We provide summaries of recent employment tribunal rulings, including an employer that deafeated a holiday pay claim, made by an employee who had been on long-term sick leave, by breaking the chain of unauthorised deductions. 

The Court of Appeal held that an employee was guilty of gross misconduct in failing to report a serious financial risk faced by his employer to its parent company, in one of the case reports added to XpertHR this week. 

The Government consults on proposals to phase out the default retirement age by 1 October 2011. 

The Court of Appeal has held that it could be legitimate for a law firm to have a cut-off age after which partners are required to retire to avoid forcing an assessment of their drop in performance, thus maintaining a confrontation-free workplace. 

The Government is showing signs that it may accede to calls to revoke and replace the Agency Workers Regulations 2010, but consultant editor Darren Newman thinks that we should learn to live with them in their current form. 

More than half of the employers taking part in this IRS survey set collective targets for absence levels. The total number of days of sickness absence per employee is the most common target, followed by the number of separate episodes of sickness absence. 

Trade union membership levels fell by 2.4% to 6.7 million employees compared with 2008, finds latest IRS research. It also reveals that 31% of employers recognise more than three unions, with Unite the most commonly recognised.

New model policies covering working hours and overtime have been added to the XpertHR policies and documents section.

Take part in IRS research about effective recruitment and selection and receive a complimentary copy of the 2010 IRS survey on labour turnover on completing the survey. 

We provide a checklist to help employers meet the obligation to make reasonable adjustments in relation to disabled employees and job applicants. 

The Employment Appeal Tribunal has held that an employer can retract unambiguous words of dismissal only in exceptional circumstances.

From cash to champagne, awards for long service are a popular way of showing employees that they are valued. The latest instalment of our employee benefits survey also covers staff discounts and childcare support. 

We provide summaries of recent employment tribunal rulings, including an employer that discriminated against an employee by including disability-related absences in a redundancy scoring process. 

We report on the creation of a world works council at a French telecoms multinational, the introduction of a quota for women in management at a major German firm and important new employment legislation in Spain. 

The XpertHR policies and documents section has been enhanced by the addition of a model notice periods policy and a probation policy.

Additions to the FAQs section cover pay for redundant employees during a trial period, and time off for employees adopting a child. 

The Government has confirmed that the Bribery Act 2010 will come into force in April 2011. The Act, which received Royal Assent on 8 April 2010, aims to promote anti-bribery practices among businesses. 

Internal communications are more likely to be successful and effective if supported by a formal communications strategy, according to 2010 benchmarking research from IRS for XpertHR.

It is advisable to introduce a policy that clearly sets out how sickness during leave will be dealt with, or amend existing annual leave policies to that effect, according to this "weekly dilemma".

The majority (89%) of UK companies are failing to meet their legal obligations to protect their employees' sight, according to a survey of 255 HR professionals published in June 2010 by national sight charity the Eyecare Trust and healthcare provider Simplyhealth. 

Our case study demonstrates how an employer should consider reasonable adjustments to try to accommodate an employee with a disability. 

The case of De Belin v Eversheds Legal Services Ltd highlights the tension between the principle of equal treatment between men and women and ensuring pregnant women and those on maternity leave are protected from unlawful discrimination.  

On this week's XpertHR Weekly: the IRS internal communications survey 2010, focusing on social media and how employers use communication to manage change; and the implications of an Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling that an age-related cap in an enhanced redundancy scheme was not discriminatory on the grounds of age, because it was a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.

The Court of Appeal held that an employee unable to obtain a degree necessary to proceed to a higher grade before retirement was not subjected to indirect age discrimination, in one of the case reports added to XpertHR this week.

We provide summaries of recent employment tribunal rulings, including a Sikh employee who was harassed and victimised by her employer. 

The Employment Appeal Tribunal has held that a redundancy scheme that incorporated an age-related cap on payments was a proportionate means of achieving the legitimate aim of preventing employees from receiving a "windfall" and was not age discriminatory. 

XpertHR's benchmarking service has been enhanced with the addition of a new "Key Benchmark" feature.

New model documents include letters informing an employee that a trial period of flexible working is being extended or cut short and a letter asking an employee to resubmit an invalid request for flexible working.