Employment Law for Employees

Whether you are moving employers and want guidance on the contents of the contract received, are looking to leave your current employer and are concerned about existing post termination restrictions in your employment contract, or perhaps have even received correspondence accusing you of being in breach of such restrictions and threatening you with legal action we are here to advise and support you.

Being the subject of a colleague’s grievance or having disciplinary proceedings commenced against you can be a stressful and distressing experience.

We are here to advise and support you during this difficult time, be it advice on the process adopted by your employer, the steps we recommend you take to defend your position and potentially enhance your legal position should you need to bring a claim or otherwise negotiate your exit on favourable terms.

As an employee you have certain legal rights and protections in the workplace.  These can range from the right to be paid without unexpected deductions to enjoying a workplace free from bullying, harassment, and discrimination. A failure by your employer to honour these obligations may entitle you to bring an employment tribunal claim for compensation.

We are here to advise and support you if:

• your employer is refusing you your statutory employment rights
• you are being bullied at work
• you have been the victim of discrimination in the workplace
• you have raised concerns at work (protected disclosures) and have been subjected to detrimental treatment or dismissed as a result
• you have any other concerns about how you are being treated

In appropriate circumstances you may have grounds to resign and claim constructive unfair dismissal.  If you believe this applies to you, we recommend taking early legal advice first and we are happy to have a no obligation discussion with you.

Being told you are at risk of redundancy or being selected for redundancy is a stressful and uncertain time.  We are here to guide you both before and after any decisions are made about your future employment, especially if you have concerns regarding the business case explained for your redundancy or the selection process adopted.  It will usually be important for these concerns to be raised with your employer during, rather than after, redundancy consultation has concluded.

If you are currently on family friendly leave or recently returned from such leave you may also have additional protection from redundancy, and we can identify if they apply to you.

If you make a protected disclosure at work such as raising concerns your employer is not complying with its legal obligations, then the law may provide protection if you are treated unfavourably or dismissed as a direct result.

If you are dismissed seeking early legal advice will be vital as in appropriate circumstances you may be eligible to claim something known as interim relief (an order that your employer continue paying you until trial). Interim relief is not available in every case and requires a tribunal application to be made within seven days of the date of your dismissal.

Whether it’s wanting to better understand your legal rights, make a claim for interim relief or secure other compensation, speak to our expert team today.

If you are being unfairly treated at work one option, before resigning and pursuing any legal claims you may have, is to negotiate an exit package with your employer.  If agreed the exit package will usually entail your receiving some form of financial package and agreed reference in return for your agreement not to make a court or tribunal claim.

For settlement terms to be legally binding they will either need to be concluded via ACAS Early Conciliation or by your signing a settlement agreement.  Where a settlement agreement is signed you firstly need legal advice on its terms and effect.

Some employers may also offer settlement agreements as an alternative to redundancy consultation, performance management or disciplinary proceedings.

Whether you require guidance and support negotiating an exit package or have been offered a settlement agreement, you need legal advice on our expert team are here for you.

Even if you are unhappy with exit terms offered it is worth having an initial no obligation chat with us to discuss your options, and before rejecting any proposed severance outright.

There are many types of employment law claims, from unpaid wages or holiday pay to unfair dismissal and discrimination. No matter the nature of your claim we can assist, be this preparing legally compliant tribunal documentation, guiding on specific aspects of the tribunal process, strength or value of your claim, seeking to negotiate settlement terms or full legal representation up to and including the final hearing.

It is important to note, there are strict time limits for presenting claims in the employment tribunals and legal advice should always be taken to confirm the time limits that apply to you.  These may be as little as three months less one day from the event or act complained of.

Before you lodge your claim you also firstly need to register with ACAS Early Conciliation via tell.acas.org.uk/.

Save in exceptional circumstances an employment tribunal cannot consider claims that are presented late so ensuring your claim is lodged in time will be paramount.

It is impractical to provide details of likely costs and timescales for dealing with all types of employment tribunal claims here. We give a range of estimates for a Tribunal claim for unfair / wrongful dismissal and are happy to advise about costs and timescales for other kinds of employment law claims on request. Our pricing information can be found here.