Jo Johnson is an experienced employment lawyer in our Labour & Employment team, based in the Manchester office. Jo regularly advises UK and international clients across different sectors on a vast range of contentious and noncontentious employment-related issues.
Jo has worked with clients ranging from FTSE 100s to private businesses, inbounds and startups.
Jo has worked on large-scale workforce transformation projects involving fast-paced and media-sensitive aspects, for both solvent and insolvent employers. Her work in this area includes supporting clients with industrial relations strategy, changes to terms and conditions, headcount reductions and Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE) transactions. Her pragmatic and solutions-focused advice enables clients to act decisively and with confidence in challenging situations. Over the years, Jo has worked on numerous pay compliance matters, supporting clients in exploring their levels of potential legal risk and then on their journey to legal compliance and/or during regulatory investigations.
Jo also has vast experience in litigation matters, undertaking detailed and complex workplace investigations and providing HR support on a range of matters, including difficult senior exits and settlements.
Overall, Jo is valued by her clients for providing technical legal advice combined with commercially tailored solutions, to assist clients in attaining their objectives. Jo has joined us from one of the Big Four firms, and is used to working on large and complex projects involving a range of specialisms and expertise across the board.
Supporting a manufacturing client on an executive director exit, including provision of a settlement, termination letter and negotiations of settlement package.
Supporting a global technology client on its family friendly leave compliance across numerous jurisdictions, including the facilitation of global specialist support.
Working with a client who provides global charitable aid in understanding its compliance with its legal obligations when needing to make headcount reductions due to funding withdrawals.
Assisting as part of a multidisciplinary team on the ground to deliver HR support on several high-profile and complex insolvencies.
Leading the employment legal aspects of large projects (including for a client in the construction manufacturing sector and one in the food manufacturing sector) involving wholescale changes to their reward proposition, analysis of collective bargaining agreements, employee forums, contractual terms and entitlements, and contractual variation mechanisms.
Supporting a range of clients with their intragroup reorganisations, including TUPE of employees to other subsidiaries (including across different jurisdictions, working with overseas colleagues).
Leading numerous and complex grievance and disciplinary investigations for clients.
Supporting a large UK retail client on holiday pay compliance, including the pay elements to be included within the average pay calculations and entitlements.
Supporting a large food manufacturer in relation to pay parity for agency workers and undertaking detailed analysis on terms and conditions of permanent comparable employees.
Advising a large hospitality client on its compliance with National Minimum Wage, during a HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigation.