The quarterly tribunal statistics for October to December 2020 have been released and they show that the number of employment tribunal claims are continuing to rise. We take a look below at what the statistics show and some steps employers may wish to take to help protect their organisation.
Compared to the same period in 2019 the statistics show that for October to December 2020:
In terms of claims, the most common complaint made to employment tribunals during October to December 2020 was ‘working time,’ whereas ‘unfair dismissal’ was the most common complaint in October to December 2019.
The statistics show that employees are becoming more inclined to make tribunal claims than has been the case previously, particularly in some areas. This could in part be due to a growing awareness amongst employees and workers of their rights, such as in relation to issues regarding working time and holidays.
With this in mind, employers may wish to consider:
In light of the increase in employment tribunal claims regarding working time issues employers may particularly want to ensure that there is knowledge within the organisation about matters such as limits on working time, rights to rest and breaks under the Working Time Regulations and the law regarding holiday and holiday pay. Additionally, if an organisation is using the furlough scheme, it’s important to be aware of the rules regarding taking holiday and holiday pay during furlough.
Another important pro-active step is to ensure that your organisation keeps adequate records as this can help to evidence what has taken place in the event of a dispute with an employee.
If you have an employment law matter you would like assistance with, please do not hesitate to contact us.