Employee Rights Know your rights, and know your duties and responsibilities too
Every member of staff is responsible for reading and understanding this page.
Labour Law
This page is for Reliable Pressings staff and for others contracted to provide services to the business, but it is of growing interest to our customers too. It is especially important for anyone who wants to apply for a position with us. Chancers beware: if you get through your interviews by misrepresentation, you will be found out during probation, because we really are demanding.
If you have read our Code of Conduct, which sets out how we expect all our staff to conduct themselves and how our actions reflect our values and ethics, it may seem odd that, for all that discussion of ethics and values, there is little mention of our people themselves.
At Reliable Pressings we make an honest and sincere effort to treat our staff with the respect they deserve and to protect their rights. Sometimes we make mistakes, but our integrity is authentic and demonstrable.
Permanent Staff vs Contractors
The vast majority of our staff are permanent, but we do have a few contracted staff as well. We prefer to integrate new people into the culture of the business, and that needs permanence. Where a specific skill is needed temporarily, where someone wants more autonomy or has other sources of income, or where someone wants to work part time in retirement, we will contract with them formally.
Either way, every member of staff has:
Objectivity is key, and performance evaluation is transparent. As the example evaluation shows, we are frank and to the point, sometimes a little harsh. Anyone who is not performing the duties the business needs is putting the livelihoods and opportunities of others at risk, and that cannot be tolerated. On the other hand, discretionary performance bonuses (paid when the business can afford them) are paid roughly every quarter, sometimes more often.
Know Your Rights and Duties
If you need help with any of these documents or want to discuss anything, don’t hesitate: put it on the agenda for the next Big Tree Chat, and make time to sit down with Ivan.
You Have a Voice
Our monthly Big Tree Chat is an assembly of the whole business. It is where we discuss issues, seek consensus on key decisions, raise concerns, give clarity, and make sure the quiet voice of dissent is heard and different points of view are aired.
For more sensitive or private matters:
- If your immediate working conditions are a problem, use the formal grievance process, because a formal record must be kept.
- Remember that every member of staff has the right to go directly to the Managing Director with any concern. If you feel your rights have not been respected, or a simple mistake or oversight has harmed you and is still unresolved, act immediately.
Probation for New Recruits
After a successful interview, every new hire is offered either a fixed-term contract or an employment contract with a probation period. This is explained clearly in the addendum to your employment contract.
The Labour Relations Act requires us to be quite pedantic about recording probation and tracking performance. If that becomes necessary, doing it properly can be unpleasant, tedious and humiliating for everyone, so help us avoid it.