Taking Time Out - An Employers Guide - 19/10/2006

Afternoon Seminar Programme:

Any employee has a statutory right to time off work and in addition to statutory rights an employee may also have contractual rights to time off work which are agreed separately with their employer. In both circumstances you need to ensure that you comply with your legal obligations.

A wide range of legislation governs the areas of parental leave, sickness absence and maternity/paternity, adoption leave, pay. Most of the relevant legislation can be found consolidated into the Employment Rights Act 1996 or Employment Relations Act 1999. However, the Employment Act 2002 also brought significant changes to family-friendly law which you should be aware of.

So what will this mean for you and your company?

If an employer refuses to recognise the right to time off, the employee can make a complaint to an Employment Tribunal and would be awarded compensation. In the case of family-friendly policies some actions could be construed as victimisation, harassment or discrimination and lead to a tribunal claim.

Employers are urged to review their current policies and procedures, especially those relating family-friendly provisions, parental leave and sickness absence policies to determine whether any changes are necessary to ensure compliance.

The Seminar

The seminar will be presented by experts from the employment team at Keoghs Solicitors.

They will explain this and other related legislation in detail, exploring its application in a practical context, demonstrating ways to ensure compliance in company policies and procedures and highlighting the legal liability and consequences of claims against the employer.

Who should Attend?

The Law relating to taking time off is fundamental to all businesses and employees. Directors and Managers in particular should be aware of the implications and actions that need to be taken.

Why should you attend?

The amount of time which an employee may take off work will entirely depend upon the reason for absence. If an employer refuses to recognise the right to time off, the employee can make a complaint to an Employment Tribunal and would be awarded compensation. The bottom line is that it is expensive to get it wrong.

As well as your legal duty to uphold these rights, its also good practice to support family-friendly working for a number of reasons. It can help you retain skilled and experienced staff, create a more diverse workforce and improve staff morale. It can also help you reduce absenteeism, increase productivity and provide a wider pool for recruitment. There is nothing to stop you offering a more generous family-friendly working than that that is laid down by the law.

Workshop time:

4.30pm - 6.15pm

Location:

The seminar takes place at Keoghs office,
2 The Parklands, Bolton (Jct 6, M61)

Cost:

Free*

* Delegates reserving a place but not attending the seminar will be charged £20 plus vat