UNIT 03 Awareness of Converging Digital Technology in the Creative Media Sector.

UNIT 03 Awareness of Converging Digital Technology in the Creative Media Sector.

03.1 Understand the use of digital technology within the Creative Media sector.

03.2 Understand the implications of converging technology on the workforce in a particular Creative Media industry.

03.3 Know how converging technology has been exploited to reach new audiences and generate revenue.

03.4 Be able to plan a research exercise to test an idea for exploiting converging technology during the production process.

Describe the uses of digital technology within the Creative Media sector and the relationships this has created between industries in the sector.

Technology is used in near enough all areas across the creative media sector today. Over the years technology has progressed massively. It used to be that you could only listen to the radio on a radio or view pictures once they had been printed, now you can listen to the radio not only on the radio but stream it on the internet using a computer or phone and as for photos they are digitally displayed on the device you choose to take them on, they can be transfered to a computer and even shared straight from a phone to social media or privately to others. Also look at what else a phone does today, originally invented just to call people. Phones do pretty much anything you could want to do on it for example call, text, browse the internet, check social media, watch TV, use cameras and even work as satalite navigation devices.

With the developments in technology came more relationships between industries within the sector. Digital technology today is used to record, capture, create, edit, enhance, test, display, present and distribute pretty much anything.

At T2 Design Soluitions we have software which allows us as a company to be able to complete these tasks however specialising in Visualisation we mainly focus on using software such as Photoshop, 3DS MAX, Auto CAD, InDesign and illustrator for design purposes. When it comes to sharing work with the Clients it is mainly done via Drop box or E-mail, all the Jobs are saved onto our internal server making it easy for other people to access within our studio. They then can open any files off the server to do anything that needs to be done to them.

Describe key Intellectual Property and copyright issues, related to digital technology and content creation.
Intellectual Property (IP) is a work or invention that is the result of creativity, such as a manuscript or a design, to which one has rights and for which one may apply for a patent, copyright, trademark, etc.

Copyright can protect:

literary works, including novels, instruction manuals, computer programs, song lyrics, newspaper articles and some types of database
dramatic works, including dance or mime
musical works

artistic works, including paintings, engravings, photographs, sculptures, collages, architecture, technical drawings, diagrams, maps and logos
layouts or typographical arrangements used to publish a work, for a book for instance
recordings of a work, including sound and film
broadcasts of a work
You should only copy or use a work protected by copyright with the copyright owner’s permission.

Copyright applies to any medium. This means that you must not reproduce copyright protected work in another medium without permission. This includes, publishing photographs on the internet, making a sound recording of a book, a painting of a photograph and so on.

Copyright does not protect ideas for a work.  It is only when the work itself is fixed, for example in writing, that copyright automatically protects it. This means that you do not have to apply for copyright.

A copyright protected work can have more than one copyright, or another intellectual property (IP) right, connected to it. For example, an album of music can have separate copyrights for individual songs, sound recordings, artwork, and so on.  Whilst copyright can protect the artwork of your logo, you could also register the logo as a trade mark.

Understand the implications of converging technology on the workforce in a particular Creative Media industry.

what is meant by “converging technology”.
Technological convergence means to merge technologies into new forms that bring together different types of media and applications. New devices and technology usually handle one medium or accomplish some basic tasks; through technological convergence, devices can interact with a wider array of media types. Arguably the best example of technological convergence is a mobile phone. the mobile phone originally had only two purposes, to call and text people, now even the basic mobile phone does much more than that. The mobile phones we have today combine virtual technologies such as social media, apps, games, video and photography.
It also combines physical technologies for example all phones are now designed to plug into a computer or laptop, phones also have a built in camera/ video player and they have a built in MP3 player for music which also requires earphones. All of these are examples of converging technologies.

What are the implications of converging technology on the workforce in a particular Creative Media industry.
I work in the graphic design and Design visualisation industry as an apprentice project support assistant and it’s fair to say converging technologies have radically changed how things work. For example a few years ago a Graphic Designer would have to meet with a client and try and scribble down notes on a piece of paper and try to scribble drawings down where as now you can take possibly a laptop or tablet with you and be able to voice record the conversation to be played back later or even type our the clients request, you will also be able to flick to images to say is it this sort of thing you are thinking of and save them for reference rather than attempting to create terrible scribbles that actually look relevent. you can skype presentations of ideas to clients rather that having to travel for hours, and the same applies to meetings of any type. You can easily send files weather its a powerpoint with a recording of you explaining what it shows as part of it or if its just a flat PDF image between people and they can easily reply with feedback in any form.
When it comes to websites not just ourselves but other people in creative media industries are taking advantage of converging technology to produce better products and getting more viewers. Many people in the creative media sector are developing websites for PC and adapting them to perform usefully for the smaller screens of mobile phones and tablets as many people are preferring to use them instead of a PC to browse the internet.

