A Guide To Your Employment Rights

Law can be a tricky subject for anyone who does not have the time to dive into textbooks, but knowing its most basic features can be invaluable to you. Understanding your rights as an employee can be helpful in a variety of situations – whether it is making sure you do not get into a jam with your employer or resolving the situation if you have.

What You Should Be Given

Organisations will have their own specific rules and regulations, but there are a few basic things that any employee should be given.

Firstly, you should have an employment contract. An employment contract is a written statement of your employment conditions (your hours, your places of work and any benefits that you have been offered). An employer is bound by law to stick to what was agreed in the contract.

You should also be given an itemised pay slip every time you are paid. This will show your income and any deductions that you have. The pay slip also displays other rights, such as the right to be paid above the national minimum wage and not to have any unauthorised financial deductions.

What You Should Be Offered

An employer must offer you at least four weeks of paid holiday each year. They should also allow you to have time off for study, training, parental responsibilities and trade union duties. You are usually required to provide adequate notice before you take the time off. Depending on the company’s rules, you may also be able to take time off to look for work if you are facing redundancy.

According to health and safety law, an employer must make your working environment as safe as reasonably possible. This includes promoting your mental well-being and providing adequate rest breaks.

You also have the right to carry on working until you are of retirement age (65 for men and 60 for women). A company must offer you the access to their pension scheme or an independently run counter-part.

Equality and Dismissal

An employee should not be discriminated against on grounds of gender, race or religion, sexual orientation, disability, or age. This fundamental law covers the job-seeking process as well as employment in general.

All employers must have a set procedure for asking their employees to leave their employment, and it should be made known. If an employer does not follow this procedure and provide adequate reasons for your dismissal (that are not discriminatory) you may have the right to claim compensation through ‘unfair dismissal’. 

As with all law, your employment rights are complicated. If you have any concerns it is worth talking to a solicitor, the Citizen’s Advice Bureau, your Human Resources department or your Trade Union to get more information.