How to deal with an employee who has been summoned for jury service
The HR & Compliance Centre "how to" section provides practical guidance for employers on the issues they may face if an employee is summoned for jury service.
Jury service usually lasts for two weeks, although it can be significantly longer. Employees should be given at least four weeks' notice of the start of their jury service, so employers should have time to make arrangements to cover or suspend the employee's work. However, there may be times when an employee's absence on jury service would cause serious difficulty for the employer, in which case the employer may wish the employee to apply to be excused from jury service or to have it deferred.
This guide looks at the circumstances in which the court is likely to grant deferral or excusal and the action the employer can take to support an employee's application. It also deals with the practicalities that employers should consider when an employee goes on jury service, such as whether or not to pay the employee in full and whether or not he or she should be required to attend work if released from jury service.
- How to deal with an employee who has been summoned for jury service Guidance for employers on the steps to take when an employee receives a summons to attend jury service.
Also
The HR & Compliance Centre policies and documents section provides model documents, including a Jury service policy and a Letter from an employer to support an employee's application for deferral of jury service.
The HR & Compliance Centre FAQs section answers employers' questions on jury service, including:
- Is an employer required to permit its employees to go on jury service?
- Where an employer considers that having a particular employee go on jury service would injure its business, can it approach the court directly to request a deferral?
- Do employees have a statutory right to be paid while on jury service?
Jurors' allowances - loss of earnings The HR & Compliance Centre quick reference section sets out the current rates of the loss of earnings allowance that employees can claim when on jury service.
