How to Know Your Employment Responsibilities in Britain

Rate: (0 Ratings)

As an employee in Britain, you have a wide range of rights and legal protections. But you should know that you do have responsibilities too.

Flag Article

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Step1

Recognise that your employment begins when you accept an unconditional job offer. You are then bound by the terms of your employment contract even if you change your mind and decide that you’d rather not accept the job offer after all.

Step2

Be aware that you are bound to observe the terms of your contract of employment, and that the contract does not have to be in written form.

Step3

Give your employer your P45 when you start a new job so he can calculate how much tax you should be paying. If this is your first job, you won’t have been given a P45 yet and will be asked to fill in a P46 form by your employer instead.

Step4

Work out how long you have worked for your employer. If it is longer than 3 months, you are required to give your employer at least 1 week’s notice if you plan to leave. Of course, your contract might specify an even longer notice period.

Step5

Inform your employer when you become pregnant. Pregnancy imposes a special set of obligations on both your employer and you. If you are pregnant, you are obligated to let your employer know at least 15 weeks before the expected birth date. A midwife should have given you a certificate indicating the expected birth date by then. You are obligated to give that to your employer too. By the same date you should have informed your employer (in writing, if required) when you would like your maternity leave to start and when you would like it to end if you do not intend to take your full entitlement. If you change your mind about either of these dates, you must give your employer several weeks notice of the change, 4 in the case of start date and 8 in the case of the back-to-work date. If you intend to take paternity leave, you are required to let your employer know this at least 15 weeks before the baby is due.

Step6

You are required to show reasonable regard for your own safety and that of others. That means complying with safety-related instructions your employer has given you and avoid wearing of clothes, jewellery or hair-styles which might present a hazard.

Step7

You are required to report any incident to your employer in which you feel your personal safety was in question while at work.