UK employment law is highly regulated with a wide range of statutory protections and safeguards governing employees’ rights in the workplace. In this briefing we look at what you, as an employer, need to be aware of to ensure you understand what your obligations and responsibilities are. The legislation is intended to ensure you treat employees fairly while at the same time protecting your position and minimising the risk of employment relations issues and disputes which can end up being disruptive, time consuming and expensive.
We have focused on the rights your employees will have. However, you should also be aware that there is a separate category of “worker” in UK employment law. They have some rights, such as to a minimum wage, paid holiday and protection from discrimination and whistleblowing but they do not have all the rights employees have, such as protection against unfair dismissal or the right to a statutory redundancy payment. Workers tend to be those who are employed on a short-term basis e.g. casual or freelance workers.
What is employment law?
Employment law in the UK encompasses all stages of the relationship from recruitment, during employment itself, when it ends, and in certain circumstances beyond termination.
The employment relationship is governed by a contract (which we look at below) and also by legislation which gives certain statutory protection to employees. UK employment law requires that you provide employees with particular terms of their...
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