Employment Law Guide

To use the Employment Law Guide, find what you are looking for using the search box, or scroll down the A to Z list of employment law topics and click to read more.

Employment Law Categories

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• Disciplinary
• Dismissal
• Employment Law
• Employment Law Documents
• Equality
• Grievances
• Health and Safety
• Time Off Work
• Tribunals
• Types Of Employment
• Wages
• Working Parents

A to Z List Of Employment Law Topics

• Absence From Work
  An employee’s absence from work is often the basis for disputes between employers and their staff. A fundamental concept of employment is that an employee works for their employer atContinue reading “Absence From Work”
• Accidents At Work
  Accident Reporting Certain accidents at work must be reported to the Health and Safety Executive. In the event of: work-related accidents which cause death; work-related accidents which cause certain seriousContinue reading “Accidents At Work”
• Bullying And Harassment
  Harassment, bullying or constantly tormenting someone who works in the same workplace may well amount to a criminal offence. It is also conduct that could infringe the Equality Act 2010Continue reading “Bullying And Harassment”
• Constructive Dismissal
  A constructive dismissal can happen if an employee resigns in circumstances where they are entitled to treat the contract as brought to an end by a fundamental breach of contractContinue reading “Constructive Dismissal”
• Contract Of Employment
  A contract of employment can arise when one party agrees with another that they will personally undertake work for the other, which they will be paid to do by theContinue reading “Contract Of Employment”
• Coronavirus And Employment Law
  The coronavirus pandemic in 2020 has had an impact on employment law and health and safety law in the UK, with changes to the law on Statutory Sick Pay andContinue reading “Coronavirus And Employment Law”
• Criminal Records Checks
  Employers can check the criminal records of people they are recruiting by using the Government Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) in England. There are different systems in Scotland and NorthernContinue reading “Criminal Records Checks”
• Disciplinary Procedure
  In order to fairly dismiss an employee for a breach of discipline an employer should have in place a disciplinary procedure. The procedure should comply with the ACAS guidelines inContinue reading “Disciplinary Procedure”
• Dismissal
  If the employer ends the contract it is a dismissal. However a dismissal will also occur if an employer simply fails to renew a contract for a fixed period whenContinue reading “Dismissal”
• Employee Handbook
  An employee handbook is really important to a business because can communicate the employer’s legal, HR and Health and Safety policies and procedures to their employees. In the Employee Handbook,Continue reading “Employee Handbook”
• Employment Agencies
  A recruitment business can be an employment agency or an employment business or both. Employment agencies or recruitment consultancies introduce work-seekers to employers and they become an employee of theContinue reading “Employment Agencies”
• Employment Settlement Agreement
  An employment settlement agreement is a binding written agreement between an employee and employer where the employee agrees to settle a claim that they have, or potentially have, against theirContinue reading “Employment Settlement Agreement”
• Employment Tribunals
  Employment tribunals are a system of courts that have authority to deal with a number of different types of employment law claims and disputes arising between an employer and theirContinue reading “Employment Tribunals”
• Equality And Discrimination
  It is unlawful to discriminate against anyone at work because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, orContinue reading “Equality And Discrimination”
• Fixed Term Employees
  Fixed term employees are those on contracts that last for a specified period of time, or which will end when a specified task has been completed, or a specified eventContinue reading “Fixed Term Employees”
• Flexible Working
  Employees who qualify have a right to ask to vary their contract of employment to allow flexible working. They will qualify by having 26 weeks of continuous employment with theirContinue reading “Flexible Working”
• Grievance Procedure
  An employer should provide a clear grievance procedure for where workers have problems or concerns about their work, working environment or working relationships that they wish to raise and haveContinue reading “Grievance Procedure”
• Health and Safety
  An employer has a general duty to take reasonable care to avoid injury, disease or death occurring to their employees at work.  In particular employers must provide: A safe placeContinue reading “Health and Safety”
• Health And Safety Statement
  All employers of more than five people must have a written health and safety statement setting out their general health and safety policy, and the organisation and arrangements for carryingContinue reading “Health And Safety Statement”
• Holidays
  Workers are entitled to a statutory minimum amount of paid annual leave in each leave year of 5.6 weeks or pro-rata (maximum 28 days).  A week’s paid leave means theContinue reading “Holidays”
• Maternity Leave And Pay
  From the first day of employment there is an entitlement to 26 weeks’ ordinary maternity leave and 26 weeks additional maternity leave. If the employee has worked continuously for theContinue reading “Maternity Leave And Pay”
