We have recently emerged from a rebranding exercise in the office. Overnight, a transformation occurred: from the replacement of letterhead paper and the launch of a new website to receiving a collectible umbrella in a choice of two colours (red or blue) branded mugs, pens, pencils, post-it notes and mouse mats. Each item is emblazoned … Continue reading
Author Archives: kevinpoulter
Frosty Reception
I’m conscious that this column is called northern lights and all I do is talk about London. I have suggested making a request for alternative titles when I moved from God’s Own County to the inner city ghettos of our capital, but I think the editor fears (as I do) about the quality and potential … Continue reading
January Blues
Christmas already seems like a distant memory and already fanciful New Year’s resolutions have been kicked to the side of the road like an exhausted turkey carcass. The excitement and pizzazz of a new year has been replaced by lethargy, fatigue and queuing at customer services to return unwanted presents. But don’t be too down. … Continue reading
All Aboard
As tempting as it is to devote this column to the forthcoming festivities of the Christmas season, attempt to answer questions such as “what do the department store Santas do for the rest of the year?” and pontificate about what misery 2012 will hold for the profession, I have chosen to share with you some … Continue reading
Social Media Versus Company Confidentiality
How can companies ensure business secrecy while encouraging employees to use social media? Kevin Poulter examines the case The rise in the use of smartphones and social media means that there is an increased risk of employees leaking sensitive or confidential information about a company and placing it firmly in the public domain. Most employers … Continue reading
Training Ground
It’s like a whole new world. Thirty degree heat in October, a new ‘outcomes focused’ code of conduct, the introduction of alternative business structures and a Saturday night without Simon Cowell. Thank goodness Bruce is still on the Beeb to keep us all grounded and remind us that it’s autumn in England. It’s also a … Continue reading
Lycra Life
Readers of this column may recall my initial displeasure in commuting on the London Underground. Although we are still waiting for the predicted Indian summer, the London eco-system appears to have a disproportionate and overwhelming effect on the Victoria line (the light blue one). What was in the spring an insulated capsule of tightly packed, … Continue reading
To Tweet Or Not To Tweet?
How should your business handle misuse of social media by employees? Employment lawyer Kevin Poulter talks through the key issues Social media use seems to be growing faster than the legal or political methods available to control it – as the recent riots have highlighted. Whether it’s naming footballers otherwise protected by a super-injunction, or a breeding salubrious … Continue reading
Lipstick, lipliner, lipgloss: the peculiar legality of Harrods’ dress code
Can the iconic shop dictate employees’ make-up? Harrods’ motto is Omnia Omnibus Ubique – All Things for All People, Everywhere and its status as a luxury brand has stood for over 150 years. More than 300,000 visitors pass through its doors every day. It is not unfamiliar with controversy which, in recent years, has centred more on … Continue reading
The Real Deal
There’s been a lot in the news in the past month about Ken Clarke. Formerly the bedrock of the coalition government, he now appears to have become the fall guy – put out to provoke the public and move attention away from more salacious stories of corruption, sex scandals and driving dilemmas. It was his … Continue reading
Kevin Poulter 