Newsletter No. 121
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Free Pint
"Helping 52,000 people use the Web for their work"
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ISSN 1460-7239 19th September 2002 No.121
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IN THIS ISSUE
EDITORIAL
MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES
From Anjlee Bhatt
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JOBS
Senior Records Analyst
Helpdesk Manager - French
Information Officer with Chemistry
TIPS ARTICLE
"Copyleft, Collaboration & Clusters"
By Helen Baxter
BOOKSHELF
"Creating a successful e-information service"
Reviewed by Celia Hukins
FEATURE ARTICLE
"Resignation or redundancy:
understanding your legal rights"
By Anne Ku
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Online Information 2002: the world's no. 1 event for information
professionals, librarians, knowledge managers and publishers
3-5 December 2002, Olympia, London UK
More details at
<http://www.online-information.co.uk/online/conference.asp>
>> LAST CHANCE for super early bird discount! <<
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>>> ABOUT FREE PINT <<<
Free Pint is an online community of information researchers. Members
receive this free newsletter every two weeks packed with tips on
finding quality and reliable business information on the Internet.
Joining is free at <http://www.freepint.com/> and provides access to
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EDITORIAL
You know, there's nothing better than getting feedback. I don't mind
if it's positive or negative, but like most people I prefer
constructive rather than destructive.
So I was delighted to hear from a number of Free Pinters about the
comments I made last time. How, after 30 years, information vendors
are still finding it difficult to provide the right information to
the right person, etc. etc.
Jerry Baldwin, Library Director at the Minnesota Department of
Transportation, has been doing some thinking about this, and reckons
the focus on 'right' is all wrong:
"It seems to me too many people have, for too long, attempted to solve
information problems by trying to identify who that 'right' person is,
what the 'right' information is, etc.
I think we need to change the mantra to providing the needed
information to the person who needs it in the needed format when
it's needed. That would put the emphasis on the right concept."
It's an interesting point. Information is only information when
there's a need. I guess I would prefer a vendor to service my
information needs, rather than give me what they feel is right for me
at a certain time.
Perhaps we're getting bogged down in semantics. Maybe we should be
trying to solve these fundamental information issues in a practical
way. Mind you, I've worked for enough information vendors to know
that we'll probably be no closer in another 30 years.
Returning to today, we have no way of knowing what your information
needs are at the moment. So we've packed as many different things as
possible into today's Free Pint. There is a list of contributors and
advertisers at the end, and if you'd like to contribute or advertise
then see the details at <http://www.freepint.com>.
Cheers
William
William Hann BSc(Hons) MCLIP, Founder and Managing Editor
Email: <william@freepint.com> Tel: +44 (0)1784 420044
Free Pint is a Registered Trademark of Free Pint Limited (R) 1997-2002
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"Paul Pedley is an excellent speaker. Very knowledgeable. Would
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MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES
From Anjlee Bhatt
* <http://dmoz.org> - Search this vast directory of links or sign up
as one of the thousands of volunteer editors that make the Open
Directory Project possible.
* <http://www.pti.org.uk/> - Need to find info on travel by rail, air,
coach, bus, ferry, metro and tram within the UK? This is the place
to start. Includes rail, ferry and coach travel between the UK and
Ireland, and the UK and mainland Europe.
* <http://www.nua.com/> - Online Internet resource portal providing
surveys, demographics, statistics and market research, specialising
in Internet trends and statistics.
* <http://download.com> - One of the best places to look for freeware,
shareware, and demo versions on the Internet. Excellent search
features and includes software feature articles and reviews, user
ratings and comments system.
* <http://www.xe.com/ucc/> - And finally, a great, up-to-the-minute
currency converter to help with holiday calculations and online
spending.
Anjlee Bhatt is a Digital Library Officer at UCE
<http://www.uce.ac.uk/uceel> and is also working for the
Centre for Information Research on the eVALUEd Project
<http://www.cie.uce.ac.uk/evalued>.
Email your top five favourite Web sites to <penny@freepint.com> or
see the guidelines at <http://www.freepint.com/author.htm>.