• Minimum Wage
  All workers aged over the compulsory school leaving age (16 years old) must be paid the National Minimum Wage. There are different rates for adult workers (aged 21 and over),Continue reading “Minimum Wage”
• Notice Period
  Employment can usually only be terminated by either party giving a period of notice, unless an employee is contracted to work for only a specific fixed period of time orContinue reading “Notice Period”
• Parental Leave
  Working parents with one year’s employment with their employer are entitled to unpaid parental leave to care for a child. The right applies to parents and to a person whoContinue reading “Parental Leave”
• Part Time Workers
  Part time workers have the right not to be treated less favourably than a comparable full time worker in the terms of their contract, or by being subjected to anyContinue reading “Part Time Workers”
• Paternity Leave And Pay
  Eligible employees are entitled to choose to take either one week or two consecutive weeks’ paternity leave. They can choose to start their leave after the date of the child’sContinue reading “Paternity Leave And Pay”
• Redundancy
  An employee’s job is redundant if the business or organisation that employs them closes down, or closes down at the location where they work, or if they become surplus toContinue reading “Redundancy”
• Right To Be Accompanied
  Workers have a statutory right to be accompanied by a fellow worker or trade union official where they are required or invited by their employer to attend certain disciplinary orContinue reading “Right To Be Accompanied”
• Shared Parental Leave And Pay
  Qualifying new parents have had the opportunity to share the balance of the mother’s 52 weeks of statutory leave and 39 weeks of statutory pay as shared parental leave andContinue reading “Shared Parental Leave And Pay”
• Sickness And Sick Pay
  The most common reason for an employee being absent from work is time off because of sickness. An employee who takes time off claiming to be sick when they areContinue reading “Sickness And Sick Pay”
• Time Off For Family And Dependants
  Employees have the right to take a reasonable period of time off work to deal with an emergency involving a dependant, and not to be dismissed or victimised for doingContinue reading “Time Off For Family And Dependants”
• Transfer Of Undertakings (TUPE)
  The Transfer of Undertaking (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 (TUPE), apply when there is a transfer of a trade or business undertaking or part of an undertaking, to a newContinue reading “Transfer Of Undertakings (TUPE)”
• Unfair Dismissal
  Employees who are dismissed may be able to make a claim to an employment tribunal alleging unfair dismissal. An employee who has completed more than two years of continuous employmentContinue reading “Unfair Dismissal”
• Wages
  The law defines wages to include any fee, bonus, commission, holiday pay or other emolument of employment. It also includes Statutory Sick Pay, Statutory Maternity Pay, a guarantee payment, anyContinue reading “Wages”
• What Is Employment?
  For there to be employment there must be a contract of service where the employer controls how, when and where the work is done. Usually the work is done onContinue reading “What Is Employment?”
• Whistle-blowers
  Staff who become “whistle-blowers” are protected under the law. The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 protects workers (not just employees) from being victimised or dismissed for making a disclosure (oftenContinue reading “Whistle-blowers”
• Worker Or Self-employed?
  People who personally do work for other people can broadly be categorised as either a worker or self-employed. If someone is not an employee they will either be genuinely “selfContinue reading “Worker Or Self-employed?”
• Workers From Outside The UK
  It an offence for an employer to employ someone they have “reasonable cause to believe” does not have permission to be in or work in the United Kingdom. Sections 15–25Continue reading “Workers From Outside The UK”
• Working Parents
  Working parents have a number of rights and entitlements under UK employment law. Maternity Leave And Pay All pregnant employees are entitled to reasonable time off for antenatal care. FromContinue reading “Working Parents”
• Working Time Regulations
  The Working Time Regulations set out the limits on how long most workers can work in a week, their right to rest periods, days off and annual leave. The WorkingContinue reading “Working Time Regulations”
• Workplace Pensions
  Employers in the UK must put eligible staff into a workplace pension scheme and contribute towards it. This is a requirement of the Pensions Act 2008. “Automatic enrolment” pension schemesContinue reading “Workplace Pensions”
• Wrongful Dismissal
  Wrongful dismissal is where an employer who dismisses someone without contractual or statutory notice will be in breach of contract and liable to pay compensation. Usually the employer’s liability willContinue reading “Wrongful Dismissal”

All advice and explanation of the law in this law guide is intended for information purposes only, and is not a substitute for taking formal specific legal advice from a practising solicitor or barrister. While every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the contents of this law guide and the opinions in it, no responsibility for loss occasioned to any person or company acting or refraining from action as a result of any statement in it or otherwise caused by relying upon the contents of this law guide is accepted by the author or publishers.