‘Quiet cracking’ | How to spot and stop silent disengagement in your workplace
BLOG Written by Olivia Board on 12 September 2025 You may have heard of quiet quitting and even quiet firing, but there’s a new ‘quiet’ phenomenon for employers and HR professionals to be alert to: quiet cracking. At WorkNest, we’re experienced UK employee relations specialists, so you can effectively manage difficult situations and remain legally […]
Employment status | Bolt drivers case highlights the dangers of treating workers as self-employed
BLOG Written by Chloe Kamutikaoma on 9 December 2024 The issue of employment status has long been a grey area, particularly for workers in the gig economy. In many cases, companies classify their workers as self-employed to sidestep certain rights and liabilities associated with full employment, such as sick pay, holiday pay, and pension contributions. […]
Workplace transport risk assessments | 7 tips for separating vehicles and pedestrians
BLOG Written on 22 January 2024 The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)’s recent prosecution of Sunrise Poultry Farms serves as a stark reminder of the need to undertake workplace transport risk assessments and consider the risks where pedestrians and vehicles share routes. A 19-year-old employee had only been working for Sunrise Poultry Farms for two […]
Government abandons ‘sunsetting’ provisions of Retained EU Law Bill
BLOG Written on 12 May 2023 In a move many had anticipated, the government has U-turned on its plan to automatically revoke most retained EU law at the end of 2023 via the controversial Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill. Despite Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promising to review or repeal EU laws in his first […]
New WorkNest Survey Identifies Alarming Link Between Financial Pressures and Employee Underperformance
NEWS Written on 14 March 2023 Our recent survey has revealed that almost half of employers (46%) believe financial pressures are one of the main external factors affecting employee underperformance. Homeworking (17%), childcare responsibilities (14%), and time management (13%) were also cited as key factors affecting employee performance. The survey also found that mental health and […]
The dangers of facial recognition | Uber workers bring race discrimination claim
BLOG Written by Kirstie Beattie on 20 October 2021 Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities have evolved dramatically in recent decades, reaching levels unimaginable only a generation ago. AI can transform and improve many areas of human life, including efficiencies in the workplace, but many are still apprehensive about its use. One key concern is that algorithmic decision-making […]
Highest recent health and safety fines, including record-breaking £6.5m penalty
BLOG Written on 31 August 2021 Label photo created by ededchechine – www.freepik.com We recently learned that a total of 142 workers were killed at work in Great Britain in 2020/21. This brings the five-year average to 136 worker deaths per year. But behind these figures are individual fatalities, failings and of course fines. Each of […]
5 employment law changes you need to know about in April 2021
BLOG April tends to be a busy month for employment law. While there’s no Good Work Plan to grapple with this time around, there are certain changes coming into play next month that employers will need to take note of. 1 April: National Minimum Wage increases Statutory rates are reviewed and updated each April. From […]
Uber loses legal battle over drivers’ self-employed status
BLOG Following a long-running legal battle, the Supreme Court has ruled that Uber drivers are in fact workers, not self-employed contractors. The UK’s highest court unanimously upheld a 2016 Employment Tribunal decision which stated that drivers are in a “position of subordination and dependency to Uber”, making them more akin to workers than contractors and […]
HSE continues its COVID inspection regime with logistics under the spotlight
BLOG In December, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out spot inspections of logistics and transport businesses to check that their operating procedures were COVID-secure. Inspectors checked whether firms continued to manage the risk of COVID-19 during the high demand Christmas and online sales period. It was important to make sure goods were being […]