The 2014 top 5 issues

Employee conduct, especially inappropriate use of social media
Contract terms
Grievances
Employee absence
Maternity/paternity leave

Employee conduct issues consistently take top spot in requests for advice from DDU practice principal members to the Peninsula 24-hour Employment Advice Service, and 2014 was no exception. Problems with employee use of social media made up a high volume of calls in this category and difficulties with employees' Facebook comments featured heavily.

Specific details of misconduct cover a wide spectrum. Other examples included unauthorised internet use while at work and intentional falsification of time sheets. Regardless of how minor a breach of a rule may seem, it's advisable not to let anything go unaddressed.

Queries about terms within an employee's contract are next on the list of frequent call topics. This could include appropriate contractual wording for maternity cover positions; how to change contractual working hours and what then happens to contractual entitlements when working hours are reduced. Contracts are effectively a set of agreed promises between the parties and amending a term without the other party's agreement is generally unlawful. Following established procedure is vital to ensure the employee does not bring a grievance, which could lead to an employment tribunal.

Employment law update: the most-asked questions of 2014

Employment law update: the most-asked questions of 2014