As an employee you are protected by a wide range of legislation and regulations regarding your employment and how you are treated in the workplace.

For example, your employer has a duty to provide a safe working environment and to ensure that you are not harassed in the workplace. If they need to make staff redundant or if you have a grievance then there are statutory procedures that your employer must follow.

If you believe that your employer is not abiding by their obligations or that you have been treated wrongly, then it is important to take legal advice from an experienced specialist in employment law.

We advise employees on a broad range of problems including:

• Contracts of employment – you may need clarification regarding what a particular term requires or means or how contractual benefits, such as a bonus entitlements should be calculated.
• Compromise agreements – if your employer has offered you one of these, you will be required to take independent legal advice and we can advise you on whether or not it is in your best interest to accept the agreement.
• Discrimination – it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of sex or sexual orientation, religion or religious belief, disability or age and compensation is payable if discrimination can be proven.
• Employment status – the distinction between being employed and self-employed can often become blurred over time and your employment status can have a serious influence on rights and protections in certain situations, such as your right not to be unfairly dismissed.
• Grievance and discipline – if you have a complaint about your employer or if they have concerns about your work, then you and your employer must follow certain procedures in order to ensure that you are treated fairly. Failure to follow these procedures can result in compensation being increased or decreased, on either side.
• Restrictive covenants – if you are leaving to set up your own business or to work for a direct competitor then you will need to check whether your contract contains clauses which will restrict your future activities.
• Redundancy – by law, certain procedures need to be followed when making people redundant. If they have not been, then you may have a case for unfair dismissal.
• Service level agreements – if offered a service level agreement, then you should ask us to review this on your behalf to ensure that it does not include any unfavourable terms.
• TUPE – “TUPE” is the shorthand name for a set of regulations that protect your rights as an employee if your employer’s business or part of your employer’s business is sold, or taken over.
• Unfair dismissal – if you have been dismissed then you should talk to us and discuss the particular circumstances. Due to the complexity of employment law there are many ways in which a dismissal might be unfair, in which case you may be entitled to compensation.
• Unlawful deductions – we can advise you if you have not been paid correctly for example, if you have been paid less than was expected, perhaps less holiday or notice pay, or if you have not received a payment such as a bonus payment. 

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