Employment Law

Employment contracts – All employers are legally required to provide a Statement of Particulars of Employment to their employees, within the first two months of their employment.  We can work with you to ensure that you have good contracts in place. You will receive contracts that contain the information required by law but also go further than that, including additional clauses specific to your business needs, so that both parties are clear from the outset on their rights and obligations. 

Disciplinary rules, policies and procedures – All employers are required to have disciplinary and grievance procedures in place.  However, having clear disciplinary rules, as well as other policies, will help you manage your employees more effectively and with greater confidence if issues arise.  We can help you identify what sorts of rules and policies would be helpful to you and ensure that these are drafted to suit your particular business needs.

Audits and update – Employment law doesn’t stay the same for long, so it’s important to make sure your contracts and policies remain up to date.  We can help by carrying out an audit of your documentation and updating it where necessary.

When issues arise or things start to go wrong, it is important to address them early and in the right way.  It will save you time in the long-run and will help to reduce the risk of a Tribunal claim.

Misconduct and disciplinary issues – We can help you deal with misconduct issues, including advice on investigations, disciplinary hearings, appropriate sanctions and appeals.

Grievances – We can help you respond if a grievance is raised, particularly where there is an allegation of discrimination or harassment.

Sickness absence – Both long-term sickness absence and regular short-term absences can create difficulties for an employer.  We can provide advice on how best to manage this, taking into account the possibility of underlying disabilities and your obligation to make reasonable adjustments. 

Performance issues – we can guide you through difficult conversations when an employee’s performance dips, as well as providing advice on performance improvement plans and disciplinary sanctions.

Dismissals – If you are considering dismissing an employee, we can provide advice on the legal risks and help you achieve the outcome you want whilst minimising the risk of an unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal or discrimination claim.

Redundancies and restructures – Redundancies and restructures need to be carried out in the right way to avoid giving employees grounds for a Tribunal claim.  We can work alongside you to ensure you keep on track and use the right procedures.   

TUPE transfers – If you are selling your business or buying a business that has employees, you need to be aware of your rights and obligations under TUPE.  We can guide you through that process and work with our business team to ensure the transaction goes smoothly and to help minimise the risk of Tribunal claims. 

Negotiated exits and settlement agreements – Sometimes the best commercial decision for a business is to negotiate an employee’s exit.  However, this can give rise to a Tribunal claim if not handled in the right way. We can advise you how to start that conversation, keeping risks low, and can draft a settlement agreement for the employee to sign in order to settle any potential claims.