Employment Tribunal Guidance for Employers

The Employment Tribunals (ET) are an independent judicial body established to resolve disputes over employment rights between employers and employees. Claims likely to be heard in the ET will involve matters on unfair dismissal, discrimination, wages and redundancy payments.

In July 2017, the Supreme Court unanimously held that ET fees were unlawful and must be quashed. In September 2018, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) published tribunal statistics for April-June 2018 and across the boards the numbers are up!
Key figures include:

• Number of single claims lodged increased by 165% compared with the same quarter last year.
• The number of single claims outstanding rose by 130% compared with the same quarter last year.
• There have been 12,400 fee refund payments made since the fee refund scheme was introduced, totalling just over £10m.
• Disability discrimination cases had the largest average award (£30,700). Religious discrimination claims had the lowest average award (£5,100). The average award for unfair dismissal awards was £15,007.

If you are an employer and you have received an ET claim, it is crucial you act quickly and carefully to place yourself in the best position to defend the claim, or to reach a fair settlement agreement with the employee. At Employment Law Services (ELS), we have set out 5 top tips that should be applied when responding to a claim.

(1) Address the claim immediately

A tribunal claim is not something that should be set aside to deal with at a later date. Employers should have procedures in place to make sure that, when an ET1 is received, it is immediately brought to the attention of the appropriate people.
An employer should then make the decision on who is going to have the responsibility for dealing with the claim and begin working on the response.

An employer’s response should arrive at the ET office, on the appropriate form (an ET3), within 28 days of the date on which the claim was sent out.

(2) Evaluate the merits of the claim

Employees cannot submit an ET claim unless they have contacted the ACAS early conciliation service in the first instance. If both parties have gone through this process, the employer will probably already have knowledge of the employee’s complaint and had the opportunity to process its merits.

In this event, the employer should carefully carry out an assessment of the employee’s complaint and what defence they may have and then decide whether to fight the case or not.

Sometimes, employers discover that a settlement agreement is the less expensive option when weighing the costs of defending an ET claim. Settlement agreements are legally binding contracts which can be used to end an employment relationship on agreed terms. Once this document has been signed, the employee won’t be able to make an ET claim about any type of claim which is listed on the agreement.

(3) Focus on the issues relevant to the case

When responding to an ET complaint, it is crucial that employers focus on the employees specified allegations and any legal issues that may surround this. An employer’s response should be carefully drafted in as much detail as possible as they may not get the opportunity to introduce more information at a later date.

(4) Pay attention to detail

Whoever is in charge of drafting the ET3 must ensure that there are no inconsistencies and that all statements are factual and supported by the correct evidence.

(5) Submit the ET3 on time

An employer’s response form (ET3) should be submitted within 28 days of receiving the claim. This form can be submitted by using the online submission tool or returning the paper form.

The main thing to remember here is to ensure the tribunal office receive the form before the deadline, the form should not be sent on the 28th day. Employers may have the opportunity to apply for an extension, but this will be permitted at the judge’s discretion.

Fixed Fee ET work

Defending Employment Tribunal claims, or threats of a claim can be costly, but it doesn’t need to be. with Employment Law Services (ELS)’ Fixed Fee Employment Tribunal Representation offering, employers can save time and money. We understand how expensive, stressful, time consuming and distracting defending an Employment Tribunal Claim can be, even before the case ever reaches the hearing stage.

Negotiating the employment tribunal rules & procedures can be confusing & difficult but it doesn’t need to be. With our Fixed Fee Employment Tribunal Representation offering, employers can save time and money.

We believe this approach helps you control costs, minimise stress and wasted time and management resources, allowing you to continue to focus on your core business.

If you are faced with an Employment Tribunal claim, or threat of an Employment Tribunal Claim, Employment Law Services (ELS) can help. If you are an employer who requires assistance with any of the issues raised in this blog contact us today for your free consultation 0370 218 5662.

Parental Bereavement Bill receives Royal Assent

The new Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018 sets out that parents who suffer the death of a child under the age of 18 or a still birth from 24 weeks of pregnancy will be entitled to two weeks paid leave. It is expected that these new rights will be incorporated into the Employment Rights Act 1996 in 2020.

At present, most employees have the statutory right to a “reasonable” amount of unpaid time off under the Employment Rights Act, this is to allow them to deal with unforeseen matters or emergencies that involve a dependant.

The death of a child can have a severe impact on a parents’ physical and emotional wellbeing. Therefore, it is crucial that employers manage this difficult time carefully and see that the employee successfully returns to work in the future.

In 2016, a survey conducted by the charity, Child Bereavement UK disclosed that less than one third of British adults who were employed at the time of their loss said they felt supported by their employer. This figure highlights the need for improvement in this area.

New legislation

This Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018 initially started off as a Private Members Bill, however, it has always been supported by the Government; who expressed: “This law makes parental bereavement leave a legal right for the first time in the UKs history. Losing a child is an unimaginable trauma. I am delighted we have reached this important milestone which so many people have campaigned for.”

The act sets out that:

• A bereaved parent will be entitled to take at least 2 weeks’ leave which must be taken in the first 56 days following the child’s death. This leave should be taken in blocks of 1 week and can be continuous or discontinuous;

• Leave can be taken in respect of each child if there is more than one child involved;

• The definition of a qualifying parent may be framed (in whole or part) by reference to the employee’s care of the child before he/she died (regulations will provide more detail on the definition);

• The rules about rights during that leave (and other family leave) also apply during bereavement leave, including the right to the same terms and conditions (other than in respect of pay) and (broadly) the right to return to the same role;

• The process that should be followed i.e. the requirement to give notice and provide evidence, will be set out within the regulations;

• The rates of pay will also be determined by the regulations, but in order to receive pay (rather than be able to take leave), a parent must have at least 26 weeks’ continuous service and received pay above the lower earnings limit for the last 8 weeks.

Employer considerations

• Employers should have well written bereavement policies in the workplace, this will equip employees with certainty and security during difficult times;

• Details regarding death should be kept private under data protection laws. Employers should consider asking the employee how much information they wish to pass on to their colleagues;

• It is important that employers are aware of the risk of racial or religious discrimination claims that may come as a result of refusing an employee time off for religious observances on death. This is because certain religions require a set time to mourn – For example, Muslims have certain set mourning periods, depending on the relation of the deceased relative.

How can Employment Law Services (ELS) help?

If you are an employer who requires assistance with any of the issues raised in this blog contact us today for your free consultation 0370 218 5662.

Latest Employment Tribunal Statistics | April to June 2018

The MOJ has published the tribunal statistics for April to June 2018 and across the board the numbers are up!

Here are the key figures:

• number of single claims lodged increased by 165% compared with the same quarter last year.

• the number of single claims outstanding rose by 130% compared with the same quarter last year.

• there have been 12,400 fee refund payments made since the fee refund scheme was introduced, totalling just over £10m.

• disability discrimination cases had the largest average award (£30,700). Religious discrimination claims had the lowest average award (£5,100). The average award for unfair dismissal awards was £15,007.

This upward trend in Employment Tribunal claims is unsurprising following the abolishment of Tribunal fees in July 2017, and the figures above are reliable as April to June 2017 was the last full quarter when fees were in force.

Employers should take note of the significant increase in Employment Tribunal claims and ensure they have in place an effective risk management strategy to ensure compliance and adherence with employment legislation to prevent problems and protect their business from costly Employment Tribunal claims.

Our Fixed Fee Annual Retainer Service helps Employers to manage staff issues across all aspects of their employment, ensuring compliance and reducing risks. Find out more here: https://employmentlawservices.com/employment-law-advice/annual-retainer-service/

And if you have been unfortunate enough to have been one of the 10,966 Employers who had a claim against them in the current quarter, you may find our Fixed Fee Employment Tribunal Representation Service helpful. Find out more here: https://employmentlawservices.com/employment-law-advice/fixed-fee-tribunal-representation/

Top 5 Employment Law Questions of August 2018

1. When is it permissible for an employer to terminate the contract of employment of an employee on the grounds of ill health?

Dismissing an employee on the grounds of ill health is anything but straight forward. Lack of capability, including when assessed with reference to health can be viewed as a potentially fair reason for dismissal under s98 of the Employment Rights Act 1996.

Assuming the employer can provide enough evidence that capability is the reason behind the dismissal, it must then be followed with a fair procedure.

