Key Details +44 (0)113 218 6484 +44 (0)791 872 1486 Email Glenn Hayes How can I help?

Biography

Glenn is a Partner and is the Head of the Employment teams based in Leeds, Sheffield and Manchester at Irwin Mitchell.

His client experience includes providing support to a number of large and small businesses in a variety of different fields and he is a key adviser and the relationship partner to some of the Employment and Pension Group’s key national clients. These include the likes of Capita Group’s HR Function, the Eddisons Group and a number of well-known PLC clients.

An experienced Employment Tribunal advocate, Glenn also advises on a wide range of employment law matters including the enforcement and defence of restrictive covenants, advising on senior level appointments and exits, outsourcing, acquisitions and disposals including Transfer of Undertakings, Protection of Employment (TUPE) issues, large scale reorganisations and redundancy, discrimination and equality issues.

He is the lead partner for our Restrictive Covenant product – IM Protect – and one of the leaders in the growth of our IMhrplus product. Glenn is also responsible for ensuring that any work that is “north shored” to achieve costs savings for our clients is handled efficiently and harmoniously.

Glenn also regularly presents at seminars and training events organised by the firm, has been the judge at a number of Mock Tribunal events arranged for clients and has presented seminars for third parties and clients/contacts. He is also a member of the Employment Lawyers Association.

Recent highlights:

Defending the Lincolnshire Partnership Trust at Tribunal and Employment Appeal Tribunal, in relation to a significant and lengthy whistleblowing and multi-discrimination case brought against them with an approximate value of £200,000.
Providing strategic advice on on-boarding for a number of clients, advising on the enforceability of restrictive covenants and strategies for avoiding issues in this regard.
Advised a large steel manufacturer on the purchase of a major site in Wales on how to structure the purchase to minimise the risk of TUPE applying.
Advised a number of high profile Chief Executives/Managing Directors on their departures from their employment, including dealing with all issues surrounding shareholding and taxation.
Advised a large South Yorkshire (Indian owned) manufacturer on the dismissal of their Managing Director and the process for doing so.
Advised a law firm on the employment implications of a geographical move of premises and the enforcement of mobility clauses in contracts of employment.

Market view:

"He provides clear advice, is approachable and comes up with practical solutions to complex problems. He is very knowledgeable in employment law and its application, and demonstrates an unambiguously pragmatic approach at all times." – Chambers & Partners, 2021 (Leading Individual - band 3)

"Glenn Hayes is one of the few lawyers I hear rated by fellow solicitors and mutual clients alike. He has built up a well-deserved reputation for being an expert in his field and a trusted adviser." – Legal 500, 2021

"He is very commercial in his approach and understands our organisation’s culture, which helps to ensure the advice given is in line with our objectives." – Chambers & Partners, 2020

"Glenn Hayes is a sensible, no nonsense lawyer who offers practical and commercial advice. His staff follow in his footsteps." – Legal 500, 2020

He "gets right to the heart of the issue and deals with issues head on; he's very realistic and understands clients' businesses and how they operate." – Chambers & Partners, 2018

He is "a straight-talking no-nonsense lawyer who gets straight to the point with sound and unequivocal advice." – Chambers & Partners, 2017

Glenn qualified as a solicitor in 2002.

Read My Comments On The Latest News

14/05/2021
Collective Bargaining In The Balance At Supreme Court

“Prior to the Court of Appeal ruling, it was almost impossible for organisations to make even minor temporary changes to terms and conditions of employment without union agreement, as any mistake could risk huge financial penalties. “For many unionised employers, the appeal court ruling came as a relief, as it give them scope to communicate directly with their staff – provided they attempted, in good faith, to agree terms with the union first. “Although the decision was controversial, we believe that the Court of Appeal reached a fair compromise on the facts of this particular case. Prior to this, many employers have become very risk adverse and agreed to union demands rather than face the possibility of having their decisions scrutinised by employment tribunals - not least because of the huge penalties involved if they get it wrong. Awards are fixed and tribunals can't reduce them like they can in other claims - even if they have sympathy with the employer. “However, there are still questions that remain unanswered. If the Supreme Court upholds the Court of Appeal’s decision, we hope that it will put some more flesh on the bones of the scope of this exemption. For example, what happens if pay negotiations break down for a second or third time? Can the employer still write to its staff directly without risk if the changes are temporary rather than permanent? And how much effort must an employer make to agree terms with a recognised union before it can safely approach its staff? “There’s still a lot riding on the ultimate outcome for employers, staff and unions, making this case one of the most significant for employment law in recent times.”
Continue Reading
01/10/2020
Employment Tribunals Increase 18% In First Three Months Of Lockdown

“These figures mark a significant year on year rise but they don’t surprise me. I think the numbers will only go one way over the next 12 months at least as the current furlough scheme comes to an end. “These are difficult times for businesses but some in their haste to save costs are making basic errors in their redundancy programmes such as not going through a fair procedure even in genuine cases. Others are getting rid of older staff which is directly discriminatory. “While it might seem like the ‘wild west’ to those in the middle of this, Covid-19 hasn’t changed employment law overnight and not following correct redundancy procedures or selecting people because of their age is more likely to result in employment claims which will distract them from the important job of keeping their businesses going. “Companies should be aware that they are at risk of tribunal claims if they attempt to use redundancies as a cloak for breaching employment rights.”
Continue Reading
01/04/2020
Morrisons Wins Data Breach Case In The Supreme Court

“The key question for the courts here is was the wrongdoing done ‘in the course of employment’? “The Court of Appeal had held that the motive of the employee was ‘irrelevant’ and that Morrisons was responsible for the fact that he deliberately uploaded the data of around 100,000 members of staff to a publicly accessible website. The Supreme Court has however said this was wrong and that Morrisons was not liable for its employee’s deliberate acts. “The test is whether an employee’s wrongdoing is so closely connected with the acts they are authorised to do, such that it can be properly regarded as being done by their employer. In this case, the employee was pursuing a personal vendetta and Morrisons was not responsible for the subsequent fall out. “Employers will welcome this decision and will be reassured that they won’t usually be responsible for the actions of any member of staff who deliberately inflicts harm on it or their staff. For a while, it had looked as though the scope of vicarious liability was becoming enormously (and dangerously) wide.”
Continue Reading
11/03/2020
Budget 2020: Expert Analysis From Irwin Mitchell

“Many businesses have been worried about how they’ll cope with meeting the costs of statutory sick pay if many staff members become ill or are advised to self-isolate. Reimbursing small employers for these costs will certainly help but the budget does nothing to assist businesses employing more than 250 staff. If predictions are correct, up to a fifth of the workforce may be affected – that’s a huge cost for businesses, many of whom may also have to engage agency or bank staff to cover staff absence which will also add to their costs. Those businesses that rely on foot fall may already have seen a drop in demand and will be less able to cope with large sick pay costs. “There was some suggestion that the government might temporarily increase the amount of SSP to encourage more people to stay at home if they have minor symptoms or are asked to self-isolate because, for many, being paid £94.25 per week, is a drop in the ocean compared to their actual lost income. There’s nothing in the budget about this. Some employers are paying staff full pay, but this may not be sustainable in the long run, if significant numbers of people are affected.”
Continue Reading

SUPPORTING INFO

Send Us Your Enquiry

Enter your details below and one of our experts will call you back as soon as possible.

Your name*

Your email*

Your phone number*

How can we help?*

This data will only be used by Irwin Mitchell for processing your query and for no other purpose.

Cookies

Glenn Hayes

Biography

Recent highlights:

Market view:

Read My Comments On The Latest News

Collective Bargaining In The Balance At Supreme Court

Employment Tribunals Increase 18% In First Three Months Of Lockdown

Morrisons Wins Data Breach Case In The Supreme Court

Budget 2020: Expert Analysis From Irwin Mitchell

SUPPORTING INFO

Expertise In

Office Locations

Awards

Memberships

Send Us Your Enquiry