Know how converging technology has been exploited to reach new audiences and generate revenue.

Describe the changing expectations of audiences and consumers within a chosen Creative Media industry.
If you are just browsing the web or walking down the street you will notice a lot of Digitally created images today look very realistic and clean, Think back to what was being used 10 years ago and the difference that you see when you look at something that has been created today. This has had a huge impact on client’s expectations of what they can get for their money. In actual fact yes you can Create a very nice branded up draft housing sales leaflet in a few days and get it perfectly laid out up to the clients standard in a couple more but it all comes down to the amount of time it’s going to take to create and amend the images or how many times things need to be moved as to what you will actually

get for your money. This is why it’s key to work as accurately to client’s requests and expectations when it comes to this as the more changes they make the more it will cost.

Describe examples of how multi-platform content has been used to reach new audiences and generate revenue.
Multi platform content is a form of displaying entertainment over a range of media platforms, what ever it is you want to show is shown over a range of media platforms, for example if we created an animation we can use multi platforms such as television broadcast, online video (Youtube), mobile phones, DVD and Tablets so that people can view it.
The content of the multi-platform series can either be different over each type of media, or the content can be the same in each delivery stream, created intentionally to be seen on any screen ir device the viewer wishes.

Describe examples of commissioning processes and funding opportunities in relation to converging technology
When commissioning a client there are a few different ways this can occur. For gaining smaller clients with smaller budgets we are usually recommended or they find us through word of mouth, they have then approached us stating their budget and then we have told them what that will get them. For bigger clients there is more of a defined process. A job will be posted with a specification and brief. From this we will be invited to tender where we will outline our process, what we will do, give some examples in the form of case studies and then get down to the bottom line of the budget and how much it will cost in total. We will then send this off and see if we win the job. If we win the job then contracts are discussed and agreed then work can commence.

In relation to converging technologies the commissioning process hasn’t really changed but just developed in a way to support it and make clients aware. Converging technology means that today there are often many different ways to complete the same task whether it is right/wrong or just doesn’t matter. This is often all about making the client aware of the methods that you use to complete certain tasks and then budgeting appropriately if it needs to done differently.

Be able to plan a research exercise to test an idea for exploiting converging technology.

Explain opportunities for exploiting converging technology.
One of the main exploits of converging technology is the rising amount of peer to peer sharing. In some cases this system is very useful, as important pieces of information or files can be transferred, for example, between two separate offices of the same company. However recently the advances in peer to peers file sharing has become a method of sharing copyrighted material such as films, music, video games etc.

Research and plan a test for an identified opportunity
A good way to research converging technology would be to set up a web page or blog that logs how each user came to access the site. For example i have a google blog and when i log in i can see how many people have viewed it, what the most popular page is, where in the world it has been viewed from, the search engine used to find it and the device it has been viewed from.

Carry out planned test and evaluate and present the findings

Some of this information was sourced from different websites and brought together in this document.

UNIT 05 Contribute to Good Working Relationships.

UNIT 05 Contribute to Good Working Relationships.

05.1 Understand how to agree working arrangements
05.2 Understand how to communicate effectively with colleagues
05.3 Be able to develop and maintain good working relationships during the production process.

In the Company that I work for there are a few different ways that working arrangements can be agreed or changed:

Verbally. Verbal agreements are mainly used in our company to agree things such as starting or finishing work later or earlier or for arranging to work off site for the day and things like that.
It is unlikely that holidays and other reason to take time of work will be arranged verbally.

Form. Forms or other types of paperwork is another way that we may agree working arrangements in our company, We have special forms for holiday and time off requests that asks for all the information required. The form once complete has to be submitted to a position of management so that it can be approved or declined.

Telephone or E-mail. Telephone or E-mail agreements can be the same sort of things that can be verbally agreed such as starting or finishing work later or earlier or for arranging to work off site for the day and things like that.

It is always best to have a signed copy of a working arrangement or a signed change to arrangement request in writing or a whiteness to any verbal arrangements or changes to ensure that if the arrangement or the change is questioned you have evidence that it was allowed and approved.

In smaller company’s like ours where there are only so many people that can do certain jobs it may be best to ensure a good relationship with your colleagues, to discuss what time off they have booked in or if they need that day for a reason more important than your own. For example if there are only 2 people that can do a job they wouldn’t be able to go off at the same time as there area of work would just stop until one returns and this would cost the company.

