Employment Law

Complex Employment Laws

As every company owner knows, and the rest are about to find out, the UK has some very complex employment laws. If you are an employer then it is best to retain the services of a good employment law solicitor if you don't want to find yourself on the wrong side of that law.

When you employ people; you have legal responsibilities right from the beginning of the relationship and even before. You should take great care when you write an advertisement looking to employ people. Anti-discriminatory laws say that you cannot pick and choose when it comes to religion, race, gender or sexual orientation, you should also not discriminate on grounds of age or the fact that a woman has children.

Once you have decided to employ someone and have provided them with a contract then the next step is to find out about the laws governing tax and insurance. You will have to register before you can start taking tax and insurance payments from your employees' wages. When employees are on company premises then under the law you are responsible for their health and safety. While there are guidelines regarding health and safety at work it is largely up to you to decide what is safe and what is not.

Contracts, work permit and holidays

If you are employing somebody then it is up to you to find out whether or not they need a work permit before they can start. When you own a company then you need to be aware that there are rules governing who you can employ and in what capacity - it is your responsibility as the employer to find out whether any of your staff need a work permit in order that they can work.

You should provide your employees with contracts that state the amount they will be paid, how long they have to work, whether they will get breaks and what holiday entitlement they should have. Under UK law you are also bound to pay your employees at least the Government minimum wage.

You should provide your employees with company information such as whether they close on bank holidays and what the policies and procedures are for settling grievances and finding out about sick pay and pensions etc.
 
There are rules governing sickness and there are rules governing what is a dis-missable offence and what constitutes unfair dismissal. You need to know the what constitutes unfair dismissal because if you are accused of it you could be taken to a tribunal and ordered to pay substantial compensation to your ex employee. These are just some of the UK's complex employment laws.

Deminos are HR Outsourcing and employment law specialists. To find out more please call us on 020 7870 1090 or visit http://www.deminos.co.uk
 

Employment Law Training for Businesses

Businesses could benefit from employment law training as the relationship between an employer and the people he or she employs is governed by a good number of statutory requirements.

The laws that govern contracts between a company and its employees are constantly updated and it is not always easy to stay on top of things. Companies need to know about the current state of employment law and those aspects of it which are not yet in place because they are being phased in over a specified period of time. If you don't know exactly what the law says on various employment issues then you could be failing to meet obligations to staff and this could cause a company a lot of problems.

Employees are much better served regarding employment laws because there are a number of statutory and voluntary bodies who are there to advise them of their rights, and of their employer's responsibilities. It is unfortunate that there does not seem to be equivalent services for employers. If companies were informed about company law through the training courses then they would be aware of their legal obligations. It is vital that a company should know both the extent and limitations of these obligations in order to deal with unexpected situations that might arise. If, for example, a company was forced to make members of their workforce redundant, knowing the legal requirements on this matter could save employers a lot of grief.

What To Include In Employment Law Training

Areas of employment laws that a company may think they are familiar with, but which are being constantly updated are those regarding equal opportunities and discrimination - for example employers are no longer allowed to discriminate on the basis of age. There are also laws governing fixed term contracts and part time working - employers have more responsibility to part time workers now and this has implications for holiday pay etc.

Sometimes an employee is unhappy with the way in which a company has treated them. There might be accusations of discrimination or disputes over redundancy payments each of which could end up with the employer being taken to an employment tribunal. The minimum wage Act can be a bit confusing because it lays out the minimum that an employer must pay an employee - this is different for people under 21 to what it is for those over 21.To some extent employers are left out in the cold regarding changing statutes. Employment law training could save a lot of companies from being taken before an redundancy payments each of which could end up with the employer being taken to an employment tribunal for breaching the law.


Deminos are HR Outsourcing and employment law specialists. To find out more please call us on 020 7870 1090 or visit http://www.deminos.co.uk
 

What You Need To Know About British Employment Law

Are you well informed about British employment law? If you are running a company, then ignorance could be costly. It's important to know both what you owe to your employees and what they owe to you. UK employment law is changing all the time, with laws to cover many aspects of employment, work and health and safety. It's not always easy to know what to do in each situation, so here's an overview of some of the major pieces of legislation you should be aware of.

Pay is a key issue for most employees, especially those at the lower end of the pay scale. Since the advent of the National Minimum Wage Regulations 1999, which followed the National Minimum Wage Act 1998, there are minimum thresholds for what you can pay your workers. At the moment, most workers over 21 receive £5.52 an hour, but there are some exceptions, and younger workers receive a lower rate.

Employees also want to know about time off. We may love our jobs, but we still want to be able to plan our holidays. Under British employment law, as set out in the Working Time Regulations 1998 (amended 2003), workers have to work a maximum average of 48 hours a week over a period of several weeks. There are also provisions for holiday entitlement and rest periods while working.

