Child labour and the X Factor

Those that have been glued in to the final stages of X Factor may have noticed that many of the young contestants are working long hours and being exposed to lots of pressure and stress, particularly in the latter stages.

For the younger contestants, some of who are only 17, is there a legal duty on Simon Cowell and his colleagues to provide extra care for younger employees or is this just child labour in the entertainment industry?

Those involved in the X Factor are surely “working” more than the hours they should be but in reality they are not employees, they are contestants. Even when they set out on the much publicised X Factor Tour, they will not be employees.

Children as young as 13 can be employed provided that there are local by-laws authorising their employment, although generally speaking 14 is the youngest age children can be employed. Even then, provided that they don’t do anything other than “light work” and for those who are under 15, work only 2 hours on a school day, 5 hours on a non school day and 2 hours on a Sunday, (2 hours on a school day, 8 hours on a non school day and 2 hours on a Sunday if they are 15-16), other than the normal duties of an employer, there are only 2 additional duties.

The first is to keep a register of all employees under the age of 16 and their birth dates and the second is to ensure that any risks to their health and safety as a consequence of their lack of experience or absence of awareness of potential risks is taken into account. There is no minimum wage for employees under the age of 16, at which age employers must pay a minimum of £3.57 per hour.

And before you ask, you are not allowed to ignore these rules just because they perform some songs in the office at lunchtime.

Will you be paying for the Royal wedding bank holiday?

The weather is freezing and the economic forecasts are even chillier but at least you have a Royal wedding to look forward to next year.

The announcement of the Royal Bank Holiday on 29 April 2011 has been welcomed by many but it has also been reported that it is employers that will be left to pick up the cost, not the government or the Royal newly-weds.

The extra bank holiday will fall between Easter and May Day, creating two consecutive 4 day weekends and the Federation of Small Businesses has voiced concerns about the impact that this will have on SMEs.

Most are assuming that this will be an additional holiday but that is not necessarily correct for most employees.

There is no general statutory right to take such holidays and whether an employee can or cannot take them is a matter that is normally covered by the contract of employment.

Many contracts refer to the eight normal bank or public holidays as an additional entitlement to the usual holiday entitlement of four weeks.

If however the contract is silent or as in many small businesses there is nothing specific written at all, then the position is governed by The Working Time Regulations 1998 as amended.

These provide for a total entitlement of 5.6 weeks holiday per annum. This is equivalent to 28 days for someone who works five days per week. As a result, provided an employee requests the 29 April 2011 in the prescribed manner and the employer agrees this holiday then all is well and good but it will form part of the annual holiday entitlement and will not be an additional entitlement.

So check your own situation carefully before deciding what to do about the royal wedding bank holiday. It might not be you that is paying for it after all.

The employers guide to the office Christmas party

Christmas is the time for cheer, the office Christmas party and the odd tipple but are you aware of the risks to you as an employer?

If you are going to provide drinks at the office party, limit the number of free drinks and make sure there are plenty of non alcoholic choices available. This will avoid any issues of religious discrimination. Be prepared to send an employee home if their conduct becomes inappropriate.

Remember that employers can be held responsible for employee’s actions during and after the Christmas party. If your employees have been drinking make sure that they don’t drive home and give some thought to providing pre-arranged transport. It doesn’t have to be at your cost but paying for a cab or mini bus could save you a lot in the long run.

Driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs in the course of employment can have serious consequences for an employer at Christmas, or any other time. If your employee causes a death as a result of driving under the influence you as the employer can be held liable and the Courts have the power to order huge fines that could bankrupt a small company. Even worse, you could be faced with a prison sentence for corporate manslaughter.

If you are planning on decking the halls of the office with boughs of holly you must also be aware of health and safety issues. According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents over 1,000 people are injured every year by unsecured Christmas trees. If you are planning on party balloons, just be aware that over 3.6million people have a latex allergy.

Needless to say, it is essential to make sure that you have an up to date policy and a no-nonsense approach to disciplining any employee found to be driving whilst under the influence or whose conduct becomes inappropriate. Getting this right isn’t just for Christmas.