Contracts of Employment, HR Policies and Procedures and Employee Handbook

Contract of Employment

A contract of employment is a legal agreement between two parties, the employer and the employee. It sets out what both parties have agreed to, i.e. the terms and conditions of employment. For example, as an employer you will have agreed to pay a rate of pay for a particular number of hours or days of work. You will also have agreed to provide a safe and healthy working environment (in line with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974) etc. In return, your employee will have agreed to attend work each day at the designated start time and to behave in an appropriate manner whilst at work (in line with the code of conduct outlined in your Disciplinary Procedure and other associated rules).  You are now legally required to provide an employee with a contract of employment from day one of their employment with you.  Although a legal document, a contract of employment does not need to be written in confusing legal language. An employee should clearly understand what they are agreeing to and therefore the contract should be written in clear, plain English.

HR Policies and Procedures

Policies and procedures are internal documents which are written to explain your Company’s approach to managing and dealing with particular topics within the workplace, i.e. your Absence Management Procedure may specify the process you will follow for managing any short-term or long-term employee absences in your business, or your Disciplinary Procedure may outline the differences between what you deem to be Misconduct and Gross Misconduct.

Policies and procedures provide a fair and consistent approach to managing your employees. They also let employees know what is expected of them in terms of standards of performance and behaviour. Only by having clearly written HR policies and procedures in place, is ambiguity reduced and communication improved. This will help to create a more harmonious and efficient working environment within your business. If an issue with an employee arises, your policies and procedures will provide you with a compliant framework for effectively managing and resolving that issue.

Employee Handbook

An employee handbook can support your induction process by providing an overview and introduction to your company.  It will generally provide information about your company’s history and formation, your corporate mission statement and values, the structure of your organisation, the type of work your company undertakes and what it is like to work there, your philosophy towards employees and employee development, your philosophy towards customer service, details about key policies and procedures (supporting your requirements for compliance with legislation) and key benefits of employment with your organisation.

For further information or support with creating and implementing either a contract of employment, HR policies and procedures or employee handbook, please contact [email protected]