Learn how to start employing people in your small business

Your job advertisements and interviews must not be discriminatory. Focus your interview questions only on the candidate’s ability to do the job.

Don’t ask personal questions and your final choice fair. You must be able to explain your final decisions to interviewees. They are entitled to ask to see your interview notes about them.

An employment contract exists as soon as you offer someone a job. You should explain that the contract will be governed by written terms and conditions that you will provide later. A contract can be conditional on the candidate’s references being satisfactory.

You must provide written terms and conditions within two months of employing someone. These must detail pay, hours, holiday entitlement, job title, place of work and notice period.

You are entitled to reserve the right to amend the job description and place of work. You must include details of your discipline and grievance (D&G) procedures. You cannot unilaterally change the terms of the contract.

Employers must have adequate D&G procedures in place. Your policy should include the name of the manager who is responsible for dealing with employee’s grievances.

Your policy should also explain your procedures, which need to follow three steps (established by law) before someone can be dismissed, unless the circumstances are exceptional, for example, instances of gross misconduct (e.g. theft).

Make sure your policy clearly states what your grounds are for taking disciplinary steps. an employee can make an unfair dismissal claim if the reason they are dismissed is unfair or if procedures followed aren’t legal.

Employees are entitled to work less than 48 hours a week. They can decide to opt out of this, but any agreements must be in writing and signed. There are regulations on minimum rest periods you must allow. All employees are entitled to four weeks’ paid annual leave pro-rata, which can include bank holidays.

People on fixed-term contracts have the right to be paid the same as similar permanent staff. Part-time workers are entitled to pro-rata payment and entitlements.

You need to deduct your employee’s Tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs) and pay these to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

You must give every employee a wage slip which shows total gross pay, deductions and net pay. Deductions (e.g. pension contributions) must be itemised.

You must pay employer’s NICs on employee’s wages and taxable benefits and account for employees’ Tax and National Insurance on benefits in kind. Some benefits are free of Tax and NI — check with HMRC for the latest advice.

You cannot sack a woman or make her redundant for being pregnant. You must give mothers-to-be paid time off for antenatal care.

Employees (such as contractors) who don’t qualify for SMP might qualify for Maternity Allowance.

Biological fathers or partners of the mother are entitled to 2 weeks’ paid paternity leave. your business can claim most, if not all, payments back from the Government.

Parents with 1 year’s service can request up to 13 weeks unpaid leave to look after children under 5 or children with disabilities under 18. They retain all their employment rights.

You must ‘consider seriously’ any request for flexible working conditions from parents or carers of children under 6 or parents of under-18s with disabilities. Flexible working conditions such as flexi-time, job-sharing and shift working.

You must not discriminate against people with disabilities who use your goods or services, or people with disabilities you employ (or who apply to work for you).

The law requires businesses to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to their premises to enable suitably qualified people with disabilities to work for them.

You must provide a secure, safe and healthy working environment, and one that grants reasonable privacy. you must not undermine the relationship of trust and confidence you should have with your staff. Protect them from discrimination, too. If this comes from other employees, you are liable.

Employees can belong to a trade union. They are entitled to blow the whistle on their employer’s illegal or dangerous activities.

Related posts:

In the present picture centered society, the interest for Periodontist has developed quickly in ongoing decades. Couple, dental advancements are additionally growing to address the issue for…

Safeguarding protected health information (PHI) is not only about implementing adequate cybersecurity protocols or ensuring networks use state-of-the-art encryption methods. Yes, tech solutions are…

I have three Google Alerts set up and delivered to my mailbox every day to keep up to date. They track and report on news stories mentioning the following: It’s sort of fun to read about what’s going…