In the United Kingdom, the notice period for individual dismissal is generally determined in the employment contract. Without an express agreement, the statutory minimum notice periods will apply.
The reason for an individual’s dismissal should always be confirmed in writing, regardless of how long they’ve worked for the employer. An employee is entitled to request a written summary of the reason for dismissal if they have worked for at least 2 years on the date of termination.
The statutory notice periods are as follows:
No notice is required if the employee has been working for less than 1 month (unless the employment contract provides otherwise).
Employers have to pay wages for the duration of the notice period and provide a statutory redundancy payment (if the dismissal is for the reason of redundancy and the employee is entitled to such a payment).
Because the UK has left the EU, freedom of movement between the UK and the EU has ended, and the UK has introduced a points-based immigration system. Under the points-based immigration system, with the exception of Irish citizens, anyone coming to the UK for work must meet a specific set of requirements for which they will score points. The requirements differ by route, and on the Skilled Worker route, a total of 70 points is needed.
The Skilled Worker visa is the principal route for persons who want to be employed in the UK, although it is one of several work routes. This type of visa is issued to individuals who have been offered a skilled job in the UK. Employees must be hired by a licensed sponsor to be able to apply for a work permit in the UK. Permission is granted until 14 days after the end date of the certificate of sponsorship, and a certificate of sponsorship may run for up to 5 years. There is no maximum total period of stay on this route, and permission may be extended repeatedly. After 5 years of qualifying residence, visa holders are able to apply to settle permanently in the UK with the right to live, work, and study indefinitely, and apply for benefits if they are eligible.
Employers must check that a job applicant is allowed to work in the UK before they are employed. A right-to-work check must be conducted before an employer hires an employee to ensure the employee is legally allowed to do the work in question. Employers may face civil penalties if they employ a person who does not have the right to do the work in question and have not carried out a correct right-to-work check. Employing a person while knowing, or having reasonable cause to believe, that they are disqualified from employment by reason of their immigration status is also a criminal offense.
Generally, employees are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks (28 days) of paid holiday per annum. Persons working irregular hours (like shift or term-time workers) are entitled to paid time off for every hour they work. The accrual of annual leave begins at the start of employment.
Employers can include bank holidays as part of statutory annual leave. Bank or public holidays do not have to be included in paid leave.
The employment contract specifies the number of leave days to be carried over to next year. If an employee gets 28 days’ leave, they can carry over a maximum of 8 days.
In the United Kingdom, the labor law states that the standard workweek is 48 hours, averaged over a 17-week period. Night shift work cannot exceed 8 hours daily. Employees under 18 years cannot work for more than 40 hours a week or 8 hours a day.
There are also instances in which individuals may have more than one job, in which case they may meet the 48-hour "working time directive" by:
Employees may work remotely or amend their work schedule by submitting an application to their employers. All employees have the right to make a statutory request for flexible working for any reason. The application must include a statement that it is a statutory request, along with details of how the employee wants to work flexibly and when they want to start. Employers can reject the application on objective grounds.
Maternity leave is 52 weeks long, comprising ordinary leave for the first 26 weeks and additional leave for the remaining 26 weeks. It is paid at 90% of an employee's average weekly pretax earnings for the first 6 weeks of leave, and GBP 194.32, or 90% of average weekly earnings (whichever is lower), for the remaining 33 weeks.
If an employee does not qualify for SMP, she can get a maternity allowance for up to 39 weeks, depending on her pay level, employment status, and marital status, if she has paid Class 2 National Insurance contributions.
Beginning April 1, 2026, the minimum wage rates are as follows:
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