5/4/2016 First job - Acas Mobile

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First job
Starting your first job c an be a sc ary experienc e for many people. There are lots of things to
get used to inc luding a new plac e of work, new people and new rules.

There are also a number of employment rights all new workers have to help you get treated
fairly. You'll also have a number of things to do for your new employer to help make your first
job easier.

Key points
Prepare for your first day at work and it will be muc h easier.
A c ontrac t of employment is an agreement between you and your new employer
explaining what your rights and responsibilities are.
Most workers are entitled to rec eive the National Minimum Wage, this varies depending
on your age and whether or not you're an apprentic e.
There are rules about how many hours you c an work and what time off you c an have.
You should be prepared to learn about the rules that your new workplac e has, and to
follow them.
In work you c an be expec ted to be treated fairly and you should treat your c olleagues
fairly too.

Watch our animated video which neatly captures how things can go wrong on the first
day at work

First day at work

Your first day

The first day in a new job c an be frightening, for some, and doing some basic preparation before
the day c an really help.

Getting there

Before you start your new job make sure you know where you're supposed to be and how you'll
get there. If you're using public transport c hec k the options and times the day before or ask if
there is parking available if you are going to drive.

Remember the loc ation of your interview may be different than where you end up working so it's
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best to c hec k.

Be on time

It is important to make sure you are on time in your new job, not only bec ause your employer
and c olleagues will be relying on you to be there, but also as many organisations may have rules
about lateness. Ask your new employer in advanc e what time you need to start so you c an
show up on time and make a good first impression.

What to wear

Many organisations will expec t their staff to dress in a c ertain way and you should try to find
out before your first day what is appropriate c lothing for your new workplac e. You might be
working somewhere that has a uniform whic h should make the dec ision of what to wear quite
easy. In other workplac es you may be expec ted to wear smarter c lothing, jeans and t-shirts
may not be allowed.

More info: Dress code

Lunch and break times

You c an ask your new employer before you start if there's a staff c anteen on site or other
plac es to buy lunc h nearby. If you don't have this information in advanc e then you may want to
bring food with you for breaks on your first day.

Inductions

Many employers will give new members of staff an induc tion on the first day, this is to welc ome
you to the organisation. Induc tions vary from plac e to plac e but generally inc lude basic
information about where you are working and what you will be doing. This inc ludes some of the
things we've already mentioned suc h as what the dress c ode is and where the staff c anteen is.
It should also give you information on the goals of the organisation, the job you will be doing
and the rules you'll be expec ted to follow.

Following the rules

Your new employer will probably have a series of rules (whic h might be c alled polic ies) whic h set
out how they expec t employees to do their job and ac t while in the workplac e. You might be
given these in the form of a staff handbook or be referred to a webpage to read about them,
sometimes you might even rec eive training on some of the rules as part of your induc tion. It is
important that you make yourself aware of any rules the organisation has and try to follow
them.

If you're not sure how to do something or why you're doing it then ask your supervisor or a
c olleague.

Your rights at work

You probably won't need to know all of this for your first day but you should be aware that
there are c ertain employment rights that you have when you start a new job. You c an read
more about these on the Ac as website but here's some basic information.

Contracts of employment

An employment c ontrac t is a term used for the agreement between the employer and employee
and all new employees will have one. The c ontrac t explains what your employment c onditions,
rights, responsibilities and job roles are. Key points within the c ontrac t have to be written
down, but the agreement will often c over things whic h have not been set out in writing for
you. For instanc e things that you are regularly asked to do c ould bec ome part of your c ontrac t
over time and parts of the law suc h as health and safety rules will apply whether written down
or not.

With most first jobs you are also legally entitled to something c alled a Written Statement. This
should inc lude details of things like pay, holidays and working hours. Most employers will supply
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this when you start your new job and you should rec eive it within the first two months, if you
don't then ask your employer about it.

More info: Contracts of employment

Getting paid

Getting paid and making sure you're being paid the right amount is important. You should rec eive
a basic hourly rate in your new job. How muc h you earn c an depend on your age with younger
workers getting less minimum wage per hour than older ones. If you're working as an apprentic e
you c ould rec eive a different amount per hour. You c an c hec k out the c urrent rates for
the national minimum wage and remember they c hange every Oc tober. You c an also find out
what you should be getting paid by using the Helpline Online tool.

Some employers may pay more than this so ask when you start and find out what you c an
expec t to be paid.

You're also entitled to a pay slip whic h explains how muc h you've earned and shows any
deduc tions that have been made, for things like Tax and National Insuranc e.

More info:

National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage

Pay

Working the right hours

There are laws to limit the number of hours you are expec ted to work and to make sure you get
the right breaks and time off. These laws are c alled The Working Time Regulations.

