Key dos and don'ts when supporting a person affected by trauma;
• Commercial benefits of being a trauma-informed business; and
• The role of leadership in embedding a trauma-informed work culture.

You can listen to part 1 of this series here: Navigating trauma in the legal world (Part 1): Spotting the signs and understanding the science.

To access further support on mental health, you may wish to visit the Samaritans, Mind, or Rethink. Or you can use the text service from Shout on 85258.

* Please note these podcasts will not run on Internet Explorer

We hope you enjoyed this episode. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to stay up to date with all the latest episodes.

All information is correct at the time of recording.  The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast where we discuss all things employment.

To mark Mental Health Awareness Week and this year's theme of community, host Ellie Gelder is joined by Rebecca Norris and Camilla Wells, co-founders of Trauma Informed Law, an organisation which offers specialist support for trauma, burnout and overwhelm in the legal sector.

In part 1, we discuss:

• Terminology and language to describe trauma;
• The various ways that trauma shows up in the legal world, from clients, to witnesses, to colleagues and other lawyers;
• How to spot the signs of trauma;
• The neuroscience behind stress and distress;
• Vicarious trauma; and
• How trauma affects people at different stages of their career.

Join us for part 2 next time when Rebecca and Camilla will explain how organisations can implement a trauma-informed work culture.

To access further support on mental health, you may wish to visit the Samaritans, Mind, or Rethink. Or you can use the text service from Shout on 85258.

* Please note these podcasts will not run on Internet Explorer

We hope you enjoyed this episode. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to stay up to date with all the latest episodes.

All information is correct at the time of recording.  The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast where we discuss all things employment.

In the second part of our series on the new statutory right to neonatal care leave, which came into force on 6 April 2025, host Ellie Gelder is joined once again by Joanna Holford, senior associate, from our employment, engagement and equality team, and Catriona Ogilvy, founder and chair of charity The Smallest Things.

Catriona and her team have worked tirelessly to campaign for better support for employees whose babies require neonatal care, while Joanna is frequently advising employer clients on all family-related rights.

In part 2, we discuss:

• How to communicate with employees during neonatal care leave;
• Ongoing challenges for parents beyond their return to work;
• Interaction of neonatal care leave with other forms of family-friendly leave;
• Scenarios not covered by the new legislation; and
• Practical considerations, including amending internal policies, providing line manager training, and offering effective support.

Listen to our previous conversation here: Neonatal care leave (Part 1): What is the new right, who is eligible, and does the law go far enough?.

For in-depth information and support, please visit The Smallest Things or Working Families, the UK's national charity for working parents and carers.

* Please note these podcasts will not run on Internet Explorer

We hope you enjoyed this episode. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to stay up to date with all the latest episodes.

All information is correct at the time of recording.  The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice.

References

Statutory Neonatal Care Pay (General) Regulations 2025

Neonatal Care Leave and Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations 2025

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast where we discuss all things employment.

In the first part of our series on the new statutory right to neonatal care leave, which comes into force on 6 April 2025, host Ellie Gelder is joined by Joanna Holford, senior associate, from our employment, engagement and equality team, and Catriona Ogilvy, founder and chair of charity The Smallest Things.

Catriona and her team have worked tirelessly to campaign for better support for employees whose babies require neonatal care, while Joanna is frequently advising employer clients on all family-related rights.

We discuss:

·     Catriona's own lived experience of having a baby in neonatal care and why the law needed to change;

·     Who is eligible for neonatal care leave and how neonatal care is defined by the legislation;

·     The timing of neonatal care leave and an explanation of "Tier 1" and "Tier 2" leave;

·     Pay during neonatal care leave and eligibility requirements;

·     How partners may use neonatal care leave in addition to other forms of family-friendly leave; and

·     Whether the new legislation goes far enough in supporting people.

Join us for part 2 next time when we'll discuss the practicalities of implementing neonatal care leave.

For in-depth information and support, please visit The Smallest Things or Working Families, the UK's national charity for working parents and carers.

* Please note these podcasts will not run on Internet Explorer

We hope you enjoyed this episode. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to stay up to date with all the latest episodes.

All information is correct at the time of recording.  The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice.

References

Statutory Neonatal Care Pay (General) Regulations 2025

Neonatal Care Leave and Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations 2025

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast where we discuss all things employment.

In the first instalment of our series on what to expect at an employment tribunal, host Ellie Gelder is joined by Kim Wright, Senior Associate, from our Employment, engagement and equality team, and Joseph England, a Barrister from 3PB Chambers who specialises in employment law, to talk about appearing as a witness. We discuss:

• How employment tribunals differ from civil courts;
• Who may be required to appear as a witness;
• Preparation of witness statements;
• What to expect on the day of the hearing itself;
• Tricky but common scenarios, including: illness, travel disruption, and giving evidence from overseas; and
• Key dos and don'ts when giving evidence at, or attending, a virtual hearing. 

* Please note these podcasts will not run on Internet Explorer

We hope you enjoyed this episode. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to stay up to date with all the latest episodes.

All information is correct at the time of recording.  The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast where we discuss all things employment.

In the second part of this series on data protection, host Ellie Gelder is joined once again by Jon Bartley, partner and Helen Yost, senior associate, both from our data advisory team to discuss data protection compliance in the employment context, and how to successfully navigate the key risk areas. We discuss:

• Why data protection is such a hot topic for employers now;
• Data subject access requests;
• Potential consequences of getting data protection wrong;
• Top tips for avoiding the worst consequences; and
• What's on the horizon for data protection law?

To stay up to date with all the latest in data protection law, please subscribe to our monthly newsletter Data Dispatch.

* Please note these podcasts will not run on Internet Explorer

We hope you enjoyed this episode. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to stay up to date with all the latest episodes.

All information is correct at the time of recording.  The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.