There are lots of different areas of employment law. You need to know about all of them if you’re going to follow the law properly in your business. Here’s what you need to know.

Employee Contracts

Every employee needs a contract, and most of the time this contract should be in writing. Sometimes, they aren’t in writing, but it’s best to make sure they are. Having it writing confirms the terms and conditions, and it can save a lot of trouble down the line. There are a few things that every employment contract needs.

You should use Peninsula employment law solicitors because they’ll be able to make sure the contracts are in order before they’re signed. The contract will have to make sure the employee is given at least the minimum wage, paid leave and their hours should be made clear in it too.

Employee Rights

There are all kinds of rights that employees have, and employers have to respect these rights. Firstly, it’s the responsibility of the employer to make sure that the work environment is 100% safe to work in. If the workplace isn’t safe, someone could get hurt and then you’d have to pay for compensation claims.

You also have to be careful not to discriminate either. You’re not allowed to discriminate based on the grounds of race, nationality, religion, gender or sexual orientation. It’s illegal to discriminate against people, so you need to be very careful to make sure no one in your business does that.

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Unfair Dismissal

To start with, it’s a good idea to keep employees informed about all the major changes that the business goes through. This way, they won’t be left in the dark as changes take place. You should be open and honest about the possibility of redundancies if there is a possibility of them taking place.

When it eventually comes to dismissing an employee or making them redundant, you need to treat them fairly. If you don’t treat them fairly and honestly, or you dismiss them for an illegitimate reason, they’ll take you to an employment tribunal. Then you’ll have to pay out compensation to that person, and that can be expensive.

Maternity & Sick Pay

It’s illegal to discriminate against a woman based on pregnancy or maternity leave. Every woman who has a child or adopts a child is entitled to paid maternity leave. It’s up to the mother how long they have away from work, but it can be up to 52 weeks. The very minimum they have to stay away from work after giving birth is two weeks.

You should also be aware that fathers are entitled to paternity leave when they have a child. This period is usually of one or two weeks after the child is born. Sick pay is more difficult to get right. You need to be fair and give employees the sick pay they’re entitled to. You should only take disciplinary action if you have clear proof that the employee is not sick when they’re saying they are.

Employment might sound complicated, but it’s important to follow the rules.