Lighthouse HR: Managing When Employee Rights Don’t Agree: What HR Needs to Know

As HR professionals, you’re often at the heart of navigating competing employee rights in the workplace — from religious beliefs and gender identity to freedom of expression and cultural practices. But how can you be sure you’re handling these issues correctly, both legally and culturally?
Join us for this HR Lighthouse session, where expert employment lawyers from Lewis Silkin LLP will share their insights on:

✅ Understanding the legal framework - who is protected under equality legislation and what rights you must uphold.
✅ Examining key case law - real-world examples of conflicting rights and how tribunals have ruled.
✅ Practical strategies - actionable advice to manage sensitive issues, reduce legal risk, and create a workplace culture rooted in inclusion, respect, and effective conflict resolution.

Meet the speakers:

Leeanne Armstrong, Managing Associate - Lewis Silkin LLP

Leeanne is a dual-qualified employment law expert practising in both Northern Ireland and England & Wales. She advises regional, national, and international employer clients on a wide range of contentious and non-contentious employment law issues. Leeanne has extensive experience representing clients in employment tribunal litigation, particularly in cases of unfair dismissal, discrimination, whistleblowing, and equal pay, and has worked extensively with clients in the retail, telecommunications, and manufacturing sectors.
Paul Gillen, Partner - Lewis Silkin LLP
Paul Gillen is qualified in England & Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland. He provides cross-jurisdictional and comparative law advice to clients in various sectors. Before training as a lawyer, Paul had over a decade of experience in in-house HR roles, including being Head of HR, across sectors such as retail, construction, manufacturing, and logistics. He is also a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, and a Visiting Professor at the School of Law at Ulster University.

Whether you’re drafting policies, resolving employee conflicts, or advising leadership, this session will equip you with the clarity and tools needed to confidently and compliantly manage competing rights.