Regardless of your current employment status, you’ll likely be well aware of what it takes to be a good employee. The majority of these things will be personality traits (such as being hard working, self-motivated, and sociable), but there are still several other things to consider.
Alongside luck and timing, employment law also plays a massive part in being a successful employee.
The term ‘employment law’ is a rather general one. It mainly concerns employment contracts and statutory requirements, employee rights, and managing employees.
Here are just a few of the things that employees should know – and will encounter – in the world of employment law;
1. Know what your rights are
This is one of the key aspects of employment law, especially as an employee.There are different rights for different careers and employees, including specific rights for agricultural workers (there are a lot of things to consider that you wouldn’t have to in other jobs, including how much an employee must be paid if they work with a dog or drive farm vehicles), rights for pregnant workers, and what adjustments can be made for employees that are disabled.
However, many areas of employee rights can be applied to practically any career, including rights regarding training and study at work, what to do in the case of discrimination, bullying, or harassment, and health and safety in the workplace. These are known as statutory employee rights, and are also a part of state law. You’ll normally gain these rights regardless of the amount of hours you work, but sometimes they may only accrue after you have worked for your employer for a certain length of time.
Statutory employee rights tend to refer to the basic details of employment, such as your job title, wages, and details of a pension scheme if any.
2. Know what you are entitled to
These are similar to your rights as an employee, except that these are things that only come about in certain situations, and may vary depending on employer or career.
This can be things such as holiday entitlement (which can fluctuate depending on a number of factors, including the hours/days that you work and if your employer chooses to include bank holidays as part of your statutory annual leave amongst other things), entitlement regarding maternity pay, and statutory sick pay.
The things that you are entitled to will make up the backbone of your written employment contract, seeing as they can vary massively between job title/ employer/ employee.
3. Know what to do when things go wrong
Employment law also discusses what action should be taken should any part of the law be broken.
If the employment law isn’t followed by a company, a wide array of negative consequences could occur. These could be anything from a minor dispute which is settled, to a problem being taken to court, to closure of the company – it all depends on the severity of the situation.
The same applies if employment law is breached by the other party – that being the employee. Again, it could be a fairly small-scale dispute that is settled within the office, a disciplinary meeting, or in a worst case scenario, a dismissal.
Conclusion
We know it’s a lot to take in on top of the other responsibilities and things to remember that being an employee brings, but it’s essential to be in the know when it comes to employment law. Being an employee can be tough at times, but it’s also an extremely rewarding experience – and one that everybody has the right to take part in.
Law firms like Thomson Snell & Passmore are there to provide top advice to do with Employment Law. They are known for their quality care with clients and excellent results. If you require advice relating to employment law please visit the Thomson Snell & Passmore website for more information on legal advice for employees and employers.
