Members' guides

Prospect members’ guides are short expert guides on a range of topics to help you at work. They cover some of the question’s members ask Prospect every day - like maternity rights, how to deal with stress, employment contracts and more.

Download the guides below, but if you need more help or advice, contact your Prospect rep at work or our Member Contact Centre.

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Expense Guidance for Members

This is the updated Expense Guidance for Members.

Sexual harassment in the workplace

This is intended to be a practical workplace guide, broken up into the following sections: What is sexual harassment?; What does the law say?; What you should do if you are sexually harassed; Making a complaint of sexual harassment; Seeking union support; What resources are available. If you are being sexually harassed or working in a toxic work environment that makes you feel uncomfortable, the union is there to support you. This guide will help you to make it stop.

Reasonable adjustments

This guidance aims to help representatives and members improve equality for disabled people at work, with a specific focus on reasonable adjustments.

The menopause: a workplace issue

This guide aims to: raise awareness; explain employers’ responsibilities and give reps guidance on good practice and levers that can be used to address the issues in their workplaces.

Workplace Pensions

This guide aims to help Prospect members understand the main issues facing them in planning for retirement and simple steps they can take that could have a positive impact on their income in retirement.

Public sector pensions

Public sector pensions - A Prospect review. October 2021.

Members' guide to part-time and flexible working

Members' guide to part-time and flexible working: includes types of flexible working, part-time workers' rights and equality legislation

Lyme and tick-borne diseases

This guide for reps outlines the main tick-borne infections, how the risk should be managed in the workplace and provides suggestions for engaging with the employer in the management of the risk.

Media and social media

This guide addresses how Prospect reps and branches may engage with the media or use social media to campaign or raise issues or awareness of a branch.

Safely using devices with screens at work – including remote working

This guidance is for members who work with devices with screens – desktop computers, laptops, tablets and phones – collectively known as display screen equipment, or DSE.

Whistleblowing

Whistleblowers play an essential role in exposing corruption, fraud and malpractice and in preventing disasters resulting from negligence or wrongdoing. This guide includes information on: qualifying and protected disclosures; legal advice and workplace policies

Combined Nuclear Pension Plan DC scheme member guide

TUPE regulations

New regulations on the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) – known as TUPE – came into effect on 31 January 2014. They updated the TUPE 2006 regulations which were designed to safeguard employees’ rights when a business or organisation transfers to a new employer. Updated June 2021.

Atypical workers and employment status

A guide for members working on atypical contracts, including freelancers, consultants or members working on variable or ‘zero hours’ contracts.

Members' guide to home and remote working

This guide explains a number of issues that need to be considered if you are thinking about working from home or are already doing so.

Members' guide to preventing work-related stress

Advice and support for preventing work-related stress

Members' guide to promoting mental health at work

Advice and support for promoting mental health at work

Members' guide to job evaluation and grading support

This guide covers the job evaluation process, challenging the results and identifying common attributes or factors

Race equality resource pack for reps and members

Resource pack for black, Asian and minority ethnic members and union reps

The menopause: a workplace issue

This guide aims to: raise awareness; explain employers’ responsibilities and give reps guidance on good practice and levers that can be used to address the issues in their workplaces.

Sexual harassment

A workplace guide to dealing with sexual harassment

Freelance Survival Guide

BECTU's advice for successful freelancing plus insights into how BECTU supports the freelance community. First published September 2017 and reprinted February 2018. Updated September 2018. To join BECTU go to www.bectu.org.uk/join

Harassment and bullying

This guide aims to raise awareness of what constitutes unacceptable behaviour and advise members and reps on how to deal with it. It covers: the different kinds of harassment and bullying, the law; employers’ duties and negotiating a policy.

Members' guide to equality at work

An overview of the legal rights that relate to equal opportunities at work as at August 2020.

Safer driving and work-related road risk

This guide aims to safeguard you as a road user, protect you as a duty-holder and enable Prospect reps to measure and promote their employers' compliance. Updated September 2019

Lone working

Advice for anyone who travels alone, carries out fieldwork or works at outside premises. Update March 2019

Email, internet and social media at work

This guide deals with some of the most common employment-related problems faced by members and reps. Contents include: harassment; disciplinary action; unfair dismissal; offensive material; employer monitoring and policies on acceptable use of technology and social media.