Companies especially start up and small businesses often pay less attention to UK employment law. For the least, as employers, must be aware of staff legal employment rights.
People under your employment have the following rights regardless whether they are full time staff or part timers:
- Must be paid at least the national minimum wage.
- Reasonable working hours with breaks.
- Entitle to be paid fairly regardless their gender
- Entitle to statutory holidays – minimum of four weeks
- Protection from discrimination
- Provided with a safe working environment
- Allow notice of termination of employment, at least one month
- Be given an employment contract within the first eight weeks
- Entitle to statutory sick pay and statutory maternity, paternity and adoption pay
- Maternity, paternity and adoption leave
- Allow parental leave and time off for family emergencies
- Request flexible working arrangements for parents
- Protection from unfair dismissal, if worked for more than one year
- Entitle to redundancy pay if worked for more than two years
Failed to treat your staff right will not only give rise to financial penalties to your business but also attract unwelcome publicity. Your company mostly likely will be branded as bad employers if your staff won the case.
Your staff can claim against you at Employment Tribunals for any of the breach of employment rights mentioned above for financial compensation up to £25,000. For higher financial compensation claim, it has to go through civil court.
Concise Accountancy – Helping businesses stay on the right side of employment law
