What are statutory employee rights?

If you’re an employer, you likely have a whole team of trusted employees under your wing, or maybe just that one trusted staff member. Either way, it is crucial to be aware of your employee’s statutory rights, so you can keep your workforce happy, productive, and legally covered. It’s less stress for you, after all.

When thinking long and hard about your worker rights, the first step is to figure out what kind of employment contract they have, as these are often varied. These include full-time and part-time contracts, fixed-term contracts, agency staff, freelancers, consultants, contractors and zero-hours contracts, to name a few. Whichever type of workforce you may have, remember that their rights could vary because of this.   

To better understand your legal responsibilities as an employer to your employees, under employment law, contact Croner today on 0808 501 6651.

What is Statuary Sick Pay?

Fingers crossed, your employees won’t come down with a nasty bout of flu or something more serious, but these cases are unfortunately unavoidable. Statuary sick pay, or more commonly referred to as SSP, is a social security benefit that’s paid by you (the employer) to any employees who are unable to work due to sickness absence that lasts longer than three working days. It can be paid for up to 28 weeks per period of incapacity, and an employee is entitled to £118.75 per week. An employee cannot get less than this statutory minimum but may be able to get more if you have chosen a sick pay scheme or occupational scheme.

What is Paid Annual Leave?

Under employment law, all employees are entitled to taking some much-needed time off to put their feet up. After all, a happy and well-rested employee is going to come back to you in a good way. Workers are legally allowed 5.6 weeks (or 28 days pro rata) of paid holiday leave per the annual year. So, plenty of time to relax and rejuvenate.

Remember, different types of employment status may mean a different amount of annual leave allocated. Make sure to get acquainted with this so your staff members can start planning their sunny time off!

What is the National Minimum Wage?

Another very important right for employees is the National Minimum Wage (NMW) that ensures all workers are entitled to a minimum amount of pay, varied by age. To qualify, the employee must be at school leaving age. The rates per hour currently stand as of April 2025 as:

• £12.21 for 21 and over
• £10.00 for 18- to 20-year-olds
• £7.55 for under 18’s and apprentices

What is The Equality Act?

We all love it when everyone gets along, but sometimes, situations may arise that can be slightly awkward, uncomfortable, and even discriminatory. The Equality Act is in place to protect employees from being unfairly treated for things like their sexual orientation, religion or beliefs, their marital status, and gender reassignment.

You as the employer, have a Duty of Care to treat all your staff fairly and potentially, make reasonable adjustments where necessary. For example, if someone is disabled, it is your responsibility to ensure the workplace is well equipped for adjustments for wheelchairs or any other equipment the disabled person relies on.  

Need more help? Call our in-the-know HR Advisor’s on 0808 501 6651.

What is Maternity Leave?

One of your treasured employees has a new bundle of joy. So, how do you support pregnant employees? Maternity leave is the amount of time off employment an expectant mother is entitled to, regardless of how long they have been with the company.

Employees can take up to a year off work and this can begin from the 11^th week before their due date. Your employee doesn’t have to take this long off, but they do legally have to take off two weeks after the birth of their child (or 4 weeks for factory workers). Remember that all employee’s, regardless of their employment contract, are entitled to maternity leave.

What are fair working hours and rest breaks?

Your employees aren’t robots, endlessly working away for your business goals, so they need to have adequate rest breaks in place. If the employee works more than six hours, they must have at least a 20-minute rest break, and at least 11 hours’ rest between working days. They must also have either 24 or 48 hours of weekly rest depending on their work schedule. Longer rest breaks apply for young workers too.

A well-rested employee is crucial for a healthy work/life balance and regular breaks shows you care about your workers’ wellbeing.

What protection to whistleblower's get?

While we don’t like to think about it, whistleblowing can occur in the workplace. If your employee has whistle-blown on you (the employer) for a legitimate reason, they have a certain level of legal protection. These can include if you have committed a criminal offence, shown a risk to health and safety or damage to the environment, been involved in a miscarriage of justice, broken the law, or you’ve covered up any wrongdoing.

It is important to note that personal grievances do not count as whistleblowing. So, make sure you’re doing everything by the book, as your employees have every right to ‘blow the whistle’ on you if necessary.

Got everything in place? Call our 24/7 HR Advisory line now on 0808 501 6651.

What is flexible working?

A good work/life balance is crucial, and sometimes the 9-5 just won’t do. Any employee has the right to request flexible working to better suit their needs. They can request a change to the numbers of hours the work, when they start or finish, the days they work and where they work.

As an employer, you must reply in a reasonable manner and assess the pros and cons to each request. Remember, you do not have to grant any of these requests, but your employee still has the right to ask and be listened to fairly.

What are Health and Safety laws?

We all want everyone to be safe, especially in the workplace where a single cut finger in a restaurant can bring the whole business to its knees for a day. So, you have a duty to protect the safety and welfare of all your employees while at work, under The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. This means making your workplace a haven of regulated health and safety practices. A safe working environment can include first aid equipment, PPE (personal protective equipment) when required, and above all, a safe and clean working space.

Want to hear more?

If you’re looking for a more detailed insight into each of these statutory employment rights, Croner are always here to have your back, 24/7, no matter the situation.

We have over 80 years of experience in helping small to medium businesses navigate the challenging world of employment law, offering bespoke solutions, tailored to your business.

Talk to a member of our expert employment law advisory team today to get acquainted with your employees’ legal rights to ensure you’re always legally compliant with the latest legislation.

Call us now on 0808 501 6651.