How your Employment can come to an end
There are various ways your Employment can come to and - but if you are an Employee you have the right not to be unfairly dismissed. Read this article for…
Small Business Owners – a guide to what documents you need to employ staff!
We recently highlighted how red tape is putting off small businesses taking on staff. Another area of huge concern and confusion is what paperwork you need to give your staff…
Employment status – An Employee, Freelancer or Worker?
There are three different types of working individuals but deciding someone's employment status can be complicated as there is no single legal definition. Our advice is updated for 2011. Here…
Equal Opportunties and Discrimination (Equality Act 2010)
The new Equality Act came into force on 1st October 2010 and replaces all previous equality legislation. The Equality Act covers the same groups that are protected by existing equality…
Staff Misconduct in the workplace – personality conflicts, ‘sickies’, drugs, alcohol and third-party requests to dismiss
Staff misconduct in the workplace can be a tricky problem to handle. Depending on the type of misconduct, it could result in losing staff, unhappy staff or lower team morale…
Mandatory Gender Pay Gap Reporting and Equal Pay
Also covered here is: Executive pay gap reporting, Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting, Equal Pay and Pay Secrecy. Mandatory Gender Pay Gap Reporting: The 2015 Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act…
Should employers fear the office Christmas party? Misconduct outside the workplace
Your office Christmas Party is, hopefully, normally pretty lively and good fun. However, Employers can face problems if their staff ‘misbehave’. Without being too much of a Grinch there are…
Employment tribunals – your rights
With a 56% rise in Tribunal claims in 2010, Employment Tribunals (ET’s) have been in the news a lot lately! Here we give you the information you need to know…
Can disciplinary or grievance meetings be audio or video recorded?
There could be various reasons an Employer or an employee, may wish to audio or video-record important work meetings/hearings, but there are some factors to consider which we explore here.…
The right to request time off for training or study
There exists a right to request time off for training or study, for employees in England, Wales and Scotland, who work for employers who have 250+ employees. Information about this…
Finding details of Employment Tribunal cases
Updated 2025. Employment Tribunal cases and their judgments, in the past, were rarely made freely available to the public, however The Ministry of Justice launched an online database in February…
Redundancy and ‘suitable alternative employment’ explained
In this article we look at the concept of an Employer providing 'suitable alternative employment' when an individuals job is being made redundant - what does it mean, how do…
National Minimum Wage increases from April 2025/Living Wage increases for 2025/6
(updated October 2025) The National Minimum Wage rates from 1st April 2025 are as follows : For workers aged 21 and over the national living wage rate will increase to…
What are zero-hour contracts?
After the introduction of the Agency Workers Regulations in 2010, many companies started to use more zero-hours contract workers than Agency temps. Here we look at what they are, but…
The Equality Laws that Businesses need to know about – relevant to your customers and service users
Equality Laws – Businesses know they have responsibilities to their employees and workers under the Equality Act 2010. However, this law also protects a businesses’ customers and/or service users so…
An animal is for life, but can you take them to work?
Here we look at whether Employers should allow animals into the workplace – the laws you need to know about and best (or fun) workplace, practices. There are several types…
Taking on an apprentice – the full details
(updated 2023) Apprenticeship schemes are often in the news – and not always for the right reasons. We’ve had a look at what they are and where you can find…
Hybrid working – how Employers can make it work!
The practical, managerial, and psychological considerations. When home working/hybrid working became common during the Covid pandemic, some commentators assumed it would only be a temporary change. However, 2024 data from…
New offence for large Companies that fail to prevent fraud
A new law – that came into effect on 1st September 2025 – will see large companies facing a new criminal offence if they fail to prevent fraud. From this…
Reclaim 100% of Statutory Maternity Pay (and other family pay)
Did you know that small employers can usually reclaim 92% of employees’ Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP), Paternity Pay, Adoption Pay, Parental Bereavement Leave, Shared Parental Pay and Neonatal Care Pay…
IR35 ‘small company’ threshold rules change in April 2025
IR35 ‘small company’ threshold rules are changing in April 2025 – Since April 2020, all medium and large sized businesses in the private sector that employ Contractors have been responsible…
Employment Law in the United Kingdom – what differences are there?
We thought we’d look in detail at the main differences in Employment Law between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Generally, employment law between England and Wales is the same;…
Neonatal Care Leave and Pay – a new right from 6th April 2025
There will be a new right from 6th April 2025 to Neonatal Care Leave and Pay – in England, Wales and Scotland. This will be a new statutory right for…
April 2025 rate increases for statutory maternity pay and statutory sick pay
Rate increases – The Government have announced the following rate increases for Statutory Maternity Pay, Paternity Pay, Adoption Pay, Shared Parental Pay, Parental Bereavement Pay, Neonatal Care Pay and Statutory…
Maternity Leave and Pay Chart
As part of our guide to Maternity here is a quick chart to help you work out your Maternity Leave and Pay entitlements - updated for 2011.
