Five top tips for dealing with employment issues

This past year has been challenging for many and has put employment issues and the challenges employees can face under the spotlight light more than ever before. People in otherwise secure roles have suddenly found their position insecure, with furlough and redundancy causing worry across many sectors.  

Employment Legal Advice, a free service set up by The Growth Company together with Citizens Advice Manchester, Citizens Advice Bury & Bolton and a network of legal partners, has received numerous enquiries from employees dealing with a wide range of issues from unfair dismissals and collective redundancies to questions surrounding the furlough scheme.

If you’re currently having issues related to  your employment then the below five top tips from Linder Myers Solicitors, one of the firms offering free advice through the Employment Legal Advice service, may help you to take control of a difficult situation.

1. Keep full and up-to-date records

If you are experiencing issues at work then you should keep your own record of what has happened, as well as copies of any correspondence you have about any of these issues. This includes copies of notes of meetings and conversations. 

2. Exhaust all internal processes and support

Ensure you are fully versed in your employer’s own policies by requesting a copy or outline of the procedure your employer intends to follow. This includes ensuring you know your rights in terms of being accompanied at meetings or consultations and how to prepare for a disciplinary hearing. You should be able to feel that you can freely question, challenge and query the procedural steps being taken by your employer as well as being able to fully state your case or submit your own evidence on an issue. You may also have a collective representative body or trade union that should be able to help you with your concerns.

3. Seek early independent advice

Solicitors often become instructed on issues once a decision has already been made to dismiss or after the conclusion of an appeal. Whilst solicitors are able to step in at any point of a case to assist employees, there is no better time than at the point the issues arise.

4. Do not be put off by potential costs

Working with a solicitor to solve an employment issue doesn’t have to be costly. There are a number of funding arrangements you may be able to access. For initial enquiries services like Employment Legal Advice can offer advice on a free of charge basis.

5. Know and assert your rights

Don’t assume there is nothing which can be done for your situation or that there is no protection available to you. There are a number of UK employment laws to protect employees. The key is to identify the issue and assert your rights in the correct manner.

What can I do if I have an employment issue?

If you’re worried about your employment and think you need employment legal advice our service can help you access the right advice at the right time as quickly and easily as possible through the following simple steps:

• Provide us with details of your issue through our online enquiry form, by email or by phone
• Your enquiry will be passed onto one of our dedicated triage advisors who will review your case and decide on an appropriate pathway for you.
• If one of our advisors thinks you need a further conversation with a solicitor, they will match you with an expert from our network of legal partners offering free advice.

For more information on how the Employment Legal Advice service works and to get in touch, click here.

For a full list of the law firms partnering with Employment Legal Advice, click here.

For more information on Linder Myers Solicitors, click here.