What it is and why it's important
Legal Rights Respected ensures that the employer abides by all statutory obligations to its workers and does not seek to circumvent them. We encourage organisations to eradicate unlawful and unethical employment practices in their supply chains.
All employers are bound by law to treat their employees fairly, with a range of labour standards and statutory employment rights in place to protect employees from unfair treatment. Employers not operating in compliance with their legal obligations is not only a clear indicator of unfair work but in the most extreme cases, for example, modern slavery and wage theft, this constitutes a criminal offence.
To be a true Fair Work employer, you are required to go beyond statutory employment standards by always respecting your staff’s legal rights and making every effort to ensure they are protected from any treatment that may be deemed unfair.
How is respecting employees' legal rights practiced and best achieved in fair work?
A key aspect of fair work involves respecting employees' legal rights. In practice, this entails ensuring compliance with all relevant employment laws and regulations. Nathan Vidini, Director and Head of Employment at Altra Law, explains how this can be achieved through proactive measures such as providing ongoing training to managers and staff, implementing robust policies and procedures, and fostering a culture of respect and transparency within the organisation.
Why should a business go beyond statutory legal requirements? And what are the benefits for the employment relationship and the wider business?
Nathan Vidini, Director and Head of Employment at Altra Law, discusses the importance of businesses going beyond statutory legal requirements. By doing so, businesses can demonstrate a genuine commitment to their employees' well-being and foster a positive work environment.
How should businesses approach issues linked to gender, race and disability pay gaps as part of their commitment to respecting legal rights?
Nathan Vidini, Director and Head of Employment at Altra Law, details how your businesses should approach issues like recruitment, job evaluation and job design with a focus on addressing gender, race, and disability pay disparities as part of your commitment to respecting legal rights.
What are the benefits of offering flexible working arrangements in all jobs rather than waiting for individuals to exercise their statutory right to request flexibility?
Director and Head of Employment at Altra Law, Nathan Vidini underscores the importance of businesses proactively facilitating and offering flexible working arrangements across all job roles and the benefits it brings to the business.
How can businesses ensure effective implementation of disciplinary and dismissal policies within the organisation?
Nathan Vidini, Director and Head of Employment at Altra Law, highlights the importance of ensuring that disciplinary and dismissal policies are effectively embedded within the organisation and implemented, especially when facing challenging and unforeseen circumstances.
How can business acknowledge the legitimate role trade unions play in representing workers? And how should they develop positive working relationships with them?
Nathan Vidini, Director and Head of Employment at Altra Law, emphasises the importance of businesses acknowledging the legitimate role that trade unions play in representing workers. He recommends all businesses to develop positive working relationships with recognised trade unions by engaging in open and constructive dialogue and respecting the rights of employees to join a union.
How should a business approach producing its modern-day slavery statement? What value does this add to the business?
Nathan Vidini, Director and Head of Employment at Altra Law, discusses the importance of businesses approaching the production of their modern-day slavery statement with diligence and transparency. This involves conducting thorough assessments of their supply chains and operations to identify and mitigate any risks of modern slavery.
What can a business do to ensure its workers have access to information about their rights at work?
It’s important for employees to have access to information about their rights at work. Nathan Vidini, Director and Head of Employment at Altra Law, emphasises the importance for businesses to ensure they provide comprehensive employee handbooks and conduct regular training sessions on employment laws and regulations.
Where should businesses start when embarking on the journey of fair work? Is there an area that should be prioritised?
For businesses embarking on this journey, achieving every aspect of fair work may seem daunting but with our guidance from our series of six themes it becomes easily achievable.
What the experts say
Business Wales have worked with industry experts on each of the six themes identified for SMEs to understand and work effectively within the Fair Work principles.
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Resource Pack
Download the Legal Rights Respected resource pack that will support you to make changes to your business to become a Fair Work employer.
If you need a more accessible version of this document please email businesssupport@gov.wales. Please tell us the format you need. If you use assistive technology please tell us what this is.