Lay Off Pay: Guide for UK Employers
Lay offs are often used as an alternative to redundancy, allowing businesses to retain their workforce while managing short-term downturns or financial difficulties. During a lay off, employees are not provided with work for a period of time but remain employed, meaning their contract of employment is not terminated. Statutory lay off pay is the […]
Employing Young Workers
Employing young workers can bring many benefits to a business, allowing you to meet staffing needs, build your employer brand and develop a talent pipeline, since home-grown talent can be a cost-effective way of filling any future skills gaps. However, employers of younger workers have to ensure they are complying with the law and that […]
Redundancy Matrix: Fair Selection Guide for Employers
A redundancy matrix is a tool used by employers to assess employees fairly and objectively during a redundancy process. It involves scoring employees against a set of predetermined criteria to determine who will be selected for redundancy. The matrix ensures transparency and helps employers demonstrate that decisions were made based on measurable factors rather than […]
Miscarriage Time Off Work Explained
Miscarriage is a deeply personal and distressing experience, and employers in the UK have an important role in providing support and understanding to affected employees. For employees who have suffered a miscarriage, time off and the support they receive from their employer can be an important part of their recovery. There is, however, no statutory […]
Do Employees Have to Declare Spent Convictions?
It’s understandable that employers will want to establish whether a prospective employee is trustworthy and of good character before taking them on. Even where criminal record checks are not a mandatory job role requirement, employers may still want to make any offer of employment conditional upon an assessment of a candidates’ criminal history. They may […]
Leave of Absence (Employers’ Guide)
Managing employee absences is a balancing act. Employers have to accommodate legitimate leave requests while ensuring productivity isn’t compromised. But what exactly counts as a leave of absence, and how should employers handle it? In the UK, there’s no single legal definition of a leave of absence; it can cover anything from parental leave and […]
Redundancy Consultation Period for 1 Person
When making redundancies in the workplace, regardless of the number of redundancies that need to be made, employers must always follow a fair consultation process. Below we provide employers with some practical advice on the individual redundancy consultation process in the context of small-scale redundancy scenarios, together with guidance on meeting the collective consultation rules […]
Probation Review Guide: Tips for Managers
Probation reviews give both the employer and the employee a structured approach to assess whether the role and working relationship are a good fit. In the UK, probationary periods are commonly included in employment contracts, with a specified timeframe for monitoring performance, conduct and overall suitability for the role. While probation reviews typically take place […]
Termination of Employment Letter: Employers’ Guide
Terminating someone’s employment can be fraught with legal risks for employers, not least where an employee has accrued the right to claim unfair dismissal. As such, it is important to follow a fair dismissal process, including notifying the employee in writing of the reasons for their dismissal and the effective date upon which their employment […]
Withdrawing an Offer of Employment
Withdrawing an offer of employment is a decision not to be taken lightly. Before you take action, you’ll need to ensure you understand the legal risks. In most cases, it is unlikely that an employer would want, or need, to withdraw a job offer once it has been accepted. However, even where an employer is […]