With conflict in the workplace this can easily be resolved by speaking with a member of management about your problem if it can’t be resolved my yourself and also logging a written version of the conversation so that you have a record of what the conflict was and how it was resolved.

What are the most important factors of working in a team and how can they impact on working relationships & What factors impact on the success of a group of people in the workplace?

1. Trust among team members
Building trust takes time. If trust is lacking it must be the responsibility of the team leader to focus first on building trust, i.e. getting team members to open up and expose their weaknesses and fears to each other. In some cases, a team building exercise can be utilized. In certain business cases, due to time pressures, the leader may have to take responsibility for building trust or change the team to achieve the necessary level of trust for team success. Until everyone is willing to trust the other members of the team, progress towards team success will be limited.

2. Communicates constructively

Teams need people who speak up and express their thoughts and ideas clearly, directly, honestly, and with respect for others and for the work of the team. That’s what it means to communicate constructively. Such a team member does not shy away from making a point but makes it in the best way possible — in a positive, confident, and respectful manner.

3. Listens actively
Good listeners are essential for teams to function effectively. Teams need team players who can absorb, understand, and consider ideas and points of view from other people without debating and arguing every point. Such a team member also can receive criticism without reacting defensively. Most important, for effective communication and problem solving, team members need the discipline to listen first and speak second so that meaningful dialogue results.

4. Functions as an active participant
Good team players are active participants. They come prepared for team meetings and listen and speak up in discussions. They’re fully engaged in the work of the team and do not sit passively on the sidelines.

Team members who function as active participants take the initiative to help make things happen, and they volunteer for assignments. Their whole approach is can-do: “What contribution can I make to help the team achieve success?”

5. Shares openly and willingly
Good team players share. They’re willing to share information, knowledge, and experience. They take the initiative to keep other team members informed.

Much of the communication within teams takes place informally. Beyond discussion at organized meetings, team members need to feel comfortable talking with one another and passing along important news and information day-to-day. Good team players are active in this informal sharing. They keep other team members in the loop with information and expertise that helps get the job done and prevents surprises.

6. Cooperates and pitches in to help
Cooperation is the act of working with others and acting together to accomplish a job. Effective team players work this way by second nature. Good team players, despite differences they may have with other team members concerning style and perspective, figure out ways to work together to solve problems and get work done. They respond to requests for assistance and take the initiative to offer help.

7.Exhibits Flexibility
Teams often deal with changing conditions — and often create changes themselves. Good team players roll with the punches; they adapt to ever-changing situations. They don’t complain or get stressed out because something new is being tried or some new direction is being set.

In addition, a flexible team member can consider different points of views and compromise when needed. He or she doesn’t hold rigidly to a point of view and argue it to death, especially when the team needs to move forward to make a decision or get something done. Strong team players are firm in their thoughts yet open to what others have to offer — flexibility at its best.

8. Shows commitment to the team and demonstrates reliability
Strong team players care about their work, the team, and the team’s work. They show up every day with this care and commitment up front. They want to give a good effort, and they want other team members to do the same.
You can count on a reliable team member who gets work done and does his fair share to work hard and meet commitments. He or she follows through on assignments. Consistency is key. You can count on him or her to deliver good performance all the time, not just some of the time.

9. Works as a problem-solver
Teams, of course, deal with problems. Sometimes, it appears, that’s the whole reason why a team is created — to address problems. Good team players are willing to deal with all kinds of problems in a solutions-oriented manner. They’re problem-solvers, not problem-dwellers, problem-blamers, or problem-avoiders. They don’t simply rehash a problem the way problem-dwellers do. They don’t look for others to fault, as the blamers do. And they don’t put off dealing with issues, the way avoiders do.

Team players get problems out in the open for discussion and then collaborate with others to find solutions and form action plans.

10. Treats others in a respectful and supportive manner
Team players treat fellow team members with courtesy and consideration — not just some of the time but consistently. In addition, they show understanding and the appropriate support of other team members to help get the job done.

They don’t place conditions on when they’ll provide assistance, when they’ll choose to listen, and when they’ll share information. Good team players also have a sense of humour and know how to have fun, but they don’t have fun at someone else’s expense. Quite simply, effective team players deal with other people in a professional manner. Team players who show commitment don’t come in any particular style or personality. They care about what the team is doing and they contribute to its success — without needing a push.