Tips must be allocated and paid to staff from 1st October 2024
The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 came into force on 1st October 2024. This new law creates a legal obligation on Employers to allocate all tips, gratuities and service…
Workplace Sexual Harassment – new laws from 26th October 2024
Workplace Sexual Harassment – new laws from 26th October 2024 From 26th October 2024 there is a new law being introduced in Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) – called…
Predictable terms and conditions Regulations are NOT coming in 2024
Originally: A new law called The Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Act 2023 had been proceeding through the UK Parliament and received Royal Assent on 18th September 2023. It needed…
TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings Regulations 2006)
Updated July 2024: The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (referred to below as TUPE) is now the main piece of legislation governing the sale or transfer of…
Menopause and work: guidance for employers in the UK
Menopause and work (updated April 2024) The Equality and Human Rights Commission produced a comprehensive Guide to Menopause in the Workplace, in February 2024, which you can read here. There…
Disability Discrimination – what makes a worker disabled under the Equality Act 2010?
When considering if a worker is disabled or not for the purposes of being covered by the Equality Act 2010, employers must consider the impact of any physical or mental…
Guide to pay, wages, pay cuts, ‘unauthorised deductions’ and Tips
Pay and Wages explained. How your Pay is protected from 'unauthorised deductions' from your Employer and what to do if your Employer wants to cut your pay or you cannot…
Guide To Statutory Redundancy Pay and Redundancy
Our advice about Redundancy is updated for 2011. Redundancy is a ‘fair’ means of dismissal by your Employer if the procedures they follow and the circumstances are correct. A Redundancy…
Carers Leave – new from 6th April 2024
Carers Leave – a new statutory right to a week’s unpaid leave for Carers from 6th April 2024 In England, Wales and Scotland, a new right for Employees will be…
Flexible Working – April 2024 changes
Certain Employees, who have caring responsibilties for children or adults, now have the legal right to request to work flexible hours. Additionally, employees have the right to request time off…
Adoption Leave and Pay – all the details
Information about Adoption Leave and Pay and who is eligible for it. Our advice is updated for 2011 to include details of how your adoption partner/husband/spouse can take over any…
Paternity Leave and Pay – 2025 updates
Updated February 2025. Following the birth of a child or an adoption placement, fathers, spouses and partners/civil partners who are employees have a right to paternity leave and pay, to…
Extension of Redundancy Protection for employees who are pregnant or returning from family leave from 6th April 2024
Extension of Redundancy Protection (updated April 2024): From 6th April 2024, in England, Wales and Scotland, there are new laws that provide a significant extension to the current rights for…
Guide To Maternity Leave and Pay
Ordinary Maternity Leave lasts for 26 weeks and all Employees are eligible for this regardless of their length of service with their employer. Workers and Freelancers aren't generally entitled to…
Working Time Regulations – Working Hours, Rest Breaks and Holiday Entitlements Guide, May 2024
All the information you need to know about the Working Time Regulations - Rest Breaks, Weekly working hours limits, Daily working hours limits, Opt-Outs, Holiday entitlements - and Bank Holidays.…
Holiday entitlement and sick leave – some clarity? (updated 2024)
Updated January 2024. There has been plenty of confusion surrounding how workers holiday entitlements (given by the Working Time Regulations) react with sickness absence. After several years of conflicting UK…
Calculating Holiday Pay
Calculating the amount of holiday pay an employee or worker should receive seems, on the face of things, a fairly straightforward process. (Updated 2024). However, a number of court decisions…
Equality Act amended from 1st January 2024, to retain EU rights after Brexit!
When the Equality Act was introduced in 2010 it implemented various pieces of previous EU legislation. After Brexit (from 1.1.21), EU legislation was copied into UK domestic law. The current…
Third party harassment provisions in Equality Act repealed….but came back in October 2024!
The 2010 Equality Act contained the concept of Third Party Harassment, where employers could be held liable for harassment of their workers by third parties. (Updated 2024) This meant that…
Parental Bereavement Leave and new Neonatal Care Leave
The new Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay Act 2018 (also known as Jack’s Law) became law on 6th April 2020. Updated February 2025. What does this mean? It will be…
Internships – a good opportunity or a waste of time?
(Updated 2023) Internships and work experience placements can often get bad press, so we look at whether they are a beneficial experience for both Employers and the interns, or unethical…
Volunteering – do something meaningful with your spare time
Anyone can volunteer – Employees, Freelancers and Contractors too. All types of organisations in (and outside of) the UK regularly need volunteers, and you can provide much-needed specialised skills. You…
Large Scale Dismissals – are they legal?
Updated April 2024. Dismissals are always worrying, but when they happen on a large scale, are they legal? We look at what happened in March 2022, when P&O Ferries sacked…
Statutory sick pay, sickness and fit notes
Up to date information about Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) and your entitlement to it. New information in 2010 on Sick notes and 'Fit' Notes and our advice is updated for…
The Conduct of Employment Agencies Regulations 2003
(updated July 2023) Forgive the long title, but these Regulations are important for Limited Company Contractors (or Personal Service Companies) and agency temps. These regulations were introduced in April 2004…