This section of the Guide deals with working time, holidays and related legal issues.
These aspects of working time are regulated in detail by the Working Time Regulations 1998, but when grappling with the detail of the Regulations it is important not to lose sight of the other legal rules that apply. Health and safety law (Health and safety), an employee's contractual rights (Contract terms) and the discrimination legislation (Discrimination issues) can all affect employers' freedom to regulate working time.
Some workers have the right not to be discriminated against because of the hours they work. This section outlines the protection that the law gives to part-time workers (Part-time working).
Finally, the section summarises the rights that employees have to time off work for various public duties (Time off for public duties) and for study and training (Time off for study and training).
Further rights
The following rights to time off work are dealt with elsewhere in the Guide:
The law and good practice on managing absenteeism and sickness absence are covered elsewhere in this Guide (Managing absence) as are matters relating to short-time working (Alternatives to redundancy) and parents' right to request a change in their working hours (Requests for flexible working).