ACAS Code of Practice: quick reference guide
The ACAS codes of practice are advisory documents created by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) and approved by parliament. Each ACAS code of practice sets out fair behaviour guidelines for employers and employees in five key areas of employment practice, as summarised in this guide. Employment law issues arise in all workplace environments. […]
Direct discrimination at work: HR guide
The COVID-19 ‘new normal’ working environment is one in which employers must take every possible step to safeguard the wellbeing of their staff, or risk being in breach of their statutory duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their workforce. In taking action to meet your health and safety duties, employers should also […]
Positive action in the workplace
Employers are under a legal duty not to discriminate against prospective or existing employees, either negatively or positively. However, that is not to say employers cannot take ‘positive action’ to assist certain groups of people that are potentially at a disadvantage or under-represented within their workforce. In this article we examine what amounts to taking […]
Grievance procedure steps
A grievance is a work-related complaint brought by an employee. Grievances should be used to bring issues to the employer’s attention for the matter to be investigated and resolved fairly. Examples of reasons for making a work-related grievance can include health and safety concerns, harassment from another member of staff, the behaviour of a line […]
Company in administration: employee rights
If your company goes into administration you will need to know about the rights of your employees and your liability for any outstanding monies owed to them on termination or transfer of their employment. It is also important that your employees know exactly where they stand with regards to their pay, pension and workplace rights, […]
Part time hours & workers’ rights: HR guide
Understanding what counts as part time hours is important in determining the rights and entitlements of your part time workers. Below we look at what is classed as part time hours and how – save except in limited circumstances – the law protects these workers from less favourable treatment than full time workers by reason […]
Continuous employment: employer guidance
The continuous employment rules can play a crucial role in determining the employment entitlements of your workforce. It is therefore important to understand how these rules work and how they can potentially impact your decision-making when dealing with an employee’s workplace rights and terminating a contract of employment. What is continuous employment? Continuous employment refers […]
Conducting remote disciplinary & grievance hearings
Following the enforced period of homeworking under lockdown, increasing numbers of employers are now considering the benefits of allowing remote working on a longer term, and even permanent, basis. With this development comes specific workforce management issues, such as whether disciplinary and grievance hearings can and should be conducted remotely. For employers, it is a […]
Age discrimination: employers’ guide
Age discrimination, also known as ageism, is one of the most common forms of unfair treatment at work. Discriminating against an employee because of age can have serious practical and legal implications for your business, even where the discriminatory practice or conduct is unintentional. The following guide looks at age discrimination in the workplace, and […]
Objective justification: discrimination defence?
When can an employer defend an act of either direct or indirect discrimination by reason of objective justification? As an employer, you are under a statutory duty not to discriminate against any member of staff, or even against a prospective job applicant. That said, there are some circumstances in which you may have a good […]