Team players with commitment look beyond their own piece of the work and care about the team’s overall work. In the end, their commitment is about seeing the team succeed and knowing they have contributed to this success. Winning as a team is one of the great motivators of employee performance. Good team players have and show this motivation

These can impact a working relationship in two ways, If all of your colleagues are willing to be a team players then you will have a stronger team that is more likely to achieve a desired result this is because you will pull together and think logically to resolve issues that may occur. The other way that these key factors can impact a working relationship is that if certain members of the group lack them it can be a lot harder to resolve issues when they arise and it can also cause conflict and issues within your own team so you are more likely to encounter problems and not achieve the desired out come with people who don’t posses all of the qualities that contribute to making them a team player.


Why do you need to be open to other peoples points of view in reaching a consensus and agreeing tasks & Why is constructive criticism or feedback necessary??

It is important to be open to other people opinions no matter what is it you are trying to do. If you are not willing to listen to others about there thoughts and opinions then you will never progress, other people may be able to help you improve your own ideas or they might be able to offer an alternative way of doing something that would be more efficient that your own method.

To work as a successful team you need to involve every member of your team when it comes to discussions that way everyone can have there say and it keeps members of the team happy because they have been involved in reaching a conclusion.

If we did not take into consideration other people opinions and ideas then we would just go round in circles as it would take longer to realise where you are going wrong with things and you would have to figure out how to correct it yourself, so its better to take into consideration what other team members have to say.

Constructive Criticism

Gives New Perspective & Valuable Insight

When someone invites our criticism, we have the opportunity to help that person by giving our perspective or insight into the situation.

For example, say someone asks us to check out an article they’ve written to get our opinion. Chances are the person really wants to know what we think so that they can make it the best it can be.

Our objective reading of the article can give the person valuable insight into how they can improve the article. If they weigh the importance or usefulness of the criticism, they can rewrite or revise the article to make it better

Different people have different perspectives and knowledge about the way the world works. Each person brings a unique perspective to the table. If we listen and try to understand their perspective, we can apply that perspective to our work to make it better, Say someone wants to improve the design on their website. Who could provide beneficial criticism? Web designers? Regular readers? Casual readers?

Everyone provides a unique perspective.

Furthers Bonding and Trust

If we’re able to give our honest opinion on something, and the other person finds it valuable, we can increase our bonding and trust with that person.

Giving constructive criticism shows the other person that we value his or her work. The result is an increased level of respect between us and the other person.

If we’re lucky enough to have really cool friends that reciprocate coolness, they will provide their valuable perspective to us.

Let’s say that we help our friend out by reviewing his article and improving the spelling and grammar so people can read it easier, So when we want to make sure one of our articles is near perfect, we can send it on to our friend and ask him for his honest opinion, More than likely, he’ll return the favour to help us out.

If we give our valuable perspective, others might be inclined to return the favour.

No Hurt Pride or Resentment

So, when we offer even the slightest disapproval of others or their work without them inviting us to, we are basically asking for them to hate us.

Constructive criticism is different in that we only give it when we’re invited to give it. We give constructive criticism to people that we know and trust, and the people we are criticizing know our true intentions. We present constructive criticism as a discussion, and that our viewpoint is only one perspective and isn’t necessarily fact.

As well, constructive criticism is more about giving an overall view of things: what’s going well, what could be improved upon, etc. In return, the people we criticize are thankful that we’ve provided valuable feedback to improve themselves or their work.

Some of this information was sourced from different websites and brought together in this document.

UNIT 01 Awareness of Employment in the Creative Media Sector.

UNIT 01 Awareness of Employment in the Creative Media Sector.

01.1.1 Describe the main types of employment status within the 
Creative Media sector.

There are three main employment status and these are:

Employed, which can be either full-time or part-time. Within the creative media sector, as with most industries there are many roles that can be filled by both full-time and part-time employees, the differences are simply the hours per week that are worked. A full time job is one in which you work 40 hours a week or more. These jobs are typically held by adults who are available all week long. These jobs are also characterized by the fact that they offer benefits such as health insurance and retirement plans. Part time jobs are jobs in which you work less than 40 hours a week and usualy doesnt have any benefits

Contracted employees, who are employed for a set amount of time, which is generally written into their contract at the time of employment. It is quite common for the contracted employee to have a set project to work on until completion of their contract, for example in 3D Design visualisation an employee could have been contracted only until the Model is complete, in some cases they could be further contracted for other projects such as the 2D brand up for the artwork or even be given another task to work on.


