Employment Law for Employees

As an employee, you have clearly defined rights under the law that your employer has to respect. Unfortunately, employers do not always meet their legal obligations, whether by mistake or more deliberately, so expert legal advice is sometimes needed to make sure you are being treated fairly at work.

Our employment lawyers in London and the South East offer advice and representation in all aspects of employment law. This includes for non-contentious matters, such as reviewing contracts of employment, as well as dealing with employment disputes and tribunal claims, such as for unfair dismissal, harassment and discrimination.

We know how confusing and upsetting it can be when something happens at work that you don’t think is right, and how intimidating it can be to try to challenge your employer. Our goal is to offer you the clear, practical advice and strong personal support you need to effectively deal with any employment law issues, no matter how complex or challenging.

For expert advice on any area of employment law, please contact our local offices in Blackheath, Croydon, Medway and Guildford.

Our employment law services for employees

Reviewing employment contracts

Before signing a new contract of employment, it is always sensible to have the contract independently reviewed by a solicitor. This is true both if you are joining a new employer or where your current employer has asked you to sign a new contract.

Our employment law team are highly experienced in advising employees of all levels on their employment contracts, so we can provide clear guidance in plain English as to the full implications of your contract and any potential issues that could negatively affect you in future.

Settlement Agreements

Settlement agreements are now the most common way to resolve employment disputes and to avoid potential disputes. They typically involve your employer offering you a one-off payment in exchange for agreeing not to bring a claim to an employment tribunal.

Our employment lawyers can review a settlement agreement you have been offered and advise you whether it represents a fair deal for you. We can also negotiate with your employer were necessary to secure a more favourable settlement.

Dismissal (including constructive dismissal)

If you have been dismissed from your job or have been forced to resign due to the actions of your employer, you may have a claim for unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal or constructive dismissal. A successful claim could result in compensation and/or being restored to your job.

We can advise you on whether you are likely to have a claim and support you in contacting your employer to set out your case. Our team can then help to secure a settlement or take your claim forward to an employment tribunal where required.

Redundancy

When making people redundant, there is a strict legal process employers must follow. If you believe your employer has made you redundant unfairly, you may be able to make a claim for compensation or to have your employment restored.

Our employment law solicitors can help you challenge unfair redundancy, as well as reviewing any settlement agreement you are offered as part of redundancy proceedings.

TUPE transfers 

TUPE refers to the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006, which protects employees from redundancy if their employer is taken over by another business. It also covers certain other situations involving the transfer of employees between businesses.

We can advise you of your rights under TUPE and make sure your employer is acting within the regulations, as well as helping you to take action if you believe you have been made redundant unfairly.

Discrimination

It is against the law for an employer to discriminate against you due to your sex, race, disability, sexuality and any other protected characteristic. This includes both direct discrimination, where you are treated less favourably due to a protected characteristic, and indirect discrimination, where rules or other arrangements in the workplace put you at a disadvantage due to protected characteristics.

If you believe you have been discriminated against at work, our employment law solicitors can review your situation and advise you whether you are likely to have grounds for a claim. We can then support you in taking action to secure compensation and/or to force your employer to make changes to avoid further discrimination in future.

Grievance and Disciplinary matters

If you would like to raise a grievance at work or have been made the subject of disciplinary proceedings, it is important to take legal advice to ensure your employer’s process for dealing with these matters are fair and that any outcome is reasonable.

We can advise and represent you in raising a grievance or dealing with disciplinary proceedings, helping to ensure your employment rights are respected and that your employer treats you fairly throughout.

Unlawful deductions from salary

There are very limited circumstances where your employer can legitimately make deductions from your salary, including for tax and National Insurance, where your contract says that they can make such deductions or where you have agreed to the deduction in writing.

If your employer has made salary deductions that you believe are unlawful, we can advise you on your rights and help you to recover the deductions and to secure compensation where appropriate.

How we can help you find a fast, fair outcome for employment disputes

Dealing with an employment dispute can seem like a huge challenge, with many people assuming they will have to take their employer to an employment tribunal to get a fair outcome. Fortunately, this is rarely necessary as most claims can be resolved with a voluntary settlement achieved through negotiation with your employer.

Our employment lawyers are highly skilled in negotiating settlement agreements, so can give you the best chance of achieving a fair outcome for your employment dispute as quickly and cost-effectively as possible.

However, we are also highly experienced with handling employment tribunal claims, so if a voluntary settlement cannot be achieved, we can support you at every stage of tribunal proceedings. We will ensure your case is prepared effectively and that you know what to expect from the tribunal process, we can also represent you during your tribunal hearing, helping you to secure the best available outcome for your claim.

Where necessary, we can also advise you on making an appeal to the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) if you are unhappy with the outcome of your hearing.

Our employment law fees

We understand that the cost of pursuing a claim can be off-putting, so aim to make our pricing as clear and transparent as possible.

We are able to offer fixed fees for some services, such as reviewing a settlement agreement offered by your employer. Your employer will normally cover the cost of independent legal advice for settlement agreements, meaning there may be no cost to you at all.

For more complex matters, such as guiding you through an employment tribunal claim, we may charge according to a pre-agreed hourly rate. In these cases, all billable work will be agreed with you in advance, so you always stay in control of the cost of dealing with your employment law issue.

Find out more about our employment law pricing.

Speak to our employment lawyers for employees now

We advise employees and employers and provide a professional and efficient service. If you would like to have an initial free discussion with one of our expert employment lawyers, then please contact your local team in Blackheath, Croydon, Medway or Guildford.