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MANY MORE SESSIONS ADDED TO FACTIVA'S LEARNING SCHEDULE
Factiva Learning Programs has organised many more Factiva.com
introductory and advanced learning sessions both online via the
Web and as face-to-face seminars. To learn how to search our
unmatched collection of sources more effectively register today at
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>>> Free Pint Telecommunications Exchange <<<
Thursday 24th October 2002, West London, UK
"This Exchange is intended to equip participants with an
awareness of the key sources of information on telecommunications,
an ability to research the sector efficiently, and a basic
understanding of telecommunications networks and services."
<http://www.freepint.com/exchange>
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FREE PINT JOBS
<http://www.freepint.com/jobs>
As well as the selected listings below, check out the weekly Bar
postings which list the latest additions to Free Pint Jobs.
This week's can be found at <http://www.freepint.com/go/b19944>
and last week's at <http://www.freepint.com/go/b19821>.
Here are some of the latest featured jobs:
Senior Records Analyst <http://www.freepint.com/go/j2009>
Great Records Management jobs available in Stafford; an operational
role and also RM analysis including review of procedures & FoI.
Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment
Helpdesk Manager - French <http://www.freepint.com/go/j2015>
Leading conglomerate require a French-speaking help desk
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Recruiter: Recruit Media
Information Officer with Chemistry <http://www.freepint.com/go/j2018>
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Recruiter: Glen Recruitment
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TIPS ARTICLE
"Copyleft, Collaboration & Clusters"
By Helen Baxter
Traditional business practices are being turned on their heads. Even
five years ago the concept of waiving the protections of copyright, or
giving intellectual property away for free would have seemed absurd,
let alone the notion of collaborating with your competitors in
'Business Clusters'
<http://www.knowledgeboard.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=70673>.
This new way of working suits individuals and smaller, more adaptable
organizations, but the larger corporates are struggling to cope,
fighting tooth and nail to hold on to their old power bases.
The Napsterisation of Everything
--------------------------------
The now legendary music swapping service popularised person-to-person
or peer-to-peer file. It allowed people to use the collective power of
their networked computers to share music with one another, and was
closed down due to lawsuits placed against it for copyright
infringement by the music giants
<http://writ.news.findlaw.com/books/reviews/20010720_hodes.html>.
This simple idea has revolutionized the online environment and is now
being applied in many different ways such as e-government
<http://www.egovernment.bt.com/reports/p2p.htm>.
Is the concept of copyright and intellectual 'property' now at odds
with the knowledge economy and the new tenet that the sharing of
knowledge is power?
Leading KM guru Dr Edna Pasher <http://www.pasher.co.il> says:
"I have been coping with the question of knowledge sharing vs
knowledge protecting for a long time, and so have my friends in the KM
and IC pioneers community. It is a very complex issue. In the early
1990s some of us believed that since knowledge is very difficult and
very expensive to protect, people will stop investing in its
protection and instead speed up exploiting it as soon as possible.
We were all exposed at that time to research findings that told a very
interesting story: a patent costs on average $250,000 to create and
only 50% of them were turned into products or services that were
making money for the companies that had invested in them.
But the opposite has happened since then.
Companies are investing more in turning knowledge into intellectual
property. In addition they focus attention on leveraging it as well.
Dow Chemicals has started its KM programme with such a goal. Gordon
Petrash, who was their first knowledge manager, was asked to start by
exploring the potential of their patents portfolio, what they called
knowledge assets. IBM has also made high profit from their patents
business.
There is a growing demand for lawyers specializing in intellectual
property. It costs money to create knowledge, so isn't it fair to
charge those that want to use it? On the other hand, is fast
exploitation not a better strategy?
It seems that different strategies need to be adopted in different
industries. A complex solution is used in pharmaceutics. After 25
years the patents become public knowledge. Is it fair? Should it be
longer or shorter?
Another issue to explore is the assumption behind knowledge sharing.
It is based on the gift economy. You give something under the
assumption that sometime someway somewhere you will get something back
for it. It is not that altruistic. And when most of it, including open
source activities, is done on company time, who should benefit from
it?".
Copyleft, Open Source & Collaboration
-------------------------------------
As content professionals we are all familiar with copyright, which
gives the author of an original piece of creative work the right to
control copying of that work for their lifetime, and up to 50 years
after their death. Copyright is automatically created once an original
work is written down or recorded in some way
<http://www.wikipedia.com/wiki/Copyright>.
