For certain claims and payments, someone needs to have the right length of service with their employer.
When to use this pattern
Use this pattern to explain length of service requirements. This is when someone needs to have worked for their employer for a certain length of time to be able to do or get something. For example:
- make an unfair dismissal claim
- get statutory redundancy pay
The pattern
[they have/you have/an employee has] [length of time] 'continuous employment' with [their/your/the] employer.
[Continuous employment/This] means working for the same employer without a break. Things like sickness, holiday and statutory leave do not break continuous employment.
Example
An employee usually has the right to make an unfair dismissal claim to an employment tribunal if:
- they have 'employee' employment status
- they have 2 years' 'continuous employment' with their employer
Continuous employment means working for the same employer without a break. Things like sickness, statutory leave or holiday do not break continuous employment.
Things to remember
Do not use this content pattern when going into detail about what breaks continuous employment. For example:
- strikes
- having no work under a zero-hours contract
- TUPE transfers