By Olivia Neadle.

Key words: Right – a right is something that you are entitled to, for example: a lunch break. Responsibility – a responsibility is something that you have control of, for example: it is your responsibility to ensure that you get to work on time.

Why rights are important at work. Rights important because they are protected against being mistreated within the workplace, for example: an employee has a right to minimum wage, if they were not receiving this then they are entitled to claim against the employer in a tribunal. You have a legal right to be safe in the workplace, this is important because it ensures all employees are safe. These safety regulations are covered by law.

Why responsibilities are important at work. Responsibilities are important at work because they keep everyone safe, for example, one responsibility workers have is to co-operate with your health and safety committee or representative. If you did not co-operate then people could potentially be at risk of injuring themselves or someone else. Responsibilities are also important because they make sure that employees have the correct training that they need, one responsibility of employees is to request training if they need it so that they can do the work that they are employed to do efficiently.

Rights and responsibilities at work: One right that employees have at work is to receive the correct health and safety care, the employer is responsible for this right, it is enforced in the workplace because the correct first aid kits are kept on site in all work places and there will always be a qualified first aider within the workplace. These rights are enforced by regular health and safety checks to be done within the workplace. One responsibility that employees have at work is to be on time, the employee is responsible for this, it is enforced in the workplace by having disciplinary measures in place for employees who are late for work on a regular basis. These responsibilities are enforced by including them within the employees terms and conditions.

Responsibilities that employers have to employees. Health and safety – employers have a responsibility to inform you of all the risks within the workplace and the measures that are in place to protect you from these risks. Pay and benefits – employers have the responsibility to ensure each employee has equal wages depending on the work that they are doing and receives at least minimum wage. Job recruitment and advertising – employers have the responsibility to ensure that each candidate has a fair chance of getting the job and they are not discriminated against in any way. Privacy of personal information – employers have the responsibility to ensure that any personal information that an employee tells their employer is kept confidential unless someone needs to be informed for the safety of the employee.

Employee rights and responsibilities. Employees have the right to receive a minimum of the national minimum wage which is £6.50 as of November the implications of this right is that all employees are protected against exploitation. Employees have a right to redundancy pay if they are made redundant this is based upon their age and experience within the job. The implications of this right is that the employee can guarantee that they will not be left with nothing if they are made redundant. Employees have a responsibility to comply with all work rules. The implications of this responsibility if not followed would be an employee or employer could get hurt as the rules as usually their to protect everyone. Employees have a responsibility to treat every employee and employer with respect. The implications that this responsibility will have on both employees and employers is that everyone can go to work without having to worry about being discriminated against.

Data protection and confidentiality Data protection is a part of the law which governs what may or may not be done with peoples personal data. Confidentiality means not informing anyone else of information that is disclosed by an employee or an employer to other people within the workplace. The steps that can be taken to maintain privacy of information within the workplace are by ensuring all data is kept in secure databases that only the people who need access to the data can access it.