Freelancing, which can be described as self-employed, is another employment status. Rather than being under contract with an employer, you are your own boss. Freelancing is a popular choice in the design industry, for example in web design, where a project doesn't necessarily require an entire team of people to complete, and can instead be undertaken by an individual who is self-employed. It is also not uncommon to work both part-time while also working freelance as Design work may not always be available.


While I have already covered  what are considered as the main three types of employment status’s, there are others that are common. For example, unpaid employment, such as being a volunteer or intern is commonly practiced this is so they can gain hands on experience in the workplace and the the employer benifits because they don’t have to pay them.

Apprenticeships are another status of employment. Being an apprentice allows for a mixture of working for an employer while also getting the qualification that is suited to that career path. Apprenticeships often lead to full-time employment, as the employee has gained set skills and knowledge for that particular job, both from gaining work experience, a formal qualification and also works the way that the employer likes things done.

01.1.2 Describe the key legal and taxation differences between main types of employment status.

01.1.3 Explain the main implications of each employment status, In relation to job security, Flexibility and working patterns.

Tax and national insurance.

With the different type of employment statues that you have when it comes to the legal side of things like pay and tax, there are many differences for all employees

These differences are:


Full-time or part-time employee, As a full-time or part-time employee you are required to pay income tax which is dependent on how much you earn a year. If your yearly income is more than £7,745 you will have to pay tax. Your employer will work out how much tax needs to be deducted.

Contracted employee or Freelancer, Being self-employed is very different to being a full-time employee. One of the major differences is that you have to pay your own tax and national insurance, something that your employer would do for you if you were full-time or part-time.


If you set up a limited company, this is another legal and taxation difference from the other types of employments. As a limited company you are seen as a person, so like you would do if you were just freelancing, to get paid you send out invoices to whoever you have worked for. One of the main differences between a limited company and someone who is working full-time or part-time or is a contracted or freelance employee is that instead of paying income tax you pay corporation tax.

Voulunteer or interns, If you are working on a voluntary or intern basis because you are not getting paid you won’t have to pay tax or national insurance.


Apprentice, As an apprentice I am earning under the minimum taxable yearly wage so I don’t need to pay any tax or national insurance.

Holiday Entitlement

Almost all workers are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday per year (known as statutory leave entitlement or annual leave). An employer can include bank holidays as part of statutory annual leave.

Shown below is the details of entitlemet for diferent types of employment.


Self-employed workers aren’t entitled to annual leave.

Working 5 days a week

Most workers who work a 5-day week must receive 28 days’ paid annual leave per year. This is calculated by multiplying a normal week (5 days) by the annual entitlement of 5.6 weeks.

Working part-time

Part-time workers are also entitled to a minimum of 5.6 weeks of paid holiday each year, although this may amount to fewer actual days of paid holiday than a full-time worker would get.

For example if a worker works 3 days a week. Their leave is calculated by multiplying 3 by 5.6, which comes to 16.8 days of annual paid leave.

Apprentices

Apprentices get at least 20 days of paid holiday per year, plus bank holidays. With T2 i am given 28 days leave per year as well as bank holidays.

Irregular hours

People working irregular hours eg shift work or term-time work, need to calculate their leave entitlement for irregular hours.

Limits on statutory leave

Statutory paid holiday entitlement is limited to 28 days. Staff working 6 days a week are only entitled to 28 days’ paid holiday and not 33.6 days (5.6 multiplied by 6).

Bank holidays

Bank or public holidays do not have to be given as paid leave.

An employer can choose to include bank holidays as part of a worker’s statutory annual leave.

Extra leave

An employer can choose to offer more leave than the legal minimum. They don’t have to apply all the rules that apply to statutory leave to the extra leave. For example, a person might need to be employed for a certain amount of time before they become entitled to extra time off.

Other aspects of holiday entitlement

Workers have the right to:

get paid for leave

build up holiday entitlement during maternity, paternity and adoption leave

build up holiday entitlement while off work sick

choose to take holiday at the same time as sick leave

Holiday Pay

Workers are entitled to a week’s pay for each week of leave they take.

A week’s pay is worked out according to the kind of hours someone works and how they’re paid for the hours. This includes full-time, part-time and casual workers.

Fixed hours and fixed pay (part time or full time) A week’s holiday pay equals how much a worker gets for a week’s work (excluding non-guaranteed overtime payments in most cases)

Shift work with fixed hours (part time or full time) A week’s holiday pay equals the average number of weekly fixed hours a worker worked in the previous 12 weeks at their average hourly rate

No fixed hours (ie casual work) A week’s holiday pay is the average pay a worker got over the previous 12 weeks (in which they were paid)

Calculating average hourly rate

To calculate average hourly rate, only the hours worked and how much was paid for them should be counted. Take the average rate over the last 12 weeks. If no pay was paid in any week, count back a further week, so that the rate is based on 12 weeks in which pay was paid.

