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 […]
Fit note guidance for employers
The following fit note guidance will help you as an employer to understand the rules relating to fit notes, and how you can use the information from a fit note to most effectively help your business and your employees when absent from work through illness. As an employer or line manager, the fit note can […]
Custom and practice in employment contracts
The relationship between an employer and their employees is typically considered to be set out in the employment contract between the employer and each employee. However, while a vital component of the employment relationship, the individual employment contract is not the only source of the parties’ rights and duties. Implied terms, including those arising as […]
ACAS shared parental leave: employer guide
Eligible employees are entitled to take time off work as shared parental leave (SPL). As an employer you will need to understand the statutory rights and responsibilities of your employees in relation to SPL and what this means for your business in practice when handling a request for SPL. Further, in accordance with best practice, […]
Mobility clause: advice for employers
Mobility clauses can be a blessing and a curse. If drafted carefully and with thought, they can assist an employer to maintain its workforce if the workplace has to change location and so provide certainty in this regard. However, if the wording is drafted too widely, is unreasonable or the employer fails to adequately consider […]
Working from home policy: HR guidelines
Permitting employees to work from home is by no means a new concept for many companies and organisations, but the number of employees working from home in consequence of the coronavirus outbreak is unprecedented. For employers where homeworking has not previously been used, or at least not on such a large scale, it has become […]
Rest breaks at work: employers’ guide
The rules on taking breaks at work are covered by the Working Time Regulations 1998 and your employee’s own contract of employment. Whether or not these breaks are paid is entirely your decision as the employer, and should be stated in the employee’s contract. Most employees have a right to a break of twenty minutes […]
Statutory layoff pay: guide for employers
In the current climate, where the coronavirus crisis has forced the closure of many UK businesses, or resulted in a significant downturn in profits, employers may be looking to temporarily suspend workers’ employment. To avoid use of layoffs and redundancies, the Government has introduced the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which reimburses employers employment costs such […]
Home working: employer guidance
Given the current work from home requirements due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the phased return to work post-lockdown, home working is expected to become more widely adopted. For employers, this means giving full consideration as to how home working will work on a longer term basis, and what this means in terms of assessing […]
Unpaid leave: HR guide to employees’ rights
Unpaid leave is where an employee takes time off from their job without pay. In some situations, as in the case of time off to care for a dependent in an emergency, you must grant the time off, although you can decide whether it is paid or unpaid. In other situations, such as a request […]