You can avoid job losses by planning ahead and looking at other options. Before making employees redundant you should see if you can: offer voluntary redundancy or early retirement agree to flexible working temporarily reduce working hours ask employees to stop working for a short time retrain employees to do other jobs in your business let […]
If someone needs time off because a person close to them has died, it’s important their employer approaches the matter sensitively. For example: giving the person the time they need to deal with the bereavement considering the person’s physical and emotional wellbeing, including once they’ve returned to work A sensitive approach can help keep a […]
Fit notes used to be called sick notes. A fit note is an official written statement from a doctor giving their medical opinion on a person’s fitness for work. They might also make recommendations for how the employer could support the employee. Whether you need a fit note depends on the length of sickness absence. […]
Apart from annual holiday entitlement, an employee might need time off work for reasons including: short-term and long-term sickness, including mental health conditions helping a child, partner or relative bereavement medical appointments pregnancy-related illnesses and appointments, including IVF bad weather conditions, making travelling to work difficult or impossible Each workplace might have different rules on what […]
If an employer gives a reference it must be accurate and fair. The employer giving the reference can decide how much they include. References can be short or long – for example, a ‘basic reference’ or a ‘detailed reference’. What a basic reference says A basic reference (or factual reference) is a short summary of […]
Once you’ve decided who to hire, you’ll need to make them a job offer. You can make a job offer verbally, but it’s better in writing to avoid misunderstandings later on. What to include in a job offer letter The letter should include: the job title confirmation you’ve offered them the job any conditions, for example that […]
You do not have to interview someone before giving them a job unless your business has rules that say you do. Even if you do not have to interview, doing so is a good idea so that you: can find out if the person really is right for that job do not leave anyone thinking […]
When hiring, it’s obviously important to find the best person for the job. But you should also check you’re following the law on discrimination. It’s usually against the law to discriminate against a job applicant based on any of the following, known as ‘protected characteristics’: age disability race gender reassignment marriage and civil partnership pregnancy and maternity […]
Workers aged under 18 have extra rights to protect them because of their age. Whether they’re an employee or worker can also affect their rights. Working hours and rest breaks for workers aged 16 or 17 By law, workers aged 16 or 17 must not work more than 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week. […]
Not sure what the maximum working hours is for an employee? By law an employee cannot work more than an average 48 hours a week unless either of the following applies: they agree to work more hours (known as ‘opting out’ of the weekly limit) they do a job not covered by the law on working hours (sometimes known […]