Rolled-up holiday pay

Holiday pay should be paid for the time when annual leave is taken. An employer cannot include an amount for holiday pay in the hourly rate (known as ‘rolled-up holiday pay’). If a current contract still includes rolled-up pay, it needs to be re-negotiated.

Booking time off

The general notice period for taking leave is at least twice as long as the amount of leave a worker wants to take (eg 2 days’ notice for 1 day’s leave), unless the contract says something different.

An employer can refuse a leave request but they must give as much notice as the amount of leave requested, eg 2 weeks’ notice if the leave requested was 2 weeks.

Taking holiday before leaving a job

During their notice period the worker may be able to take whatever is left of their statutory annual leave.How much they get depends on how much of the holiday year has passed.

Taking more leave than the entitlement

If a worker has taken more leave than they’re entitled to, their employer must not take money from their final pay unless it’s been agreed beforehand in writing. The rules in this situation should be outlined in the employment contract, company handbook or intranet site.

Getting paid instead of taking holidays

The only time someone can get paid in place of taking statutory leave (known as ‘payment in lieu’) is when they leave their job. Employers must pay for untaken statutory leave (even if the worker is dismissed for gross misconduct).

If an employer offers more than 5.6 weeks’ annual leave, they can agree separate arrangements for the extra leave.

Sick pay

You can get £87.55 per week Statutory Sick Pay if you’re too ill to work. It’s paid by your employer for up to 28 weeks. You need to qualify for SSP and have been off work sick for 4 or more days in a row this is including non-working days.

You can’t get less than the statutory amount. You can get more if your company has a sick pay scheme or ‘occupational scheme’. You get SSP for the days you would normally have worked. It’s not paid for the first 3 days you’re off, unless you’ve been paid SSP within the last 8 weeks and are eligible for it again. If you have more than one job you may get SSP from each employer.

How you’re paid

SSP is paid by your employer in the same way as your normal wages (eg weekly or monthly).

Tax and National Insurance will be deducted

Eligibility

To qualify for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) you must:

Be classed as an employee and have done some work for your employer

Have been ill for at least 4 days in a row (including non-working days)

Earn at least £111 (before tax) per week

Tell your employer you’re sick before their deadline - or within 7 days if they don’t have one

Agency workers are entitled to Statutory Sick Pay.

You won’t qualify if you:

Have received the maximum amount of SSP (28 weeks)

Have taken 3 years or more ‘linked periods’ of sickness - where 4 or more days of sickness happen within 8 weeks of each other

Are getting Statutory Maternity Pay

You can still qualify if you started your job recently and you haven’t received 8 weeks’ pay yet. Ask your employer to find out more.

Fit notes or sick notes

You only have to give your employer a doctor’s fit note if you miss more than 7 days of work.

If you’re not eligible

If you don’t qualify for SSP, your employer must give you form SSP1 within 7 days of your illness

Maternity allowance

Maternity Allowance is usually paid to you if you don’t qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay and

The amount you can get depends on your eligibility. You can claim Maternity Allowance as soon as you’ve been pregnant for 26 weeks. Payments can start 11 weeks before your baby is due.

You could get either:

£138.18 a week or 90% of your average weekly earnings (whichever is less) for up to 39 weeks

£27 a week for up to 14 weeks (if your baby is due on or after 27 July 2014)

Maternity Allowance is paid every 2 or 4 weeks.

How you’re paid

All benefits, pensions and allowances are paid into an account, eg a bank account.

Impact on other benefits

Maternity Allowance won’t affect your tax credits but it will affect how much you get for:

Council Tax Reduction

Housing Benefit

Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

Income Support

Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) - this will stop if you get Maternity Allowance

bereavement benefits

Carer’s Allowance

Maternity allowance for 39 weeks

You might get Maternity Allowance for 39 weeks if:

you’re employed, but you can’t get Statutory Maternity Pay

you’re self-employed and paying Class 2 National Insurance contributions

you’re self-employed and have a Certificate of Small Earnings Exception

you’ve recently stopped working

You must also have been:

employed or self-employed for at least 26 weeks in the 66 weeks before the week your baby is due

earning at least £30 a week over any 13-week period

You may still qualify if you’ve recently stopped working. 

It doesn’t matter if you had different jobs or periods of unemployment.