Over the years, case law has established 4 main elements that constitute a fair procedure, these include:

• Consultation with the employee
• A medical investigation
• Consideration of alternative employment
• Possible ill health early retirement if there is provision for this

2. What records relating to statutory maternity pay must an employer keep?

An employer must keep the following information on each employee who receives statutory maternity pay:

• The medical certificate (MAT B1) or other evidence relating to the pregnancy that has been provided by the employee
• A record of intended dates of leave advised by the employee and the date the maternity leave officially commenced, if circumstances change
• A record of weeks that SMP was paid and the amount paid each week
• A note of any weeks in the maternity pay period for which SMP was not paid and the reasons why

3. If an employee wishes to resign after disciplinary proceedings have commenced, should the employer continue the disciplinary proceedings?

If the employee’s resignation is with immediate effect, then his or her employment will terminate. There would then be nothing to gain in continuing disciplinary proceedings without the employee who is no longer employed. However, it is important that employers store the disciplinary information for up to one year following the employee’s resignation. This information will be of great use should the employee attempt to claim constructive dismissal or unlawful discrimination following the disciplinary proceedings.

4. What will happen to EU employees after Brexit?

The rules on free movement and immigration in the UK still remain unclear. This topic has been a fundamental issue of the negotiations held between the UK and the EU.

On 8 December 2017, the UK Government announced it had come to an agreement with the EU on citizens’ rights. Following this, a further agreement was reached on the terms of the implementation period. The agreement named “Settled and pre-settled status for EU Citizens and their families” is not yet law and will be subject to change depending on the final outcome of the negotiations.

The Government have implied that there will be an implementation period, which is due to commence on 29 March 2019 (the withdrawal date) and will terminate on 31 December 2020. Under this agreement, EU nationals residing in the UK before 31 2020 will meet the criteria for settled status when they have been a UK resident for 5 years. This will give them the right to work and live in the UK without a fixed time limit.

EU nationals who do not have 5 years continuous residency will be permitted to apply for a permit, which will grant them the right to remain until they reach the 5-year mark, at this point they will be able to apply for settled status.

Those who arrive in the UK throughout the implementation period will be required to register their residency if they stay for longer than 3 months.

5. Can employers still operate childcare voucher schemes following the introduction of tax-free childcare?

Yes, employers can still operate a childcare voucher scheme. However, it is important to note that new entrants will not be eligible to join the scheme from 4 October 2018.

The Government had initially announced that the scheme would end 5 April 2018. However, it was extended by 6 months in March 2018. Employees will continue to reap benefits from an existing childcare voucher scheme, as long as they continue as employees of the employer and that employer continues to offer the scheme.

How can Employment Law Services (ELS) help?

If you are an employer who requires assistance with any of the issues raised in this blog contact us today for your free consultation 0370 218 5662.

Discrimination because of religion or belief

All employers should already be aware that treating an employee differently because they are Muslim, Jewish, Christian, black, white etc can result in legal action. But, can you be accused of discriminating against another person’s philosophical belief’s?

“Religious or philosophical belief” is one of the 9 protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. And unlike the rest, it can be a difficult one to define. As a result of this, the Employment Tribunal has heard many interesting complaints over the years from disgruntled employees arguing that their beliefs should be protected.

Cases from the past have established that various belief systems may be afforded protection under legislation. This came after the Tribunal held that beliefs in climate change, Rastafarianism and anti-hunting should be protected. Since then, it has been extended further to protect beliefs in higher purposes of public-service broadcasting as well as mediums and their ability to contact the dead.

Yet, there have also been some memorable failures in the system when establishing that a belief meets the foundations for discrimination protection.

For example, a belief that the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and 7/7 were authorised by the British and American Governments and that there was a worldwide media conspiracy, failed on the grounds that upon objective scrutiny, such beliefs were “absurd” and not cogent.

As well as this, a belief that people should wear a remembrance poppy from 2nd November until remembrance Sunday, was not enough to be considered as weighty and substantial to qualify.

Furthermore, the objection made to same-sex couples adopting children was held as a mere opinion and not a philosophical belief.

This blog should help guide employers through this legal minefield.

Discrimination defined

Direct Discrimination

Direct discrimination occurs when a person is treated less favourably than another person because of a protected characteristic they have or are thought to have.

Discrimination by association

This is applied to age, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, disability, gender reassignment and sex.

