We’ve all been there. Trying to doze off after a long day when you’re hit with a niggling question you need an answer to. And you can’t go back to sleep until you know the answer.

If it’s an HR or employment law question keeping you awake, you’re in luck. Because you’ve got a team of 24/7 employment law experts to put your mind at ease.

This month, three different employers called between 1am and 3am and asked us their sick pay, TUPE, and employee misconduct questions. And we didn’t delay in giving them the answers they needed.

Here’s what they asked.

“My employee is off work sick because of a sports injury. Do I have to pay them?”

You must pay statutory sick pay (SSP) when your employee meets the qualifying criteria, including being ill for at least four days and earns an average of at least £118 per week.

If they’re sick for more than seven days, they’ll need to prove they were ill by giving you a doctor’s note.

As long as your employee meets the criteria, they still get SSP. Even if it’s for a sports injury.

However, some employers continue to pay their staff their normal salary, even when they’re on sick leave. And if you don’t want to top up your employee’s SSP?

Use your company sickness policy to set out that you won’t pay more than the legal minimum.

Need to revisit your staff sickness policy? Call us on 0800 144 4050

“Under a TUPE transfer, do I still have to pay existing personal pension contributions?”

Before we get into the answer, TUPE stands for the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006.

It’s the law that protects the rights of employees when a business is sold to a new owner.

If the employee’s contract includes the right to a personal pension with 5% employer contributions, for example, you’ll have to pay it after the transfer.

To avoid making a costly mistake with staff pensions under TUPE, it’s best to ask us for some free advice…

TUPE giving you more pension questions than answers? Call us on 0800 144 4050

“Money’s gone missing from my safe and only two employees know the code. What can I do?”

Check your CCTV recordings, if you have any, to see if you can find out who’s responsible.

Do an investigation to see if you can find out who stole from you. Bear in mind it might not be either of the employees who access your safe.

Once you have completed your investigation, decide what action to take. That could include inviting one or both of your employees to a disciplinary meeting.

Remember, theft by an employee is serious and can amount to gross misconduct. And it’s also a criminal offence.

Once you’ve completed your disciplinary process, decide what action to take. If you can’t work out who the culprit is, you could even dismiss both employees.

Are your staff stealing from you? Call us to get advice on what to do next on 0800 144 4050