The main rights you have under the Working Time Regulations:

You should work a maximum of 48 hours per week (on average);

though with some jobs you c an c hoose to "opt out", this means that you c an work
more than 48 hours per week.
You should get 5.6 weeks paid leave a year;
this means that you should multiply the number of days you worked during the
week by 5.6 to work out what you're entitled to. So if you worked 5 days a week
you get 28 days off per year. These 28 days c an inc lude bank holidays, although
some employers may give you those in addition to the 28 days so c hec k your
c ontrac t to find out.
If you work different hours eac h week it's a bit more c omplic ated but luc kily there
is a c alc ulator to work it out for you - GOV.UK - Calculate holiday entitlement
You should get at least 11 hours of rest in a row in a 24 hour period;
You should get a break of 20 minutes if you work more than 6 hours;
You must get at least 1 day off eac h week (although you'll probably get at least 2);
If you work at night you shouldn't work more than 8 hours during a 24 hour period, plus
you'll be entitled to regular health assessments.

If you're a younger worker (16 & 17 year olds) the Working Time Regulations rules are slightly
different:

You should work a maximum of 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week;
You should have a rest break of 30 minutes if you work more than 4 hours;
You should get 2 days off eac h week.

More info: Working hours

Getting treated fairly at work

When you start your new job you c an expec t to get treated fairly by your employer and
c olleagues and not be disc riminated against or harassed. There are laws to protec t you from
that sort of behaviour and often your employer will have rules about how to ac t in the
workplac e to try to stop disc rimination and harassment.

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Sometimes bullying might take plac e in the workplac e. Bullying might be physic al, for example
someone hitting you, or it might be verbal. In the workplac e it is more likely to be verbal and
this might inc lude someone repeatedly making jokes about you, c alling you names, c ritic ising you
or your work or exc luding you from the team.

If you think this has happened to you, or you see it happening to your c olleagues you should try
to speak to your employer about it. You should also ensure that you do not treat your
c olleagues unfairly.

More info:

Equality and discrimination

Bullying and harassment

Trade Unions
When you start your new job you may want to join, or be asked to join, a Trade Union. Trade
Unions are organisations that represent people at work and aim to make workplac es better.
Trade Unions are able to offer people who join advic e and support on a range of things that
might happen at work, for example if you're not getting paid properly, or being treated unfairly
or if you just want to c hec k a detail about your c ontrac t.

There are lots of different types of Trade Unions so it c an be a bit c onfusing knowing whic h one
to join, but often people join a partic ular Union bec ause of the type of job they do or type of
workplac e they are in.

More info:

TUC - Joining a Trade Union

TUC - Younger workers in Trade Unions

#firstjob
The Department of Work and Pensions is c urrently running a c ampaign to help people get into
work and start their first job. The c ampaign is enc ouraging people to rec ognise that while your
first job may not be your dream job, it's a great plac e to start gaining skills, knowledge and
prac tic al experienc e.

To share your first job tips and experienc es on Twitter or Instagram use #firstjob or follow
@DWPgovuk on Twitter or @DWPgovuk on Instagram.

We asked c olleagues about their first job.

Jill Coyne, Senior Guidance Manager

My first job involved working very long hours 6 days a week in a Cash and Carry doing a variety
of tasks: stoc king shelves; working on the till; unloading deliveries and helping c ustomers find
items.

My main memory from that job happened on my first day... Most of the c ustomers paid with
c ash, inc luding bags of c oins whic h didn't fit in the till so we put them in a brown paper box
underneath it. At the end of the night I had to balanc e my till and as it was my first shift my
boss thought it would be funny to hide my box of c oin bags, so for about an hour I thought I'd
lost over 1000! I was terrified.

The main lessons I learnt from that job - how important team work is, how muc h more
exhausting working is than sc hool, and (if you're working with c ash) never take your eyes off
the money!

Stewart Gee, Head of Information and Guidance

My first jobs were through an agenc y in food manufac ture, in a meat pac king plant and later in

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a c ake fac tory. I worked between 55 and 60 hours a week (this was long before the
introduc tion of rules about working time) and found the experienc e very tiring as the hours were
very different from sc hool.

While neither of these c ould be desc ribed as my absolute dream job, there was a great deal to
like and learn at both workplac es. I really valued the understanding I developed of the different
bac kgrounds of the people I worked with - in one workplac e I was on a produc tion line alongside
people who had done the job for years, as well as someone c ompleting a Phd, and a trainee
airline pilot. People join a workplac e for all kinds of different reasons, but the important thing is
not to make assumptions, and to understand you always have something to learn from
c olleagues who have been doing the job for a while.

Further information

Related Pages

Acas Learning OnLine

Pay
Employment status types
Employing younger workers
Zero hours contracts

Other Sites

CIPD - Learning to Work

Acas Publications

Managing Future Talent - A guide for employers pdf [1Mb]

Managing Future Talent - A guide for employers

Acas: UK Workplace ... Discrimination and p... National Living Wag...

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