Employment law

From pay, hours and time off to discipline, grievance and hiring and firing employees, find out about your legal responsibilities as an employer.

While sick employees need to be treated fairly, you need to ensure that 'sickness' is not being used as cover for unauthorised absence.

As well as undermining morale, illegal discrimination can lead to workplace grievances. Employee discrimination is covered by the Equality Act 2010.

The right approach to consulting with and providing information to your employees can improve employee motivation and performance.

Following the right dismissal and redundancy procedures helps protect your business and minimise the risk of a legal dispute at tribunal.

Employment tribunal claims are a worrying prospect for any employer. A tribunal case is a no-win situation – even if the claim is unjustified.

Disciplinary and grievance issues can be a major burden to employers. Putting in place and following the right procedures is essential.

Every business needs to be aware of its obligations under minimum wage and equal pay laws, as well as recent pensions auto-enrolment changes.

Home, remote and lone workers are becoming increasingly commonplace. Key issues include communication and how to manage and motivate people remotely.

The right employment policies are an essential part of effective staff management. Make sure any policy is clear and well communicated to employees.

Establishing a successful recruitment process and clear written employment contracts for new hires can have a major impact on your business.

You must comply with legal restrictions on employees' working hours and time off, or risk claims, enforcement action and even prosecution.

Most pregnant employees are entitled to maternity leave and maternity pay, while new fathers are entitled to paternity leave and paternity pay.

An email policy sets out how employees can use email and any monitoring you intend to do. Here's how to formulate a clear policy.

A well-thought-out internet policy can stop employees wasting time online, downloading viruses and endangering data security. How to introduce one.

Poor communication can lead to misunderstandings, poor performance, low morale and wasted time. Learn to communicate well with employees.

Employment law can be complex, but you must get it right, or face unhappy employees and potential legal claims. Our guide to the basic issues.

Answers to frequently asked questions on disciplining employees, including grounds for disciplinary action and what to do in specific circumstances.

Our guide to setting up good procedures that let you deal with disciplinary and grievance issues consistently and fairly.

Discriminating against employees on any grounds other than their ability to do the job is a bad idea. Our guide to workplace discrimination.

Dismissing an employee may be your best option if their performance is unacceptable, or their position no longer exists. Here are some simple rules.

Our step-by-step guide to drawing up an employment contract, from thinking up the basic terms to include to agreeing and signing with your employee.

Extended flexible working rights and technology have made homeworking increasingly attractive. Here's how to support homeworking for your employees.

A clear and fair employment contract helps both you and your new employee understand your obligations to each other. Our overview of the key issues.

All businesses should have clear, fair procedures to avoid disputes getting to tribunal, and to give them the best chance of success if one does.

Want to know your obligations when it comes to equal pay for your employees, including disputes and tricky issues? Read our useful FAQs.

Sacking an employee for gross misconduct can be tricky, and getting it wrong could lead to legal proceedings. Our FAQs explain your responsibilities.

Not sure how to go about holding a fair and lawful disciplinary hearing when an employee has breached workplace rules? Follow our step-by-step guide.

Answers to FAQs about home workers, including your rights to require people to work from home or to refuse a home working request.

Read our checklist on creating a workplace email policy, establishing security procedures and letting your employees know what's expected of them.

Our step-by step guide to inducting new employees into your business, providing everything they need and helping them feel settled.

Regulations covering wages and statutory pay apply to almost every business. Our guide to minimum and living wage, pay for new parents and sick pay.

A good pension scheme can be an invaluable benefit for attracting and retaining key senior staff. Our guide to the options available.

Every business must now enrol their employees in an occupational pension scheme. Read our guide to the law and how to fulfil your duties.

A shift in the economic climate, merger or move to a new location can all make redundancies inevitable. Our overview of how to manage redundancies.

Read our frequently asked questions about making employees redundant, including what procedures to follow and alternatives to consider.

Frequently asked questions on your responsibilities towards staff who work remotely, and the rights they have to act on behalf of your business.

It's essential to get your remuneration packages right to attract and retain reliable employees with the skills your business needs. Our guide.

Our overview of maternity, paternity, adoption and parental rights, including leave surrounding a birth or adoption, pay and time off for child care.

You need to have clear rules outlining what will happen if employees commit an offence in the workplace. Our checklist tells you what to include.

