Employment Law A-Z

ACAS stands for the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas)[1] and its aims are improve organisations and working life through better employment relations, working with employers and employees to solve problems and improve performanc...

ACAS Code of Practice - Settlement Agreements The Acas statutory Code of Practice set out in paragraphs 1 to 24 below is designed to help employers, employees and their representatives understand the implications of section 111A of the Empl...

Age discrimination laws[1] help ensure that you are not denied a job, have an equal opportunity to training/promotions and other less favourable treatment because of age. They also designed to protect you from harassment or victimisation because o...

Apprenticeships[1] can be a great opportunity for school leavers looking to gain on-the-job skills and qualifications. They’re also a good deal for employers keen to train youngsters to the best standards, at the same time acquiring a part-funded ...

Playing it straight It goes without saying that honest dealing should form the foundation of every business. Today, thankfully, we’re less likely to encounter some of the shady practices that often used to blight business arrangements, when it wa...

Constructive dismissal is when an employee is forced to leave their job against their will because of their employer's conduct. This is a complicated area of employment Law and we recommend that you speak to a solicitor regarding Constructive Dism...

All employees have an employment contract with their employer, although it might not be in writing. If you don’t have a written employment contract, your contract would have automatically been created when you started to work for your employer. W...

Disabled workers share the same general employment rights as other workers. However, there are also some special rights for disabled people under the Equality Act 2010. Learn more about your rights and the Equality Act 2010. Employers and the Equ...

Discrimination is when you are being treated differently to others because of one of the ‘protected characteristics’. There are, however, occasions when some forms of discrimination maybe allowed, i.e employing only a woman to work at a women’s re...

The 2010 Equality Act[1] took effect from 1 October meaning workers have new rights that will help stamp out pay discrimination. Measures include stopping employers from using pay secrecy or 'gagging' clauses to hide unfair differences between wha...

Who has the right to paid holidays? Most workers have the right to take a minimum amount of paid holiday each year. This is called statutory holiday.[1] You have the right to take statutory paid holiday from work if you are a worker. This includ...

Till death do us part? Every business should aim to adopt a policy of equality and fairness.[1] So it’s important that a company understands its obligations to treat individual employees even-handedly, as many rights are enshrined in law and can ...

Read out guide outlining detailed information about your rights to maternity leave as laid out by UK employment law and in line with the ACAS code of practice.[1] When can your maternity leave start? You can choose when to start your maternity l...

Working parents have the following legal rights:[1] Paid and unpaid maternity leave; paid paternity leave; paid and unpaid adoption leave; to request flexible working hours; unpaid parental leave for parents of children un...

Equal rights for mums and mums-to-be Thanks to the Equality Act (2010),[1] no employer can discriminate against a woman because she is pregnant or has recently given birth,[2] or in the case of a pregnancy-related illness, or relating to the righ...

What is a protected conversation? A "protected conversation" provides your employer the right to have off-the-record conversations with you (without there being a prior disagreement or dispute) and make a proposal that might lead to your...

From time to time we can find our selves dealing with a difficult situation while at work, it may be an unexpected change to your work contract and agreement or you may be facing an uncomfortable and hostile work environment due to harassment and ...

Redundancy is a form of dismissal from your job, caused by your employer needing to reduce the workforce. Reasons could include: New technology or a new system has made your job unnecessary; The job you were hired for no longer exists; The ne...

Agency staff are identified as being “workers” instead of employees.  All workers and this includes agency workers are entitled to certain rights which include the following: Annual leave (paid) A rest break and a limit on working time Nation...

What is a settlement agreement? A settlement agreement[1] is a legally binding document between an employee and employer that records the agreement when the employment relationship has come to an end. This can be either because of redundancy, a ...

Sexual harassment at work is a form of unlawful discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. Claimants can be both men and women, job applicants, apprentices and employees. Although the Equality Act has been a reliable piece of employment law for...

  In its simplest form, a dismissal is when an employer terminates the employment contract of their employee with or without notice. Not all dismissals are unfair and this will depend on the circumstances and facts of the particular case and...