When running a business, it can be a little overwhelming to ensure that you are complying with all relevant employment laws, especially when you are dealing with a dispute for the first time. In this blog, Centric HR discusses whether HR deals with employment law, and how employment law affects employees.
So, does HR deal with employment law? HR is responsible for the overall safety and performance of employees which involves elements of employment law. This ensures that employees are treated fairly throughout processes such as recruitment, appraisals and dismissals in order to avoid legal disputes down the line.
Keep reading to find out more about how employment law affects HR as well as what HR employment law involves.
HR workers are responsible for the working practices, overall safety, the performance and well-being of employees as well as ensuring that all employment laws and regulations are adhered to. This may seem quite complicated, but employment law naturally falls into every aspect of HR,; whether it be the hiring process, managing dismissals or the redundancy process. These are all significant features of the HR role and cohere with important employment law regulations.
If HR workers do not follow relevant employment law regulations, not only are they breaking the law, but they also risk making certain situations worse. For example, when dealing with the dismissal of an employee, it is already a delicate process that tends not to be very positive. Therefore, if they do not follow relevant laws, it may result in an employee being unfairly dismissed which can lead to them taking the company to court which will cost the company more too.
HR employment law is a set of legislation that is designed to regulate the relationship between employers and employees. HR employment law ensures that employers know what to expect and what to expect from employees in the workplace and through disciplinary procedures. It also means that employees know what to expect from their employers and where they stand in terms of employee rights.
Whilst employment law may seem like a lot of paperwork and red tape, there are many benefits that are associated with adhering to employment law. Below we have detailed the main benefits of meeting employment law regulations and standards.
| Saves Money | One of main benefits of adhering to HR employment law practices is that your business can save a lot of money. This is because in following the regulations, employee turnover is reduced which means that you do not have to fund recruitment processes. What’s more, there will be a reduction in employee relation costs because the regulations mean that these issues can be properly managed. This is important because if employee relations are not managed, it can result in more company time and money to improve them. Additionally, companies will save money from avoiding lawsuits too. |
| Reduced Risk | Another benefit of adhering to HR employment law practices is that it can reduce the risks associated with running the business. For example, by following employment law your recruitment process should become a lot more efficient, saving you both time and money. In addition to this, it means that you will have a reduced risk of disputes with employees which will also maintain company reputation. |
| Increased Revenue | Furthemore, increased revenue is an alternative benefit of adhering to relevant HR employment law practices. The reason for this is due to the fact that employees feel more valued, therefore employee production, communications and commitment also improve alongside this. It is also important to note that the overall business growth can be improved as a result because employees will work harder when they feel valued. |
Employment laws have a large impact on employees because they regulate every aspect of being employed ranging from recruitment stages to handling internal disputes and even managing dismissals. Below we have discussed how employment law affects employees for each aspect.
When it comes to employment law for recruitment, employees tend to be protected against discrimination. One of the most important factors when a company is recruiting is to ensure that they are not biassed in where they advertise the job, how they select interview candidates and how they select the successful candidate. This has a positive effect on employees because it ensures that they are judged fairly during the whole recruitment process. Some companies even use AI technology to select their candidates based on their requirements to ensure that there is no unintentional bias during the process.
Employment law also ensures that internal employee disputes are handled fairly to achieve the best outcome. As part of employment law, your employer is required to listen to your concerns informally before any further steps are taken. At this point, you can request to be accompanied in any dispute meetings going forward to ensure that you have support. These people can either be a colleague, trade union representative, family member or even a citizen advice member if agreed upon. This ensures that employees are treated fairly and have their views and opinions considered properly with a witness.
Employment law also ensures that employees are treated fairly through the dismissal process. For example, according to Employment Law within the UK, you must be given the notice period within your contract for dismissal. This protects employers because it allows them a reasonable amount of time to search for another job before they are left without a wage. What’s more, employment law states that in order to be dismissed your employer must evidence a valid reason for this, and show that they have attempted to work on this issue with you before you have been dismissed. As a result, this ensures that the employee is not dismissed on the spot and that they can actively work on improving the issue.
For more information on how employment law can affect employees, take a look at the video below.
Centric HR is a team of HR consultants from Staffordshire and Birmingham that are experienced in a variety of HR services. We offer an incomparable HR Employment Law Service that is tailored towards supporting businesses with their employment law practices to ensure that their employees are treated fairly.
Get in touch today to find out more about our HR Employment Law Service.