If your employees want to file a grievance, there should be a fair and clear way to do this. Read our tips on setting up a grievance procedure.

Businesses lose a lot of money through employee sickness. Read our guide to your obligations to ill employees and how to manage unauthorised absence.

Online social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have moved into the business mainstream - but the law isn't always clear.

Almost all workers are entitled to certain statutory and minimum pay rates. Check what rates of pay your employees are entitled to.

Online social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have moved into the business mainstream - but the law isn't always clear.

Almost all employees with at least 26 weeks’ service have the right to ask for flexible working. Advice on how to consider flexible working requests.

Answers to frequently asked questions about working time rules, including exceptions and what counts as time spent working.

Working time regulations safeguard employee health and safety. Our guide to holidays, breaks, night work and other working time employee rights.

How flexible do employers need to be when letting employees work different hours or from different locations? Read our guide to the basics

There will automatically be a finding of unfair dismissal against you, if you sack an employee or select them for redundancy for any of these reasons.

It is unlawful for an employer to discriminate on grounds of age when recruiting, promoting, training or providing any other benefit to employees.

Use this GOV.UK tool to calculate how much you will have to pay an employee being made redundant, based on their age, salary and length of service.

Your former employee must register their complaint on form ET1, stating their name, address, grounds of complaint and what outcome they want.

Frequently asked questions on workplace discrimination, including your responsibilities to treat people equally and make reasonable adjustments.

FAQs people ask about dismissing employees, including disciplinary procedures and what to do about claims of constructive or wrongful dismissal.

Not sure what your obligations are when it comes to employment contracts, or what to do if one is breached? Read our helpful FAQs.

Facing a claim at an employment tribunal can be stressful and expensive. Find out answers to some of your frequently asked questions.

What you need to do to avoid an equal pay claim and make sure your pay scheme is equal and fair for women and men

FAQs about flexible working, including employee rights to request flexible working and your obligations when it comes to granting requests.

Writing a reference for an ex-employee can land you in legal hot water. Understand your rights and obligations when providing references.

Not sure what to do if an employee has filed a workplace grievance? Our FAQs answer some of your most common concerns about the law.

FAQs on your responsibilities to inform and consult with employees when you make business changes, if you have more than 50 employees.

Frequently asked questions about how to manage pregnant employees in the workplace, and employee rights to maternity leave and pay

20 FAQs people ask about the minimum wage - from the current rate to who is entitled and what hours, benefits and payments qualify.

Find out about your key responsibilities towards employees who are pregnant or have recently had a baby in this guide from GOV.UK.

Bereavement in the workplace can be challenging to manage, requiring employers to be compassionate, understanding and flexible in their approach.

The Acas Model Workplace helps you to check how good your organisation is at people management - from recruitment to performance management

How to avoid illegal age discrimination in the workplace, including possible issues with both younger and older employees - read our helpful FAQs

The new auto-enrolment rules can be confusing for small business owners - find out from our helpful FAQs what your obligations are.

Calculating how much holiday an employee is entitled to is not always that straightforward - use this interactive tool from GOV.UK.

Visit the GOV.UK website to calculate how much statutory sick pay to pay a sick employee - and how much you can recover from HMRC.

Use this calculator to work out how much statutory maternity or paternity pay you’re required to give to an employee on maternity or paternity leave.

CSOPs can be set up by any independent company, irrespective of size, and can provide benefits to all employees, or selected employees only.

Download this template from the GOV.UK website, which you can customise to create a tailored written statement of employment for your business.

Make sure your business is prepared for pensions auto-enrolment - use this tool to help you identify what you'll need to do to prepare.

Disability discrimination - a handy 10-point checklist outlining key obligations employers have in this area

Disability discrimination: key points for the workplace - up to date guidance on what it is, ensuring you fulfil obligations, handling complaints

If your workers' leisure activities create problems with other colleagues or could potentially damage your business' reputation – what can you do?

A claim for unfair or wrongful dismissal, or unlawful discrimination, is worrying and time-consuming, and can be costly to your business.

Always take advice before dismissing employees. They could bring one or a combination of three claims against you if you handle the dismissal badly.

EMI schemes are designed to help small, higher risk companies recruit and retain employees by offering them tax-beneficial share options.

