Articles

Employment Law Terms

Freedom of Information Act 2000

A statute that enables members of the public to obtain access to information from public authorities. This enabled access to and revelation of information which led to the Parliamentary expenses scandal. It can be particularly useful to the employee if their employer is a public authority such as a council. Heather Brooke’s book “Your Right […]

Gender reassignment

A personal, social, and sometimes medical process by which a person’s gender presentation (the way they appear to others) is changed. Anyone who proposes to, starts or has completed the process to change his or her gender is protected from discrimination under the Equality Act 2010.

Grievance and grievance procedure

Grievances are internal complaints made by workers to their employers. The grievance may concern the behavior of a work colleague or manager. Employers that do not have a grievance procedure are often penalised in ETs. We can draft an inexpensive grievance procedure for your business. We can advise employees on how to make best use […]

Gross misconduct

It is disappointing to see how many cases arise from a misunderstanding of this concept. Summary dismissal, dismissal without paying the employee’s notice period, is usually justified by reference to the employee’s commission of gross misconduct. That is where problems for the employer generally begin. It is not sufficient to class any misconduct as gross […]

Harassment

This is a form of discrimination. In everyday non-legal use the word describes verbal or physical abuse. The legal definition more specifically describes unwanted conduct that creates a hostile environment. Its precise legal definition is in the Equality Act 2010.

Implied term

Terms of a contract of employment that are not written where the courts “imply” a term where it is absolutely necessary or where it is clear that the parties would have agreed to that term if it had been discussed.

Indirect discrimination

This is where employees are made subject to a rule or treatment that on its face is neutral between different groups but which indirectly discriminates. For example, imposing the same minimum height requirement on all employees could disproportionately affect women who are generally not as tall as men and who may as a result be […]