I came across this cool table which neatly summarises the basic employment rights for different classes of workers found in many organisations.

 

Employment status    
Employment right associated with each status Employee Employee shareholder Worker Self- employed
(incl. full/ part time & fixed term contracts) (incl. full/ part time & fixed term contracts) (incl. agency workers, contractors, freelancers) (incl. freelancers, consultants, contractors)
National Minimum Wage Yes Yes Yes
Protection from unlawful deductions from wages Yes Yes Yes
Paid annual leave Yes Yes Yes
Maternity, Paternity, Adoption leave and pay Yes Yes
Part-time status (no less favourable treatment) Yes Yes Yes
Fixed-term status (no less favourable treatment) Yes Yes
Rest breaks Yes Yes Yes
Right to request flexible working Yes
Right to request time to train (companies over 250 employees) Yes
Protection from discrimination Yes Yes Yes Yes
Minimum notice periods Yes Yes
Collective redundancy consultation Yes Yes
Statutory redundancy pay Yes
Protection from unfair dismissal (gained after 2 years in continuous employment) Yes
Protection from unfair dismissal (automatically unfair) Yes Yes
TUPE Yes Yes