Fast forward to the present day and most of us that work in the online
arena are familiar with the concept of Open Source software such as
Linux and the GNU Project. The main argument for using Open Source
software is that is allows for 'independent peer review', whereby
programmers all over the world can review and amend the code base,
allowing the software to continually evolve into a better product. It
is the GNU Project <http://www.gnu.org/gnu/thegnuproject.html>, which
first came up with the concept of copyleft
<http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/copyleft.html>.
"Copyleft uses copyright law, but flips it over to serve the opposite
of its usual purpose: instead of a means of privatizing software, it
becomes a means of keeping software free. The central idea of copyleft
is that we give everyone permission to run the program, copy the
program, modify the program, and distribute modified versions--but not
permission to add restrictions of their own."
We are entering the era of self publishing that allows the creator of
a work to distribute directly to the end consumer. Innovations such as
'Blogging' may be seen in retrospect as important as the printing
press.
Are MP3's the 'new bootlegs'
----------------------------
With the advent of CD burners and good quality desktop printers,
anyone can create an identical copy of a CD bought in a music shop.
Large media groups such as record companies and Hollywood studios are
desperately trying to hang on to their monopoly of distribution and
legislate against the world changing, but it's too late
<http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,16905,00.html>.
Smaller swifter companies are already coming up with new models, and
techno-savvy artists can now utilise viral distribution systems using
sharing and collaboration to get their work to the end consumer. I run
an independent record label <http://www.tmet.net> with my husband. As a
label you might think that we would naturally support the strict
enforcement of copyright. Instead we are using an alternative model
based on a sliding scale of costs determined by what product we
actually deliver to the end consumer.
Working on the theory that the viral distribution of low quality
digital files will help create a market for our music, we offer a 'low
fat, low-fi' free download of our new album in mono. We assign
copyleft to this version, and actively encourage people to pass it on
to their friends.
We then charge a small payment for the ability to download a 'full
fat, hi-fi' download in stereo plus the artwork for a CD label and
cover. The consumer could receive a copy of the album within minutes,
then burn a CD, print the label & cover and provide their own case.
Copying of this stereo version is controlled by copyright, but when the
cost is only a few dollars people are more likely to part with some
cash.
We could also offer an 'extra cream, sci-fi' DVD version where we
physically create an album made in surround sound, containing extra
features such as dance-floor remixes, behind the scenes footage,
interviews with the artists, etc.
Most people these days spend more on their home entertainment systems
than a stereo. If the cost of the DVD version is comparable to a
traditional music CD with no extra features, it becomes a far more
attractive product.
A quick look around the web shows that other labels are going down
this route such as the latest offering from rap artist Eminem
<http://www.videostoremag.com/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?sec_id=>.
Movies
------
According to some reports, half a million pirate movies are downloaded
each day, so will this destroy the industry? Take a masterpiece such
as Lord of the Rings. First I went to see it at the cinema (twice),
then I got hold of a very low-quality copy to watch at home. I love
the film so much that I am about to buy the Collector's DVD Gift Set.
Why would I buy a legitimate copy when I already have a pirate copy?
Because I get a better quality copy with the added value of the extra
features, and other net users agree. I found these comments on a
message board:
"I have viewed copies of both movies and yes I have seen both in the
theatre and I'm planning to buy both when they come out on DVD ...".
"I think quite a few of the downloaders still go to the movies. Even
though you have seen the movie before, you still get some value for
your money: big screen picture and excellent sound stage. Also many
even buy a DVD after that. The downloadable movies aren't exactly good
enough quality for a high quality home theatre system"
<http://www.provenanceunknown.com/archive/000201.html>.
It has been claimed for many years that no-one will ever pay for
anything online, but subscription services to gaming communities are
thriving .
Examining the network of geeks I know worldwide, I've seen a pattern
emerge over the past two years. We used to proclaim that everything
online should be free, but all of us are now happily paying for some
service or other that adds value to our lives, or more importantly,
saves us time.
If we are prepared to pay for things after holding such radical views
about the right of free information, then the rest of the world will
surely follow in time. The dinosaurs died because they couldn't adapt
to a changing environment. Here's to collaboration not competition and
a new way of doing business in the noughties.
Shaun Fanning who invented Napster should be seen as a peer-to-peer
pioneer and not the evil pirate the music industry have made him out
to be. At the age of 18 he wrote the code that has the potential to
change the world. And it's already happening
<http://www.time.com/time/poy2000/pwm/fanning.html>.
