One of our subscribers wants to know if they may carry out personal searches of employees on a random basis. This would serve as a deterrent to wrongdoing, rather than be a response to a particular
problem. So can it be done or not?
Published 03.05.2013
An employee’s contract states that their “normal working hours are 8:45am to 5:15pm”. However, in practice, they’ve mainly worked 8:30am to 5:00pm. If you’ve never challenged this, is there now a
binding custom and practice?
Published 05.06.2014
Apparently, only 0.6% of employees have read their entire employment contract - the rest either didn’t bother or just skimmed over the important bits. If an employee hasn’t read their contract, are
they still bound by all of its terms?
Published 09.10.2015
One of your employees routinely receives personal calls on your business landline during the working day. The most frequent caller is their elderly mother who often stays on the phone for ages. How
can you put a stop to this?
Published 16.11.2016
An employee has recently resigned. The trouble is that they’ve decided to give more than their contractual notice period which doesn’t suit you. Do you have to work to their agenda, or can you insist
that they abide by your terms?
Published 11.03.2011
An employee is due to start ten days’ annual leave shortly. However, they’ve just presented you with a fit note which says “no work for four weeks”. What should that period of time now be classed as:
sickness absence or holiday?
Published 11.06.2013
An employee wants to improve their smile by having some cosmetic dental work done. Do they have any right to time off for this purpose and is the position on routine dental appointments any
different?
Published 09.11.2015
Many employees often eat lunch, or other snacks, whilst sitting at their desks. However, a government health minister has branded the habit “disgusting” and says it should be stopped. Is this
sensible advice?
Published 07.02.2013
An employee recently tendered their written resignation. But they’ve now asked to withdraw it. Must you agree to this request or can it be refused? And what if their notice had been given verbally,
would the position be any different?
Published 10.01.2011
An employee has asked if they can work from home on the same day each week. You’ve no objection to this kind of arrangement in principle, but how can you ensure they don’t use it as an opportunity to
skive?
Published 16.11.2012