Colleagues talking in an office setting

Rights and responsibilities at work

There are laws to protect you in work

These cover:

  • minimum pay rates and payslips
  • working hours and holidays
  • contracts of employment
  • health and safety
  • equality and equal treatment.

 In return, you have responsibilities. You should:

  • be on time
  • be prepared to work hard – whatever your job, your employer expects high standards
  • ring in early and tell your employer if you are ill and unable to work
  • arrange with your employer, in reasonable time, when you want time off
  • follow health and safety training and not do anything to affect anyone’s safety.

This section has more details of your rights and responsibilities and where to go if things go wrong.

Health and safety at work

There are rules and regulations that apply to lots of workplaces to help keep you safe and well at work

Your employer has to ensure that you have a safe working environment. There should be training and protection, such as safety boots or guards on machines to make sure you are not injured.

Health and safety is everyone’s responsibility – including yours. You must follow the advice given in any health and safety training that you receive.

If you are unhappy with aspects of health and safety, tell your employer. If this fails, contact the relevant organisation:

  • The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) covers the following workplaces: factories, building sites, hospitals, mines, farms, fairgrounds, quarries, railways, off-shore oil and gas installations, nuclear installations and schools. Go to the HSE website for further advice.
  • Your local council covers other workplaces, including shops, offices, care homes, sport and leisure facilities, and hotels and catering establishments.

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