Employee, Worker and Self-employed rights explained.
Employees have both statutory and contractual rights. Statutory rights are protected by law, while employment contracts may grant additional rights but cannot remove statutory ones.
Your statutory rights depend on your employment status, which falls into three main categories: Employee, Worker, and Self-employed. All employees are workers, but employees have extra rights.
Degree apprentices are employees and share the same rights, including paid holidays.
Some rights apply from day one, while others depend on your length of service. Examples include:
- National Minimum Wage
- Itemised payslip
- Statutory sick pay (for illness over 3 days)
- Paid leave
- Rest breaks for workdays over 6 hours
- Protection from discrimination
- Minimum notice period for dismissal
You can find out more about your rights and your employment status in our employment guide.