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Helen Baxter is editor of KnowledgeBoard
<http://www.knowledgeboard.com>, a community of over 3,000 Knowledge
Management professionals from over 78 countries worldwide. She has
worked in the UK internet industry since 1994 as a writer
(All You Need to Know About the Internet, Digital Cognition, 1997),
trainer, & media consultant, and has a passion for collaborative
networks and online communities. Now based in New Zealand, she also
runs a dance music record label with her producer husband, Chelfyn.
<http://www.tmet.net>.
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Related Free Pint links:
* "Information and Libraries" resources in the Free Pint Portal
<http://www.freepint.com/go/p69>
* Post a message to the author, Helen Baxter, or suggest further
resources at the Free Pint Bar <http://www.freepint.com/bar>
* Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/190902.htm#feature>
* Access the entire archive of Free Pint content
<http://www.freepint.com/portal/content/>
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FREE PINT BOOKSHELF
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf>
"Creating a successful e-information service"
Written by Sheila Pantry and Peter Griffiths
Reviewed by Celia Hukins
This book is about creating a successful e-information service.
Sheila Pantry and Peter Griffiths are both experienced information
professionals and they write from that viewpoint, mostly with the
larger organisation, with existing library systems, in mind.
The book is presented in an easy-to-read format, with each of the
eight chapters having a bullet point summary of content at the
beginning and a summary at the end. Extensive use is made of case
studies giving practical ideas. While these may not fit in with the
reader's particular requirements, they do provide a useful starting
point and, indeed, readers are encouraged to look further afield for
answers to their specific questions.
In setting up an e-information service, Pantry and Griffiths recommend
that an information audit be undertaken, as described in their
previous work on this topic. They provide some useful examples of
checklists for defining what sort of information service you want to
create; these include analysing business managers' information
requirements, current sources of information used, and the current
means of distributing information.
Several key issues are identified and revisited from different
angles in the course of the book. A virtual service can be based
anywhere, have any target audience, and has the potential to be a 24/7
service (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week). There are
implications for staff development, identifying and retaining the
target audience, and practical issues of financial management.
Change management is vital, keeping all levels of staff and also
service users informed of developments. Staff must have assistance to
adjust to new ways of working, and appropriate training and
development must be provided. The target audience must be defined and
appropriate instruction and support services provided, in order to
avoid the threat of users bypassing the service and accessing the
web directly, or indeed going directly to product suppliers for their
fee-based services. It is therefore important to keep in touch with
customers, and one way to do this is by evaluating and monitoring the
service.
If a 24/7 service is offered, counterparts in different time zones can
augment the service outside the normal working day. However, if the
service is physically provided in a specific location, a local help
desk may well be required, and consideration must be made of the
security of equipment in antisocial hours. A suitable time for backup
procedures must be identified.
An e-information service does not necessarily save money. The service
must be costed, taking into account the types of equipment required,
the restrictions of license agreements, and the important issue of
continued access to files of back issues of journals.
There is a glossary of sample electronic services, covering examples
such as Athens, for the UK higher and further education sector, the
National Electronic Library for Health (NeLH), and the New
Opportunities Fund (NOF).
A lot of ground is covered at a basic level in this book, but I would
have liked more information on topics such as the evaluation of
internet resources, and the issues of appropriate staff qualifications
and training. The bibliography has some useful references, with
details of books, articles and some web sites, but it is a little
limited and at least one of the web sites I checked was no longer
available.
I'm not quite sure who the target audience for this book is; while it
claims to be for the successful information professional, it reads in
many places like a student text-book. However, all groups should find
some items of interest.
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Celia Hukins is manager of the Small Business Gateway Information
Service in Aberdeen, Scotland, where she provides business
information, market research and training services to start-up and
existing businesses. She writes here in a personal capacity.
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Related Free Pint links:
* Find out more about this book online at the Free Pint Bookshelf
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf/e-information.htm>
* Read customer comments and buy this book at Amazon.co.uk
<http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1856044424/freepint0c>
* "Creating a successful e-information service" ISBN 1856044424
published by Facet Publishing, written by Sheila Pantry and
Peter Griffiths
* Search for and purchase any book from Amazon via the Free Pint
Bookshelf at <http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf>
* Read about other Internet Strategy books on the Free Pint Bookshelf
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf/strategy.htm>
To propose an information-related book for review, send details
to <bookshelf@freepint.com>.