The date when auto-enrolment law applies to your business is known as your 'staging date' - use this tool to find out your staging date.

Most employees have the right to apply to you to work flexibly, provided that they have worked for you for at least 26 continuous weeks.

Employers granting one flexible working request but not another need to beware of discrimination claims. Find out how to avoid the pitfalls.

The Acas Code of Practice provides a guide to disciplinary paperwork and processes - this interactive tool walks you through the right procedures.

Giving references - answers to common questions about what references you must give employees and the possible consequences

There is no legal definition of a "zero hours contract", but it is used to mean an arrangement where the employer does not guarantee to provide work.

Visit the Acas website to download a free record sheet template that can help you keep a record of an employee’s absence and punctuality.

Read this leaflet from the Health and Safety Executive to find out more about what you need to do as an employer to keep your homeworkers safe.

This toolkit from Acas includes skills guidance, job application and employment contract templates and an employee induction checklist.

You must comply with legal requirements on employees' working hours. Giving employees fair holidays and pay can also help to improve performance.

Answers to frequently asked questions about holiday issues including the rights of part-time workers and when you can refuse to grant leave.

Now all employees have the right to request flexible working, which can include working from home, you may receive more queries about this.

Discrimination can either be direct or indirect.To avoid discrimination and other claims, you must be fair and be able to show you have been fair.

Use the interactive forms from the Tribunal Service website to make an employment tribunal claim, or respond to a claim filed against you.

Find out how to objectively justify which candidates you choose for redundancy and how to avoid discrimination in our helpful video.

You need to make sure you safeguard employees who work alone - here are the key steps to take to keep them safe, and keep you legal.

Read about your responsibilities for the safety and security of your employees if you employ lone workers in this employer's guide from the BSIA.

If you have employees that regularly work alone, or outside of normal working hours, you have responsibility for their health, safety and welfare. 

You may be able to avoid making redundancies at all. However, if it does become necessary you need to follow the right procedures - read our guide.

If you need to cut costs, you don’t always need to make redundancies. We list some ways you can cut your costs, not your workforce.

Find out about your employee's entitlement to paternity leave, how much you should pay them and their obligations regarding their return to work.

Information on rates of maternity, paternity and adoption pay, how much leave new parents are entitled to and how shared parental leave works

Read this guidance and use this tool on the GOV.UK website to help you work out whether you are paying a worker the NMW, and if so at what rate.

Access this free online absence management tool developed in partnership between the Health & Safety Executive, Acas and the CIPD.

Any employee with at least one year’s service is entitled to take up to 18 weeks’ unpaid leave per child for the purpose of caring for that child.

Use this pension calculator to estimate your retirement income from saving in a personal, stakeholder or group personal pension scheme.

In savings-related share option schemes, employees are granted options over ordinary shares in the company’s share capital, to be exercised later.

Shared parental leave gives qualifying new parents and partners the right to share their statutory leave following the birth or adoption of a child.

Unsure how to handle employee sickness absence issues, or how much statutory sick pay (SSP) you may need to pay? Read our useful FAQs.

If you want to attract employees who are suited to your business needs, the process begins with drawing up a good job description.

When you take on a new member of staff, there are an initial six tasks you need to carry out to ensure you comply with the law.

Employee share schemes can help you recruit, retain and incentivise employees by giving them a direct financial interest in the company's success.

From reclaiming your business' property to ensuring your confidential information is kept secret, you must make sure that everything you do is legal.

Acas have produced a guide for employers on how to handle TUPE transfers including a step-by-step process of how to conduct a TUPE transfer.

All employees that are the expectant father or partner of a pregnant woman are entitled to take unpaid time off to attend two antenatal appointments.

Find out what to do if your business cannot afford to make employee redundancy payments because of financial difficulty in our video.

You have to give serious consideration to requests from your employees to move to flexible working patterns - this GOV.UK guide details the rules.

The workplace wellbeing tool on the GOV.UK website can help you work out the costs to your business of poor employee health and how to take action.

Employers may be liable to pay ‘interns’ on temporary placements at least the national minimum wage if the circumstances imply they are ‘workers’.

Find out about employee rights and responsibilities concerning getting to work during bad weather or transport strikes

Full-time employees are entitled to 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday each year. Part-time workers are entitled to holiday on a pro rata basis.