Perception discrimination

Applies to age, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, disability, gender reassignment, and sex. This is direct discrimination against an individual because others think they possess a particular protected characteristic. It applies even if the person does not actually possess that characteristic.

Indirect discrimination

Applies to age, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, disability and gender reassignment. Indirect discrimination can occur when you have a condition, rule, policy or even a practice in your company that applies to everyone but particularly disadvantages people who share a protected characteristic. Indirect discrimination can be justified if you can show that you acted reasonably in managing your business, i.e. that it is “a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim”

What amounts to a philosophical belief under the Equality Act 2010?

In the case of Grainger PLC v Nicholson, the Employment Tribunal set out 5 aspects on how to recognise a philosophical belief and concluded that the belief should be:

• Genuinely held;
• A belief and not just an opinion;
• A belief as to a weighty and substantial aspect of human life and behaviour;
• Sufficiently cogent, serious, cohesive and important;
• A belief that is worth of respect in a democratic society and compatible with human dignity and the fundamental rights of others.

Employer considerations

Most employers will already know that they have a duty to prevent discrimination in the workplace. Failure to do so can be costly and result in increased employee turnover and absenteeism, lower employee morale and productivity and high insurance costs.

Employers should take action to prevent discrimination from occurring in the first place. To achieve this, we advise you take the following steps:

(1) Familiarise yourself with all anti-discrimination laws;
(2) Develop and roll out a diverse anti-discrimination policy;
(3) Ensure all staff are sufficiently trained on anti-discrimination;
(4) Be ready to investigate complaints of discrimination or harassment;
(5) Examine all business decisions for unintentional discrimination.

How can Employment Law Services (ELS) help?

If you are an employer who requires assistance with any of the issues raised in this blog contact us today for your free consultation 0370 218 5662.

Employee Onboarding – 5 Best Practices to Improve Retention

What is an onboarding process?

Onboarding is the procedure an employer should use to help a new employee acquire the knowledge and skills needed to become a successful member of the team. Onboarding should cover the following steps:

• Preparations prior to the start date;
• An introduction to tools used;
• Orientation of the office culture;
• A chance to meet the rest of the team;
• An evaluation of the full process afterwards.

Why is employee onboarding important?

SME business owners should view onboarding as an opportunity to ensure all new starts hit the ground running and grow to become loyal satisfied members of the team.

After all, you put a lot of management time and effort into finding the perfect candidate for the job. So, you should not stop there, employers should then put as much effort into ensuring that their new employee succeeds in their new position.

Communicate often and before the employment begins

Once you have selected the right candidate for the job, and before the employment commences, there are a few steps you can take to ensure the onboarding process runs smoothly and successful:

(1) Get the employees personal information; for example, the candidates name, title, national insurance number, proof of right to work in the UK etc;
(2) Notify all relevant departments; inform your HR support, payroll, IT and anyone else that may need the new employee’s personal details. Ensure that you follow up with all relevant departments and confirm they are prepared ahead of time for the new arrival.

It is advised that employers begin the welcome process before the employee arrives. The more information that your new employee has on your company and your plan for their first few weeks, the less nervous they will be on their first day. Before an employee starts, they should be aware of the following pieces of information:

(1) The companies dress code;
(2) Office hours;
(3) What time they should arrive on their first day;
(4) The schedule for their first week.

Introduce them to the team

Generally, the first day of employment will be filled with training and paperwork. If this is the case, you are missing the chance to really welcome someone to your team. Employers should:

(1) Give the new employee a proper tour of the office;
(2) Introduce the new employee to their colleagues (remember it is not easy being the new kid at school);
(3) Ensure their workspace is stocked, organised and ready for use.

Once the employment has started – set achievable goals

Give your new employee direction and realistic goals right from the offset. By setting easy-to-reach goals, your new employee will find instant success and feel motivated about their decision to join your business.

Explain the companies long term goals

You should explain to the new employee your future goals and vision for the company and let them know where they fit in that picture. Making your employee aware of their role in the company’s long-term goals will provide them with job security and an understanding of the mission that you and your team are working to achieve.

Arrange one-to-one time each week

At Employment Law Services (ELS), we recommend that employers put aside 10-15 minutes each week for the first 2-3 months of a new employee’s employment. This will keep you informed of any potential challenges they may be facing and provide you both with some time to stay connected and engaged and provide each other with feedback.

