Common Recruiter Questions

Q: What is the maximum amount which an employment tribunal may award for a claim of breach of contract?
A: £25,000

Q: Who is the 'right to be accompanied' at disciplinary/grievance hearings (Employment Relations Act 1999) is available to?
A: All workers

Q: What is the qualifying period of employment necessary to exercise the right to request flexible working arrangements for parents of young children?
A: 26 weeks

Q: What is the maximum amount which an Employment tribunal may award in case of disability discrimination?
A: Unlimited

Q: Under the Employment Act 2002, what is the period of paid paternity leave that working fathers are legally entitled to?
A: 2 weeks

Q: An employee of ours has been with us for just over five years. What is the minimum period of notice to which s/he is entitled?
A: 5 weeks

Q: The maximum compensatory award which an employment tribunal may order for unfair dismissal is:
A: £60,600 (for dismissals that took place after February 2007)

Q: Where is the European Court of Justice?
A: Luxembourg

Q: How many weeks of paid holiday are workers entitled to in the UK?
A: 4 weeks

Q: Where an application for 'flexible working' is received, the employer must hold a meeting with the requesting employee within what period?
A: 28 days

Q: What is the current weekly rate of Statutory Maternity Pay?
A: £123.06 per week (April 2009)

Q: What is the current statutory sick pay rate?
A: £79.15 Weekly rate (April 2009)

Q: What is the current statutory paternity pay rate?
A: Standard Rate - £123.06 or earning-related rate - 90% of employee's average weekly earnings (April 2009)

Q: What is the current statutory adoption pay rate?
A: Standard rate - £117.18 or earning-related rate - 90% of employee's average weekly earnings (April 2009)

Q: What is the national minimum wage?
A: £5.73 per hour for workers aged 22 years and older. A development rate of £4.77 per hour for workers aged 18-21 inclusive. £3.53 per hour for all workers under the age of 18, who are no longer of compulsory school age (April 2009)

Q: What is the entitlement for rest breaks for employees?
A: It is a minimum of 20 minutes break if a worker is required to work more than six hours at a stretch. Workers below 18 years but above the school leaving age are entitled to a minimum of 30 minutes break of working for more than four and a half hours.

Q: How long is it before an employee can claim unfair dismissal?
A: An employee has to be continuously employed for 12 months. If discrimination is involved there is no qualifying period.

Q: How long is it before an employee is entitled to claim redundancy pay?
A: An employee can claim redundancy pay after two years of service. Note that service is not counted below that age of 18 years of age.

Q: What is the youngest age a company can employ a person?
A: 14 years of age. Some high risk jobs are 18+

Q: Do I have to let my staff have time off to attend funerals?
A: There is no legislation to allow staff time off to attend a funeral. However if you refused to allow staff to book holiday or take unpaid leave (if holidays have already been taken) this could be deemed unreasonable. As a side issue employees are allowed unpaid leave to deal with a family emergency which would cover if they were a relative charged with dealing with a death and the arrangement of a funeral.

Q: If an employee has been summoned for jury service. Do you have to pay them?
A: No an employee is generally obliged to undertake jury services for which s/he can claim allowances towards loss of pay.

Q: What rights do employees have on bank holidays?
A: Any right to time off or extra pay on bank holidays depends on the terms of an employee's contract of employment. Even when entitlements of this nature are no explicitly written down, they may sometimes be incorporated by custom and practice.