With the UK still in the midst of an employment crisis, it’s proving harder than ever to land that dream job – or any job for that matter. The difficulty many experience trying to source work is further amplified by the unfair practices that some employers utilise against candidates; such as discrimination based on age, gender or nationality. For those lucky few who have found work, the issues of unfair dismissal or missing pay often crop up, and we Brits are simply not clued up enough on the legal side of such matters in order to fight back.
Help is at hand though from the Employment Team over at 36 Bedford Row, who recently released a pocket sized legal tool to help diagnose your problem. Affectionately dubbed The Work Rights App, this tool gives you the power to fight back in the palm of your hand, allowing you to self-assess how best to deal with your problem in a matter of minutes. The App itself is unbelievably easy to use, and is entirely anonymous, meaning that even if you decide not to act on the information you receive, it can’t hurt to try. Oh, and did I mention it’s free?
Upon installing and running the App, you’ll be presented with a rather lengthy Terms and Conditions page that you’ll need to accept before moving forward. I presume it implies that 36 Bedford Row cannot be held liable should their advice turn out to be negligent. I’m not entirely sure though, as like 99% of the population I didn’t read it – I plead guilty, your honour!
Moving on, once you’ve advanced past the T&C’s you’ll be presented with the option to start the self-help tool, or read through the legal jargon buster. Chances are you won’t need to refer to this ‘legal dictionary’ though, as the developers have done an outstanding job of making this App easily accessible to the masses. The majority of guidance is laid out in plain English, and the few legal terms that do slip through the net are clearly explained, making The Work Rights App very simple to use.
The legal tool itself feels very much like a multiple choice test, and depending on how complex your employment gripe is, you could be presented with up to 15 multiple choice questions, taking around about 5 minutes to complete. Common issues are dealt with much quicker though, and with these issues the App seems to reach a conclusion after about 30 seconds. Clearly no two genuine experiences will be the same though, and so your mileage may vary.
The advice you receive once a conclusion has been reached is very thorough and in-depth, greatly exceeding expectations. The Work Rights App will advise you on the deadline for your claim, any relevant statute law, the type of discrimination that you have suffered and perhaps most importantly the areas of law where the employer in question has fallen short. This App is clearly not designed to replace the legal guidance offered by a qualified Barrister or Solicitor, but armed with this information you will be able to make an informed decision about whether or not you wish to peruse the matter further. If you decide to do so, I would imagine 36 Bedford Row would be keen to offer their assistance!
Undoubtedly The Work Rights App will be warmly welcomed within the iOS community, and it is, without a doubt, well worth adding to your App collection. Even if you’re not experiencing an employment dispute, this app makes for a rather interesting read. It’s certainly worthwhile taking time out to learn your rights, as you never know when you’ll next rely on the knowledge you’ve gained. Those readers from the US are currently out of luck, although I’m sure that the steps taken here to arm the public with legal information will soon be reciprocated worldwide. 36 Bedford Row – You’ve just set a trend.
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Posted by Chadwick | October 10, 2011, 8:30 PM