Employer considerations

Implementing a thorough and consisted onboarding plan takes time and effort. There are a few critical errors that employers should recognise and attempt to avoid ensuring a new employees induction period runs smoothly.

(1) Avoid overloading a new employee with too much information too soon; the first few weeks in a new job can be daunting for any employee. Therefore, you do not want to give them excessive amounts of work before they are ready.
(2) Don’t assume new employees will understand everything right away; it is important that employers remember that even new employees with lots of industry experience should be given the opportunity to properly digest any additional information they are given.
(3) Don’t forget to evaluate the full process; measuring the outcome of your onboarding process should be the key to improving it. Assess your metrics and take note of any improvements you find in employee performance, increased retention and time to proficiency. Once you have the answers to this, you should consider how to improve the value of a better onboarded employee.

How can Employment Law Services (ELS) help?

It’s all very well having an employee who is qualified and experienced for the job, but if you want to get the most out of that employee an efficient onboarding process is key. If you are an employer who has any issues or concerns about the topics raised in this blog, give us a call today for your free consultation: 0370 218 5662.

5 Reasons for a fair dismissal

Dismissal occurs when an employer decides to terminate the employment relationship. And, since the Supreme Court ruled that tribunal fees were a barrier to justice, claims against employers have increased by 90%. It is important to note that the average pay out for an unfair dismissal in the tribunal is £30,000.

Terminating an employee’s employment will never be an easy decision. However, at one point it may be the right decision for you and your business. So, when you do need to do this, ensure you have one of the following 5 reasons for a fair dismissal.

(1) Conduct
You can dismiss an employee if:

• They are incapable of doing their job to the required standard
• They are capable, but unwilling to do their job
• They’ve committed some form of misconduct
“Conduct” covers a variety of different acts, from not following instructions, to theft. It is therefore recommended that employers have policies in place that detail examples of what will be classed as misconduct, as well as what will be viewed as gross misconduct.

(2) Capability
Capability is defined in the Employment Rights Act 1996 by reference to the skills, aptitude, health or any other mental trait of the employee.
However, before dismissing an employee on the grounds of capability, employers should offer the employee support and extra training to help them reach the standard expected.

(3) Redundancy
Redundancies are another form of dismissal and can happen when an employee’s job no longer exists. This may be due to the employer needing to reduce its workforce, close the business, or certain work is no longer required.
Whatever the situation, it is important employers consider these key points:

• Employees have the right to not be unfairly selected for redundancy
• Employees may be entitled to a statutory redundancy payment and notice
• Redundancies can be compulsory or voluntary

(4) Statutory illegality
This form of dismissal is not used often but would occur if an employer continued to employ someone that resulted in them breaking the law. For example, you employ a lorry driver and they lose their licence and you have no other alternative (legal) role to place them in.

(5) Some other substantial reason (SOSR)
There is no legal definition of dismissals in this category and some would suggest that this is a “dust bin” category.
Some typical examples include:
• Conflicts of interest
• When a client refuses to work with your employee and you have no other work for them to carry out
• Personality clashes
• Where the mutual trust and confidence has been broken

Please note, that even where a dismissal is potentially fair “for some other substantial reason” the employer must ensure that they have followed procedure and have acted reasonably when dismissing the employee.

How can Employment Law Services (ELS) help?
If you are an employer who requires assistance with any of the issues raised in this blog contact us today for your free consultation 0370 218 5662.

Know when to outsource a HR function

As a small business owner, how many times have you gone into the office early to find mountains of paperwork that you just never seem to get through?

Most employers will understand the frustration of spending more time than necessary on non-revenue generating activities. Therefore, outsourcing a HR function can make the business more profitable and productive.

What size is the business?
Generally, employers with fewer than 80 employees tend not to have an in-house HR function. Instead, managers deal with any HR or employment issues that arise. However, with the business growing each day, staying compliant becomes a growing concern.

What services do SME’s require?
The nature of the work carried out by an employment law and HR specialist varies and is usually determined on the nature of the organisation and the roles carried out by its employees.

With regard to Employment Law Services (ELS), we work with employers who have no HR function to ensure their business consistently meets all of its legal requirements in terms of HR policies and employment contracts. As well as this, the team are qualified to advise and support business owners and managers who are faced with discrimination claims, redundancy issues, settlement agreements and dismissals.