Maternity Allowance for 14 weeks

You might get Maternity Allowance for 14 weeks if for at least 26 weeks in the 66 weeks before your baby is due:

you’re married or in a civil partnership

you’re not employed or self-employed

you take part in the business of your self-employed spouse or civil partner

the work you do is for the business and unpaid

your spouse or civil partner is registered as self-employed with HMRC and should pay Class 2 National Insurance

your spouse or civil partner is working as self-employed person

you’re not eligible for Statutory Maternity Pay or the higher amount of Maternity Allowance (for the same pregnancy)

Your baby must also be due on or after 27 July 2014.

If you lose the baby

You may still qualify if the baby is either:

stillborn from the start of the 24th week of pregnancy

born alive at any point during the pregnancy

How to claim

Print off and fill in the MA1 claim form or fill it in online via the GOV website, print it off and send it to the address on the form. 

You need to provide:

proof of your income - eg, original payslips, Certificate of Small Earnings Exemption (if applicable)

proof of the baby’s due date - eg a letter from the doctor or midwife, or your MATB1 certificate

your SMP1 form - only if you were refused Statutory Maternity Pay by your employer

You may need to give more information about your partner’s self-employed business and what you do if you’re applying for Maternity Allowance for 14 weeks.

Leave

Statutory Maternity Leave is 52 weeks. It’s made up of:

‘Ordinary Maternity Leave’ - first 26 weeks

‘Additional Maternity Leave’ - last 26 weeks

You don’t have to take 52 weeks but you must take 2 weeks’ leave after your baby is born (or 4 weeks if you work in a factory).

Start date and early births

Usually, the earliest you can start your leave is 11 weeks before the expected week of childbirth.

Leave will also start:

the day after the birth if the baby is early

automatically if you’re off work for a pregnancy-related illness in the 4 weeks before the week (Sunday to Saturday) that your baby is due

Change your date for returning to work

You must give your employer at least 8 weeks’ notice if you want to change your return to work date.

Parental leave

Eligible employees can take unpaid parental leave to look after their child’s welfare, eg to:

spend more time with their children

look at new schools

settle children into new childcare arrangements

spend more time with family - eg visiting grandparents

Entitlement

Parental leave is unpaid. The child must be under 5 (or 18 in special circumstances).

For each child 18 weeks up to their 5th birthday

For each adopted child 18 weeks up to their 18th birthday or 5th anniversary of their adoption, whichever comes first

For each child who qualifies for Disability Living Allowance 18 weeks up to their 18th birthday

The limit on how much parental leave each parent can take in a year is 4 weeks for each child (unless the employer agrees otherwise).

You must take parental leave as whole weeks (eg 1 week or 2 weeks) rather than individual days, unless your employer agrees otherwise or if your child is disabled. You don’t have to take all the leave at once. A ‘week’ equals the length of time an employee normally works over 7 days.

Example If an employee works 3 days a week, one ‘week’ of parental leave equals 3 days. If an employee works irregular weeks the number of days in a ‘week’ is the total number of days they work a year divided by 52.

Carrying leave over from a previous job

Parental leave applies to each child not to an individual’s job.

Maximum weekly working hours

The law says that workers don’t usually have to work more than 48 hours a week on average, unless they choose to. This law is sometimes called the working time directive or working time regulations.

Some sectors have specific rules for their own workers. Normal working hours should be set out in the employment contract or written statement of employment details.

Opting out of weekly maximum working hours

Employers can’t force adults to work more than 48 hours a week on average, normally averaged over 17 weeks.

Exceptions

These rules don’t apply to jobs:

where the working time is not measured and the worker is in control - eg managing executives with control over their decisions

in the armed forces, emergency services and police - in some circumstances

in security and surveillance

as a domestic servant in a private household

where 24-hour staffing is required

certain categories of seafarers, sea-fishermen and workers on vessels on inland waterways

Other work sectors might have different rules on maximum working hours and workers should always speak to their employer.

If you’re a trainee doctor the 48-hour maximum working hours rule applies to you, averaged over 26 weeks.

Opting out of the 48-hour week

Workers 18 or over who want to work more than 48 hours a week, can choose to opt out of the 48-hour limit. This could be for a certain period or indefinitely. It must be voluntary and in writing.

It can’t be contained in an agreement with the whole workforce. However, employers are allowed to ask individual workers if they’d be willing to opt out. An employer shouldn’t sack or unfairly treat a worker for refusing to sign an opt-out.

