Employment rights
It’s great when you have a good relationship with your employer and most jobs usually start out on a positive footing. However, whether your employment is full or part-time and regardless of your grade or level of pay, you have rights as an employee and your employer is duty bound to act within the law.
Equally whether you run a business that employs hundreds of staff or whether you just employ a couple of workers, you’ll be keen to minimise risk by keeping up to date with your legal obligations when it comes to managing your staff. If you fail to meet your obligations, you could be facing costly claims relating to issues such as discrimination, unfair dismissal or breaches of health and safety.
It doesn’t take much for even the rosiest of employer/employee relationships to go sour and you never know when you might need to seek professional advice to minimise risk, protect your interests or, at the very least, ascertain where you stand.
Solicitors in the UK are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, which is the independent regulatory body of the Law Society of England and Wales. You can use the Law Society’s website to find a solicitor who specialises in Employment matters and who is local to you.
Before making your choice of solicitor, it’s a good idea to have a look at their website and make some initial contact by phone so that you can decide whether you would feel happy to entrust them with the handling of your case.
The best professionals are clear communicators who will take a little time to discuss things with you in broad terms before putting their bill in the post. You’ll know when you’ve had an initial discussion with a solicitor whether you feel comfortable accepting their services and advice.
When it comes to charges, it’s worth shopping around to see what kind of service you’ll get for your money. Solicitors are expected to clearly set out their charges to you in writing so that you know when and how you’ll be expected to pay for their work.
Many will offer a free or fixed fee initial consultation and then either set out their hourly rate with an estimate of the amount of time they expect to spend working on your behalf whereas others will estimate a total amount for the work to be undertaken. They will also set out other associated costs, such as Court fees or the expenses incurred when obtaining a medical report.
The Law is complex and employment matters can become a waiting game. A good employment solicitor is worth their weight in gold – their expertise and sound advice relating to employment matters could make a difference you’ll value for the rest of your career.