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FEATURE ARTICLE
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/190902.htm#feature>
"Resignation or redundancy:
understanding your legal rights"
By Anne Ku
Leaving your job is not a simple case of resigning, getting fired,
accepting a voluntary separation package, or being made redundant. The
way you leave could determine whether you get any compensation at all.
Employees pressured to leave their jobs unwillingly can avoid the
mistake of leaving unwittingly by knowing their rights and having a
basic appreciation for the laws that govern employment and the legal
recourse available. This article is designed to offer guidance and to
help you understand your legal rights as an employee. It is not,
however, a substitute for personal legal advice from a solicitor.
Employment laws vary from country to country. It is fair to say that
employment laws in the UK are stricter than those in the US, thus
giving employees more protection. By the same token, employment laws
in continental Europe are even more favourable to employees. This
article discusses the issues that apply in England, Wales and Scotland
only.
Your choice or theirs
---------------------
It's worth knowing your rights as an employee in the company you work
for and the country you work in. For the former, consult your
employment contract and human resources policy guides. For the latter,
the Citizen's Advice Bureau's web site at
<http://www.adviceguide.org.uk> contains a wealth of easy-to-read
information on UK employment law, such as your basic rights at work,
right to pay, dismissal, and redundancy.
If you "resign" or "quit", you give up your rights as an employee.
There are some interesting articles and message boards about how to
resign at <http://www.i-resign.com>.
If you are dismissed, that is, you've been "fired", "sacked" and thus
"lose your job", you are protected by the employment laws of the
country. Understanding what they are will help you determine whether
you could claim unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal, or
discrimination.
For a dismissal to be fair, an employer must show that the reason for
the dismissal falls within one of the following potentially fair
reasons: 1) conduct, 2) capability (incompetence, ill health, etc.),
3) illegality, 4) redundancy, or 5) some other substantial reason. If
the reason for dismissal does not fall within one of the above, then
the dismissal will be unfair. If it does fall within one of the
categories, it is then necessary to determine whether the dismissal is
actually justified. It must also be "substantively fair" (the
dismissal must be a reasonable response to the matter in question) and
"procedurally fair" (the decision to dismiss is only reached after a
fair and proper procedure).
There are many web sites on employment law. The British Employment Law
Main Index at <http://www.emplaw.co.uk/free/index.htm> explains the
above concepts in greater depth. <http://www.unfair-dismissal.co.uk>
contains nuggets of useful information on this topic. For the latest
updates to UK employment law, consider the independent researcher
Incomes Data Services (IDS)'s site at
<http://www.incomesdata.co.uk/brief/law.htm>. If you have the time,
browse through the electronic law library at
<http://library.ukc.ac.uk/library/lawlinks/default.htm>.
Constructive dismissal: "I quit because you forced me to"
---------------------------------------------------------
In certain cases, you could resign and claim to have been
"constructively dismissed" to get compensation. In other words, you
were "forced" to resign by your employer's actions. "Constructive
dismissal" is rarely seen as a fair dismissal. The law states four
conditions that an employee must satisfy in order to claim
constructive dismissal: 1) the employer's actions constitutes a breach
of contract; 2) the breach of contract is sufficiently serious to
justify the employee leaving; 3) the employee leaves only in response
to that breach of contract; and 4) the employee does not delay too
long between the breach of contract and his decision to leave.
Redundancy: "we don't need you anymore"
---------------------------------------
The word "redundant" means "superfluous" or "extra". To make an
employee redundant, the employer must require fewer employees to carry
out work of a particular kind. Therefore you cannot be genuinely
redundant if you are to be replaced as there is no reduction in the
number of employees required to do your particular work. Note that
being made "redundant" is only one of several reasons for a dismissal.
In practice an employee will be redundant under any of the following
circumstances: 1) there is less work to be done and therefore fewer
employees are required to do it; 2) there is just as much work but due
to computerisation or reorganisation, fewer people are now required to
do it; or 3) your place of work is closing so that no employees are
now required.
Redundancy procedure is quite complex, and employers must be very
careful to deal with matters properly. If they fail to do so, they may
face an unfair dismissal claim.
For further reading on dismissals and grievances, visit the site of
Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service, a public body funded by
UK tax-payers, at <http://www.acas.org.uk>. You can also call your
local law centre listed at <http://www.lawcentres.org.uk> for free and
independent legal advice.
