Employees

As an employee you will have the benefit of a substantial amount of protection under our employment law legislation. To gain the benefit of that protection you will need to know what your rights are, how they are enforced and what you have to do to make sure they apply to you. Coodes’ employment lawyers have a great deal of experience in assisting employees who are unsure of their rights or needing to enforce them. We are there when you need us and have a number of different pricing options to make that advice and assistance accessible to you.

Knowing your rights and responsibilities

The legislation and regulatory regime in the employment context is complex and difficult to interpret at times. A lot of information is available to assist employees in knowing what their rights are – www.gov.uk; www.acas.co.uk. There are times when employees need to know how that information applies to them and their employment circumstances. We offer a half hour fixed fee interview for £65 plus VAT to assist staff in ensuring that their rights are not over-ridden and what to do if they are or are likely to be.

Discrimination

All employees have the right not to be discriminated against and to be treated fairly. The law provides remedies where staff of one of the “protected categories” are treated differently from others. The protected categories are – age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, race, ethnic origin or disability. The legislation applies from recruitment, to training and promotion, terms and conditions of employment, and to termination of employment and sometimes even after termination. Male and female staff also have the right to be paid the same for broadly similar work. Where this becomes an issue in the employment context, it can become very difficult both between employer and employee and between employees. The issues can be very emotive. Careful advice is needed to progress and resolve these issues.

We can:

Advise you where you think that you may have been treated differently and unfairly because you have one of the protected characteristics
Take any consequent action through the Tribunal and Court system where disputes remain unresolved
Deal with equal pay claims

Grievances

Difficulties between staff that need resolution can sometimes arise, staff can sometimes find themselves in conflict with their employer. Use of the grievance procedure can be a requirement before taking formal action that might lead to your resignation (constructive dismissal). All organisations should have a grievance procedure that can be used to enable these issues to be dealt with. These differences can sometimes be emotive and difficult to handle.

We can:

Advise you of your rights when relationships at work need resolving
Assist you to put the formal grievance process in place

Disciplinary action and Dismissal

When things go wrong at work, one of the rights of employers is to take formal disciplinary action and ultimately dismissal of staff. When and how this is done is strictly set out in employment legislation, and employers’ rights are limited. When under threat of this sort of action, employees should get proper advice to make sure that proper reasons are being used to take action against you and that proper process are being followed. If employment is terminated there is the right to take the matter to the Employment Tribunal

We can:

Advise you about any disciplinary process being taken against you and how to respond to it
Negotiate the terms of
Assist you in making a claim to an Employment Tribunal
Represent you at any Tribunal Hearing

Redundancy

When organisations re-structure for financial or organisational reasons, staff can be made redundant. Employer’s right in this context are limited and proper procedures have to be followed. Selection processes need to be clear and applied fairly. When concluded, redundancy payments are often subject to formal agreements upon which proper legal advice is needed (frequently called “Compromise Agreements”)

We can:

Assist you when you are subject to a possible redundancy process to ensure that you know your rights and that proper processes are followed
Advise you on proposed terms of settlement and complete the compromise agreement for you
Take any consequent action, if necessary through the Tribunal system

When you leave – restrictive covenants, social media and IP rights

UK law recognises the right of individuals to follow and develop their careers how and where they wish, and with whom. However employers also have the right to protect their businesses – their trade secrets, customers, processes and future plans. Getting the balance right is not always straightforward. Employees will need to know that the restrictions that are being imposed on them are fair and lawful.

We can:

Consider and advise you on your contract terms as to whether and how enforceable they are
Deal with and challenge any unfair and unlawful restrictions by corresponding and negotiating with your employer
Deal with any formal court enforcement of restrictive rights

Pricing

We have a number of options that you can use to cover our charges and to enable you to keep control of your legal expenses:

Fixed price consultation for a price of £80 plus VAT for a half hour meeting
Fixed and staged prices to cover specific steps depending on the amount of work that is needed
Legal expenses may be covered by your personal insurance policies. You can make a claim and ask your insurer to cover our charges
Damages based agreements for claims made to a Tribunal whereby you only pay our charges if you are successful

Employees

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