How much does it cost to outsource?
At Employment Law Services (ELS) we keep our price structure simple. Our clients benefit from a cost-effective solution that saves them extensive amounts of time. Which in turn allows them to focus on the core business activities.

(1) Ad hoc Service

The team at Employment Law Services (ELS) provide UK employers of all sizes with employment law advice, support and representation on an ad hoc basis. Ad hoc work was initially established to help smaller start-up companies draft employment contracts and policies, ensuring new employers are complying with complex employment legislation whilst protecting their business.

(2) Annual Retainer Service

Our fixed-fee annual employment law and HR retainer service is provided by our specialist team of fully qualified employment law practitioners who understand how to balance compliance with UK employment legislation with the practicalities of successful people management in an operational environment where organisational objectives need to be met.
This helps employers manage their employees across all aspects of their employment from offer letters and contracts of employment, to managing absence, poor performance, disciplinaries, grievances and terminations.

Benefits of HR outsourcing 

  • Reduced cost
  • Increased efficiency
  • Access to improved HR IT systems
  • Improved management information (including human capital metrics)
  • Access to HR expertise not available internally
  • Increased flexibility and speed of response
  • Reduced risk

Employer considerations

Employers should consider the following factors when deciding to outsource:

  • Are you spending too much time on activities that do not generate profits or competitive success?
  • Are you carrying out jobs that waste valuable time and energy?
  • Do you have temporary tasks that arise, yet recur in cycles?
  • Do you require skills that are so specialised, but it would be impractical for you or management to do it?

If you are a business owner who employs people and you are not sure what to do next, contact us today for your free consultation. 0370 218 5662.

Get a Free Trial of Essential Training Courses for Directors, Managers and Employees

Employers have a number of implied duties in the employment contract including a duty to provide a safe and suitable working environment, a duty not to destroy mutual trust and confidence, and a duty to provide redress of grievances.

In many cases the acts of an individual employee during the course of their employment can be treated as having also been done by the employer meaning the employer could be found “vicariously liable” for acts committed by an employee that are in breach of current employment laws.

There is a defence available to an employer if it can show that it took all reasonable steps to prevent the employee from acting in breach of the law such as ensuring the existence of effective HR policies however, in of itself this is not enough. Employers should also provide appropriate training for Directors, Managers and Employees to ensure they are aware of, and able to meet their legal responsibilities.

Employment Law Services (ELS) offer accredited e-learning training courses that are designed to provide businesses of all types and sizes the opportunity to ensure compliance with their legal obligations.

Check out our range of e-learning courses here – FREE TRIAL

Time off for dependants: advice for employers

From the first day of employment all employees have the right to time off to care for a dependant. Under s57a and s57b of the Employment Rights Act, all employees are entitled to a “reasonable” amount of unpaid leave. However, what is deemed as reasonable can be fact specific.

Who is a dependant?
A dependant is someone who relies on the employee for care, which can vary from a spouse, partner, child, parent or someone who depends on the employee, for example an elderly neighbour.

When can time off be taken?
• When a dependant falls ill, gives birth, is injured or assaulted;
• To make care arrangements for a dependant who has fallen ill or is injured;
• In consequence of the death of a dependant;
• To deal with an incident that concerns a child of the employee whilst in care of an educational establishment.

How much time off can an employee take?
An employee will be entitled to a reasonable amount of time off to deal with the emergency, but there is no set amount of time as it depends on the situation.
For example, if a dependant falls ill, an employee can take time off to take that child to the doctors and make care arrangements. An employer may then ask the employee to take parental or annual leave if they wished to stay off with the child for longer.

Does the employee have to give notice?
The employee does not need to give notice; however, they should provide the employer with a reason for the absence as early as possible and when they anticipate their return to work.

Should the employee be paid for this time off?
No, an employer does not have a statutory obligation to pay employees for time off to care for dependants.

An employer must not:
• Treat employees unfairly for taking time off, for example refusing them training or promotion;
• Dismiss an employee or choose them for redundancy because they asked for time off for a dependant;
• Refuse an employee reasonable time off.

How can Employment Law Services (ELS) help?
If you are an employer who requires assistance with any of the issues raised in this blog contact us today for your free consultation 0370 218 5662.