Employee And Employer Relationships Flashcards
Contract of employee
All employees have an employment contract with their employer. A contract is an agreement that sets out an employee’s:
employment conditions
rights
responsibilities
duties.
These are called the ‘terms’ of the contract.
Health and safety
Under health and safety legislation, employers have a duty to take all reasonable care to ensure the wellbeing and safety of their employees.
Employers have a legal responsibility to ensure that working environments are safe and that employees are trained to deal with the risks involved in their jobs.
Employees also have responsibilities, such as taking reasonable care and ensuring that they abide by health and safety rules: e.g., wearing hard hats on building sites.
Dismissal
Dismissal is when your employer ends your employment – they do not always have to give you notice.
If you’re dismissed, your employer must show they have:
a valid reason that they can justify
acted reasonably in the circumstances.
They must also:
be consistent – for example, they must not dismiss you for doing something that they let other employees do
have investigated the situation fully before dismissing you – for example, if a complaint was made about you.
Equal opportunities
The Equality Act 2010 legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society.
It is against the law to discriminate against anyone because of:
age
being or becoming a transsexual person
being married or in a civil partnership
being pregnant or having a child
disability
race including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin
religion, belief or lack of religion/belief
sex
sexual orientation.
The above are known as ‘protected characteristics’.
Discrimination
direct discrimination – treating someone with a protected characteristic less favourably than others
indirect discrimination – putting rules or arrangements in place that apply to everyone, but that put someone with a protected characteristic at an unfair disadvantage
harassment – unwanted behaviour linked to a protected characteristic that violates someone’s dignity or creates an offensive environment for them
victimisation – treating someone unfairly because they have complained about discrimination or harassment.
The role of a trade union
Their purpose is to protect and improve their members’ terms and conditions of employment. An individual worker alone has very little power to influence decisions, but by joining together, workers have more chance of having a voice and influence.
Types of industrial action
An overtime ban – workers just work basic hours and refuse to do any extra work. This is a useful tactic if the employer has a lot of work on and is trying to meet high levels of demand.
A work-to-rule – workers stick very closely to every rule in the workplace, especially health and safety rules. This slows down production and reduces output.
Strikes – a withdrawal of labour. An all-out strike is called as a very last resort. Both sides have much to lose – the workers’ income and the employer’s profits. Letting down customers can have a lasting impact on a business as they may seek alternative suppliers and never return.
