When an employee is called up for jury service, what are the implications for the employer and what are the cost implcations for both the juror and the business. Croner-i experts consider the question: can I avoid losing the employee for this period and what are your legal obligations?
Answer: You must allow the employee time off for this jury service, which is a public duty. Anyone on the electoral register aged 18–70 may be selected to serve on a jury. You can ask, however, for a delay on the ground that it will harm your business but you can only ask for a delay once in a 12-month period.
It is estimated that jury service in most cases is an average of 10 working days but may be longer or shorter depending on the case.
You are under no legal obligation to pay an employee while on jury service as the court will pay certain costs — for example, where an employee is not paid, they can claim for loss of earnings, travel costs and a subsistence rate during jury service.
You must not dismiss or treat detrimentally employees because they serve on a jury. They also have the right not to be selected for redundancy, where the reason is connected to their jury service.