Workers who can’t opt out

Employers must not allow the following staff to opt out:

workers on ships or boats

airline staff

workers in the road transport industry, eg delivery drivers (except for drivers of vehicles under 3.5 tonnes using GB Domestic drivers’ hours rules)

other staff who travel in and operate vehicles covered by EU rules on drivers’ hours, eg bus conductors

security guards on a vehicle carrying high-value goods

Cancelling an opt-out agreement

A worker can cancel their opt-out agreement whenever they want - even if it’s part of their employment contract. They must give their employer at least 7 days’ notice. This could be longer (up to 3 months) if the worker previously agreed this in the written opt-out agreement with the employer.

The employer isn’t allowed to force a worker to cancel their opt-out agreement.

Example of opt-out agreement:

I [worker’s name] agree that I may work for more than an average of 48 hours a week. If I change my mind, I will give my employer [amount of time - up to 3 months’] notice in writing to end this agreement. Signed…………………………………… Dated…………………………………….

16 and 17 year olds

16 and 17 year olds can’t normally work more than 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week.

The hours can’t be averaged out for 16 and 17 year olds. There is also no opt-out which means that they can’t work longer hours even if they want to.

working rights

Workers and Employees

Workers and Employees have the following rights

National Minimum Wage

the right to be automatically enrolled in a pension scheme and receive Employers Contributions in certain circumstances and in stages from October 2012

Rest Breaks and Paid Holiday under the Working Time Regulations

Protection from unauthorised deductions of Pay

Maternity and Adoption Pay (not Leave) and Paternity Pay (not Leave)

Protection against less favourable treatment if you are part-time

From 8th March 2013, to comply with the Parental Leave (EU Directive) Regulations, an agency worker who has at least one year’s service and has returned from unpaid parental leave,  has the right to request flexible working. As your employer is likely to be the agency not the client it is their decision, although this is complicated as they will need knowledge of whether this is acceptable to the client

Statutory Sick Pay

Protection again less favourable treatment if you whistle-blow

Not to be discriminated against unlawfully on grounds or race, sex, marriage/civil partnerships, maternity or pregnancy, disability, gender reassingment, sexual orientation, age, religion or belief and to receive equal pay.

Protection under Health and Safety law. For details of the Health & Safety legislation in the UK please look at the official website www.hse.gov.uk.

With regards to appropriate Temperatures for the Workplace – there is no legal minimum or maximum temperature set, the law says that during working hours the temperature inside workplace buildings should be “reasonable”.

Protection against discrimination for membership or non-membership of a Trade Union.

Acompanied at a disciplinary or grievance procedure hearing.

Self employed and freelance

You do not have employment rights as such, as you are seen to your own boss and so can make decisions on fees, holidays etc. You will not therefore be entitled to:

Your client company’s sick leave, company maternity pay or company pension provisions

The legal right to protection under your clients company’s internal disciplinary and grievance schemes

The legal right not be dismissed (always, however, read the contract of service you have agreed as this may contain clauses relating to termination of your agreement and time-periods).

There is, however, legal protection so:

You should not be Discriminated against in the work place in most cases, and if you are could make an claim to an Employment Tribunal.  This protection only applies to Freelancers who fall under Part 5 of the Equality Act 2010 – that is those who are described as ‘contract workers’ and are contracted personally to do the work, i.e you cannot claim discrimination against your Employer if  you are contracted for the provision of services and hire someone else, or sub-contract someone else, to do the work – you must do the work yourself personally.

You are entitled to a Safe and Healthy working environment, see www.hse.gov.uk

You should be paid for the work that you have done. If your Client is going into receivership or administration read this advice on avoiding bad debts.

Contractors working through Employment Agencies also have rights under The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Business Regulations 2003

You may also be entitled to Statutory Maternity Allowance if you are pregnant and have recently left an engagement.

Other information for Freelancers

Also, on the occasion that you are classed as a ‘Worker’ (for employment Rights) but Self-Employed (for tax purposes), you may be entitled to the ‘Workers’ Rights as above if you perform the work personally. E.g. It is quite common in the Film and TV Industry for freelancers to be classed as ‘Workers’ and receive paid Holiday under the Working Time Directive legislation.

Most self-employed individuals will pay class 2 National Insurance Contributions (NIC’s) which give you entitlement to the basic State Pension and Statutory Maternity Allowance. Class 2 NIC’s do not give you entitlement to Job Seekers Allowance, Statutory Sick Pay or the additional State Pension.

If you are registered as a Limited Company and provide your services on a freelance basis to a client organisation (as a Provider) then you will not receive ‘workers’ rights from this organisation it is up to you to provide yourself with ‘workers’ rights as you are employed by your own Limited Company.

This information was sourced from different websites and brought together in this document 90% of this document is found information.