Latest Q & A
Employers obligation to pay SSP to employee
I have a small shop and one of my staff is off work with a long term illness. He has indicated that he will not be returning to work. Am I still obliged to pay his statutory sick pay and is there any help for small business to cope with this cost?
Minimum working age
What is the legal age for a young person to work on a building site?
Training records
Could you please clarify how long a small business should keep staff training records?
Who pays for training?
As an employer, am I legally bound to pay for training courses for employees or can I get them to pay for it?
Rights over email accounts
I have a line manager who has accessed a colleague’s email account without permission and is now using the email in a disciplinary hearing against the colleague, is this legal?
Letting go of a staff member
i have a manager and find she no longer fits what i need as manager. i also have a great dislike of her
Personal Liabiilty Insurance
How do you go about getting Personal Liability Insurance to enable you to approach businesses for work if you are a painter and decorator
Smoking at work
What rights do employee's have with regard to smoking, and does the employer have a legal obligation to provide a smoking area off the premisis?
Substituting holiday for pay
I understand holiday entitlement is due to rise to 28 days for full-time workers. Can you give money in lieu of this time off and keep to say, 25 days holiday?
Staff on maternity leave
Is it legal for employers to refuse a reference for an employee whilst she is on maternity leave? Does the employer also have to provide them with a return to work date?
Employing a foreign national
I am considering employing a girl from the Czech Republic currently working here as an au pair. She has no NI at present and I am in the dark as to whether I can employ her for a certain amount of hours without one.
Redundancy for staff
I am self-employed and have employed a member of staff for about 18 months. I can no longer afford to do this, what can I do? Can I make him redundant?
Childcare support if self-employed
I have set up my own business after the birth of my daughter. It was impossible, due to an inflexible employer, to continue in employment. I would like to know if there are any childcare voucher schemes available to self-employed parents similar to those offered to employed parents?
Accidents at work
A new starter has had an accident out of work, what am I able to do? Must I keep her on and pay statutory sick pay (SSP) or can I let her go?
Facilities for employees
Does an employer have to provide a place to get drinking water and a place to be able to wash up other than a basin used for toilet facilities?
