Work out an employee's period of continuous service
Key points
Many employment rights, such as the right to claim unfair dismissal and the right to a statutory redundancy payment, are dependent on the employee having a particular period of continuous service with the employer.
Generally, there is no break in continuity for as long as the employee is under a contract of employment with the same employer. Periods of continuous employment are reckoned on a week-by-week basis.
Sometimes, a break in employment counts towards continuous employment. For example, continuity of service is retained where an employee is absent from work, for whatever length of time, because of a temporary cessation of work.
Some periods of absence for certain reasons do not break the continuity of a period of employment, but must be discounted when computing an employee's total period of continuous employment.
