Questions
Here are some our our recent employers' questions and the answers. Please follow the links below to view the answers:
An employee has broken his arm while on holiday. Should his absence be treated as holiday or sick leave?
Do employers need to have told employees who have been given notice of retirement what to include in their letter requesting to continue working?
I have been telephoned for a reference by the new employer of an ex-employee and asked questions about him 'off the record'. Can I be more frank than I might otherwise be in writing?
I’ve heard that there were some tax changes which came into force in April 2011 relating to the childcare voucher scheme. Do I need to do anything?
An employee has informed me that his partner is due to give birth to their baby in early May 2011, what additional paternity leave/pay is he entitled to, if any?
I have heard that the law is changing in April and we wont be able to retire anyone. Is that correct?
One of my staff was recently called a 'bin laden lookalike' by a customer which he took great offence to. I am now worried about a claim he may bring. What should I do?
I am making a redundancy in my sales team, can I use length of service as the criteria to decide who is selected?
Do I need to take bank holidays into account, when calculating accrued holiday entitlement for someone going on maternity leave?
An employee on maternity leave told me 3 months ago that she planned to come back to work next week but now she's changed her mind - can she do this?
I have a driver who has been disqualified from driving. Can I dismiss him?
One of my employees has handed me a 'flexible working request'. What should I do next?
I’ve heard that the tax treatment for termination payments over £30,000 is changing after 6 April 2011. Is it correct that they can no longer be paid at the basic rate of 20%?
I accidently overpaid one of my workers last month by about 20%. Can I simply take it off this month's pay?
My receptionist has been off sick for 2 months, her sick note has expired and she's not answering my calls - what do I do now?
If you would like to know more, please contact Tony Hyams-Parish, Head of Employment, in confidence and without obligation by emailing Tony or by calling him on 08450 990045, or speak to your usual contact in the Employment Team.
This answer is provided for information only and does not constitute legal advice. Professional legal advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this article.