Maternity Rights

British employment law also has a number of regulations which govern the rights of parents (including new parents and adoptive parents). These laws cover the right to take parental leave, maternity leave, paternity leave and adoption leave, as well how much they will be paid and when they must return to work. Some of the laws to know about are:

  •  Maternity and Parental Leave etc Regulations 1999
  •  Statutory Paternity Pay and Statutory Adoption Pay (General) Regulations 2002
  •  Flexible Working (Eligibility, Complaints & Remedies) Regulations 2002

It's also important for employers to be aware of British employment law relating to workplace discrimination. Have a look at the following laws:

  •  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

Under these laws, employers may not discriminate, either during recruitment or employment, against people because of age, disability, gender, race, religious belief or sexuality.


Deminos are HR Outsourcing and employment law specialists. To find out more please call us on 020 7870 1090 or visit http://www.deminos.co.uk

 

Are You Well Informed About UK Employment Law?

What you don't know about UK employment law could cost you dearly. As an employer, it's your business to know about the laws that govern the way you relate to your employees. Your responsibility starts the minute you set up a company and start to employ people, as you need to make sure that you are registered to take tax and national insurance payments and also for health and safety. This responsibility begins at the recruitment phase and doesn't end until an employee has left your company. Here are some of the issues you need to consider.

UK employment law kicks in the minute you start thinking about hiring someone. There are rules to govern who is allowed to work in your company and whether they will need to get a work permit to do the job. When placing an advertisement, employers must be careful not to discriminate or imply discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, sexuality, age, disability or religious belief. The pay rate for those doing the same job should be equal, regardless of gender.

UK Employment Milestones

The next milestone comes when you agree to hire someone. Under UK employment law, you must provide certain information to the employee when you do this. This information may be in a letter or contract and should include information about how much they will be paid, what hours they will work, how much holiday they can take, and what procedures are in place if either they or you have a grievances.

Once your employees are on site, many other aspects of UK employment law come into play. Health and safety aspects are particularly important. Employees may be entitled to breaks depending on the type of work they are doing, or may need protective gear for handling dangerous substances. As an employer you will have to assess the risks in your working environment and take steps to minimise or eliminate those risks altogether.

The whole question of pay can be a minefield for employers. First of all, there's the minimum wage to consider. You need to know which of your workers is entitled to which pay band, and then remember to change the pay every year when the rate rises. You also need to keep track of the right pay for maternity, paternity and adoption leave. With UK employment law, there is so much to keep track of that many people choose to get expert help and outsource their human resources management.


Deminos are HR Outsourcing and employment law specialists. To find out more please call us on 020 7870 1090 or visit http://www.deminos.co.uk

 

Employment Law UK Advice

When it comes to employment law UK business owners can't afford to be uninformed. As an employer, you have certain legal responsibilities to your employees. It's also wise to know the ins and outs of their responsibilities to you. But how do you keep track of your mutual responsibilities? It's a minefield, as UK employment law is contained in dozens of individual bits of legislation, each of which has a piece of the puzzle when it comes to running your workplace. It's always a good idea to take specialist advice so that you can be sure that you comply with the law, but for now, here are some of the provisions that you should consider.

The provisions for maternity cover have evolved over the past couple of years, with mothers having the right to longer periods of maternity leave. Statutory maternity pay has increased, and new parents can also ask to work more flexibly when they return from leave. In addition, there are increased rights for fathers (who can now benefit from two weeks' paternity leave), for parents of young children and for adoptive parents. Some of the laws to read up on include:

  • Maternity and Parental Leave etc Regulations 1999
  • Flexible Working (Eligibility, Complaints & Remedies) Regulations 2002
  • Statutory Paternity Pay and Statutory Adoption Pay (General) Regulations 2002

Anti Discrimination Laws

Discrimination is a key area of employment law UK business owners should consider, with several regulations and acts governing the treatment of different groups. Discrimination law applies not only in the workplace, but also to recruitment, interviewing and dismissing employees. Basically, it's against the law to discriminate against people because of age, belief, sexual orientation, gender, disability or race. Have a look at these laws for more information:

  • 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

Are you paying your employees what they should earn? One way to find out is to read up on the provisions of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 and the National Minimum Wage Regulations 1999. Failing that, look out for the current recommendations from the Low Pay Commission. As a guide, remember that the pay for your employees will vary depending on whether they have just passed school leaving age, are under 21 or are over 21. If you're not sure what you should pay to whom, then take some employment law UK advice.

Deminos are HR Outsourcing and employment law specialists. To find out more please call us on 020 7870 1090 or visit http://www.deminos.co.uk

 
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