Articles Employment Law Employment law - a brief guide

A Brief Guide To Employment Law

As a company owner you can't afford to be ignorant of employment law. You have responsibilities and obligations to your employers, and they also have obligations to you. However, keeping track of what you need to do for your employees is not always straightforward. There are dozens of laws governing different aspects of work and employment and it can be difficult to keep track of them all. Here is a guide to some of the major laws governing employment.

One key aspect of employment law is how much you have to pay your employees. This is set out the in the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 and the National Minimum Wage Regulations 1999. The amount that you pay your workers varies depending on whether they are under 18, under 21 or over 21, among other things, with the threshold for workers over 21 set at £5.52 an hour.

Working Time And Employment Law

The Working Time Regulations 1998 (amended 2003) are another key plank in employment law. These govern a number of areas related to employees' working life. For example, the Working Time Regulations set a limit of 48 hours on the average weekly working time over a period. The regulations also state how much rest workers are entitled to and set a minimum annual holiday entitlement.

There are also a number of laws which look after discrimination in the workplace. It's illegal to discriminate on the grounds of gender, sexuality, race, religious belief or disability. Some of the laws which govern this area include:
  • Disability Discrimination Act
  • Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006
  • Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003
  • Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003
  • Equal Pay Act 1970
  • Gender Recognition Act 2004
  • Race Relations Act 1976
  • Sex Discrimination Act 1975
Finally, there are a number of regulation which cover maternity, paternity and adoption rights. These include the amount of maternity, paternity and adoption leave, how much parents will be paid while on leave, the circumstances under which they may take additional leave, and their rights to return to work. Some of the relevant laws include:
  • Flexible Working (Eligibility, Complaints & Remedies) Regulations 2002
  • Maternity and Parental Leave etc Regulations 1999
  • Statutory Paternity Pay and Statutory Adoption Pay (General) Regulations 2002
This is just an introduction to some of the employment law you need to know. It makes sense to find out more so that you will be a well informed employer.

 

Deminos are HR Outsourcing and employment law specialists. To find out more please call us on 0191 460 1111 or visit http://www.deminos.co.uk

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