Employment Solicitors Legal Advice York, Wetherby & Malton

Do you know your rights?

Employment Law has progressed rapidly during recent years and formal procedures are now in place for employees as well as employers. It is more important than ever to ensure that you are fully aware of your rights and obligations in the employment field.

Taking professional advice at an early stage can be a keystone in moulding a successful employment relationship. Do you have a contract of employment? Are you happy with its terms? Does it comply with current legislation? Could you do better? Seeking advice early can also be a key factor in successfully diffusing and/or commencing any potential claim against your employer.

We offer a full employment law service for both employers and employees. Our experienced employment team adopts a hands-on, understanding approach, providing valuable guidance, when you need it most, throughout all aspects of the employment relationship covering unfair and wrongful dismissal claims, discrimination claims cases, employment contracts and employment legislation. Our settlement agreement solicitors can assist you to take legal action when employment disputes arise.

Our areas of employment advice include:

Recruitment
Employment Contracts & Policies
Redundancy Advice
All areas of Discrimination: Sex, Age, Race, Disability and Religion or Belief
Maternity and Parental Rights
Flexible Working
Transfer of Undertakings (TUPE)
Working Time Regulations
Restraint of trade
Settlement Agreements (previously known as Compromise Agreements)
Employment Tribunal claims and legal representation

Employment law advice for employers:

Employers Support Scheme
Disciplinary and dismissal procedures
Grievance procedures
Post-termination restrictions and injunctions
Redundancies & business reorganisations
Sickness and absence management
Family-friendly rights
Directors service agreements
Executive terminations
TUPE & employment issues arising from mergers and acquisitions
Employment Dispute Advice
Employment Document Review
Employment Law Updates

We also offer an Employment Tribunal advocacy service.

Flexible working requests from 6 April 2024

The right to request flexible working is now a day one right for all employees, and two requests can now be made per year. Not every employer will agree with the enthusiasm for flexible working, but not following the process and missing any potential discrimination can lead to risks of tribunal claims and employee disengagement. Although all employees now have the right to ask, the employer can refuse – on very limited grounds. Call us to make sure you get it right. We can provide you with a suitable policy to ensure your processes are up to date and help you minimise the risks. Contact our employment team for advice.

Bullying and Harassment - update

Bullying and harassment in the workplace has been hitting the headlines more frequently in recent months, and with the added proactive steps that all employers need to take to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, claims can prove expensive for employers, and can be avoided if employers knew what steps to take and how to create a proactive team approach.

Now is a good time to look at how employers can effectively respond to allegations of bullying at work and protect themselves from harassment claims. Bullying at work can affect an employee’s work performance and damage their mental health, sometimes resulting in long periods off work.

We can ensure that you have appropriate policies in place and guide you through the process when allegations of bullying and harassment are made. Contact us today for advice.

Has your employee social media and AI policy kept pace with business practice?

When did you last review or update the policy on social media use for your employees? Does it reflect the way that social media is being used on a day-to-day basis in your organisation? What about use of AI in the workplace?

Deploying social media is now deeply embedded in many employees’ job descriptions, whether for the purposes of promotion and marketing, recruitment or communicating with customers and suppliers.

Use of social media is no longer confined to the marketing team, and employers need to manage the risks that come with wider access to such a powerful tool. Employees’ use of social media and AI creates a wide range of potential liabilities for any business, from making your business vulnerable to losing important contacts through to problems accessing your own accounts when employees leave.

Although it appears to be an informal means of communication, extracts from social media accounts regularly appear as evidence in courts and tribunals these days.

Call our employment law experts who will highlight the risks to consider in deciding whether you need to review any contractual terms, policies, templates, and training.

Relocation/return to office: navigating the risks and pitfalls for employers and the “return to the office” debate

Due to changes in ways of working since the pandemic or in response to the economic slowdown, or due to the ability to request more flexible working, hybrid working is becoming increasingly more popular. Many employees consider the ability to work from home a major benefit to their working life. On the other hand, employers are beginning to call their employees back into the office – and are meeting resistance. How can employers deal with the situation? Can employees demand to work from home? Can employers demand a return to the office?

The answer is…it depends…

Even if the change in location only involves a short distance, employers need to consider the impact this will have on individual employees. Any relocation or return programme needs to be well planned and to include plenty of time to consult with staff. Employers may need to brace themselves for loss of staff and the risk of unfair dismissal claims. If you would like to speak to our employment lawyers about contractual promises and alterations, redundancy and discrimination issues please contact us.

Contact our Employment Law Solicitors in Yorkshire

To find out more about our Employment Law services and how our specialist employment solicitors can help you, call us today on 01904 716000 (York) or 01937 583210 (Wetherby) or 01653 692247 (Malton), or complete our online enquiry form.