Compromise agreement: "pay me to leave without a fuss"
------------------------------------------------------
Because dismissing an employee is not a simple matter, employers may
enter into a "compromise agreement" to protect themselves (from future
lawsuits and claims by the employee). Compromise agreements usually
contain a confidentiality clause which can be desirable for an
employer.
In some circumstances a compromise agreement will be proposed when an
employer has decided to dismiss a particular employee but has no
potentially fair reason for doing so. In such a case the dismissal
will be unfair and the employer would rather "pay off" the employee
under a compromise agreement than be dragged through an unfair
dismissal claim when they know the employee will win. The agreement
means the employer can dismiss the employee without fear of future
problems.
In other cases, employers have a policy of asking employees to sign a
compromise agreement whenever they are paying the employee more than
their legal entitlement on the termination of their employment (even
if the dismissal would be a fair one). The theory is simply that by
giving an employee more than they (the employer) have to, they should
be entitled to ask for something in return and that something is
normally the protection of a compromise agreement. While some
voluntary separation or severance packages fall under this category, a
compromise agreement generally refers to the case where the employees
waive their statutory rights.
A compromise agreement can also be useful if an employer wishes to
restrict an employee's activities not specifically stated in the
employee's original contract of employment. This will give an
employer a "second chance" to negotiate terms with regard to the
employee's behaviour after his departure.
A compromise agreement is only valid if the employee has taken legal
advice from a qualified adviser (usually a solicitor), and that
adviser is also identified in the agreement. If the agreement does
not comply with the necessary formalities, it will not prevent the
employee from claiming unfair dismissal. [Although employers are not
obliged to pay for their employee to consult with a legal adviser,
most would offer to pay (up to a certain amount) to make the agreement
attractive and speed up the employee's acceptance of the agreement.
Even so, the amount is usually minimal and not sufficient to cover
extensive legal advice, further negotiation, or legal fees towards a
claim should the employee decide not to accept the agreement].
Getting legal advice
--------------------
The web sites suggested here are intended to help you become more
aware and knowledgeable about your rights as an employee. If you are
dismissed from your job, you may need to talk to a solicitor. This may
prove quite costly, depending on the seniority of the solicitor
(London hourly rates of GBP150 to GBP300 are not uncommon) and the
complexity of your case (number of hours could run into days!). The
Law Society at <http://www.lawsoc.org.uk> contains a useful search
engine for solicitors.
Employment issues are often complex and bills can be large. Even if
you are successful in your claim you will not be awarded your legal
costs against your employer except in exceptional circumstances. You
may get your solicitor to act on a "contingency fee" basis whereby you
are only charged if you win. However, don't be surprised if it reduces
your compensation by 30% to 40%!
One way around this is to take out legal insurance, which could
include both legal advice and payment of legal fees in claims. Legal
insurance is available as a standalone policy, part of a professional
membership (such as a trade union or a professional body), or as an
add-on to a home and contents insurance policy. To date no
comprehensive site exists on legal insurance, but you may look for
insurance brokers and insurance companies at
<http://www.ukinsuranceguide.co.uk>.
An example of a reputable service is Direct Line's Family Legal
Protection Policy, which is only available in conjunction with the
company's Home Insurance Policy. It provides 24 by 7 access to a team
of legal advisers via a local phone call. Since there is no limit to
the number of phone calls, the policyholder can more intelligently
negotiate with the employer to the point that a solicitor is
required. The policyholder may then fill out a claim form to request
its legal advisers to look into, advise on, and negotiate a better
settlement. In the author's experience, employing a separate group of
solicitors would cost more than 100 times the annual legal insurance
premium!
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About the author: Anne Ku has experienced both resignation and
redundancy as an employee in a management consulting firm, a bank, an
energy company, and a publishing house. For this article, she thanks
Richard Simpkins, a member of Direct Line's Legal Advice Line at
<http://www.directline.com>, for educating her on UK employment law as
well as providing an excellent service. This is her seventh article
for Freepint. Other published work can be found on her web site for
self-expression at <http://www.analyticalQ.com>.
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Related Free Pint links:
* "Employment/Recruitment/HR" resources in the Free Pint Portal
<http://www.freepint.com/go/p43>
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<http://www.freepint.com/issues/190902.htm#feature>
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- Publication Date: 18th September 2002
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