Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Employee definition

What does Employee mean? Describes an individual engaged under a contract of employment (a contract of service) who enjoys the fullest employment law protections, such as unfair dismissal, redundancy pay, statutory notice and much family leave. In practice, employee status is determined by legislation read with case law on the reality of the relationship, typically examining personal service (no unfettered substitution right), employer control, and mutuality of obligation, alongside integration and other indicia. In England & Wales and Scotland, the Employment Rights Act 1996 defines an employee as an individual who has entered into or works under (or, where employment has ceased,...

Public duties time off: ERA 1996 s 50—eligibility, reasonable limits, pay, tribunal claims and automatic unfair dismissal (England, Wales and Scotland)

Published by a LexisNexis Employment expert

Practice notes

PrACTice Note—time off for public duties

This Practice Note explains the entitlement to take time away from work for public duties, as set out in section 50 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA 1996). It addresses who is eligible, the extent of the time off, whether payment is due, and the remedies available if time off is refused and in related dismissal cases.

Employees benefit from a number of statutory rights to be absent from work. The permitted length of leave, and whether employers must pay for that absence, varies according to the particular category of time off requested.

Under the ERA 1996, an employee is entitled to a reasonable amount of unpaid time off during working hours to undertake one of a defined set of public duties.

For a sample policy that grants time away for public duties, see Precedent: Policy—time off for public duties.

For information:

on the entitlement to time off when acting as a pension scheme trustee, including attending relevant training courses, see Practice Note: Time off for pension scheme trustees
on rights concerning time off for jury service, see Practice Note: Time off work for jury service
on the right to time off for military...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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