Survey results released today by law firm Thomas Eggar show that 41 per cent of senior contacts at UK SMEs have, at some point, fired an employee for misconduct.
However, Thomas Eggar urges employers to make themselves aware of their obligations under new employment legislation, which comes into force on 1 October 2004. The Statutory Dismissal, Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures are aimed at forcing employers to adopt a new minimum legal standard when dealing with certain disciplinary or dismissal situations. These procedures may apply even if the dismissal is not for a disciplinary reason e.g. redundancy.
In the future, any dismissal that does not comply with the new regulations may be deemed to be automatically unfair. In addition to this, compensatory awards in tribunals can be increased or decreased by between 10 and 50 per cent, which could have a potentially devastating impact on the cash flow of any firm.
Nick Hine from Thomas Eggar’s Employment Unit believes that employers can reduce this risk by familiarising themselves properly with the new legislation and seeking appropriate advice before acting. This is one of the most significant changes to employment law in recent years. As such, companies would be wise to make sure they fully understand the implications of the new procedures, as mistakes could prove costly and time consuming.
Thomas Eggar provide a free guide on the procedures, if you would like a copy or want more information on how Thomas Eggar’s Employment Unit can help you, please contact Nick Hine on 0845 275 7777 or visit
Employers beware
Thomas Eggar survey reveals that almost half of UK businesses could potentially fall foul of new employment regulations
