Employment Law and HR

Employee Benefits Services

A variety of ways to attract and retain the best people

Research has shown that recruiting and retaining high-calibre staff is easier when you offer an attractive benefits package.

Whilst the initial outset might seem expensive, the long-term advantages usually outweigh the costs.

Our team has long-standing experience supporting and advising clients on implementing a variety of benefits for their employees, whether these are taxable or non-taxable benefits.

Offering benefits can improve motivation and productivity, and enhance employees’ work-life balance. All of which make for a happier, healthier team.

There are many types of employee benefits to consider. Often, working with our tax consulting team, we can help you decide which are the right ones for your business, and advise you on implementing them.

Options you may consider, but are not limited to, include:

Employee assistance plan
Death in service/life assurance
Free flu vaccinations
Private medical insurance
Company car
Computer equipment/mobile phone
Bonus scheme
Enterprise Management Incentive scheme

With any employee benefits, we can guide you through the options and determine which would work best for your business. We can then search the markets for the most cost-effective and appropriate policies, get quotes and terms on your behalf, and help you implement the scheme.

Group life insurance

Also known as ‘death in service’, this is a life insurance policy that insures a group of people. The employer pays for it without any tax implications for the individual. Cover can be a multiple of salary, or a set amount. Most policies require little or no medical underwriting, and minimal administration. Group life insurance represents an extremely cost effective and popular benefit

Group income protection

This policy provides a monthly income for members who are off work through sickness or injury. Employers pay for it without any tax implications for their employees.

Group critical illness

Designed to provide financial support to employees suffering from a defined injury or illness, this policy pays a tax-free sum, after a survival period. Cover is normally a multiple of salary. Employers pay for some or all of their employees without any tax implications for the individual.

Group medical insurance

Paid by an employer, this cover gives peace of mind, and can help get employees back to work as soon as possible – thanks to speedy diagnosis and prompt access to the latest treatments, drugs and medical technology from private medical hospitals and specialists.

Keyman insurance

You’ll want to avoid the financial problems that could result from losing a key person – such as a director or partner of your business, sales people, project managers, or anyone with specific skills or knowledge. You can use this policy to insure the lives of these individuals. If they pass away, your company receives a set sum to help pay for replacing their expertise.

Shareholder protection

You can take out life and critical illness cover specifically for the shareholders of your business. So if one of them passes away or suffers a serious illness or injury, the surviving owners have the funds to buy the deceased (or ill or injured) person’s stake in the business. This means the surviving owners remain in control of the company, and the deceased person’s beneficiaries realise the value of their shares.

Employment Documentation

Our friendly and experienced employment law team can help you and your business feel confident in knowing that your contracts, policies, and other important employment documents are of the highest quality and have been tailored to suit your needs precisely

Section 1 Statement and employment contracts

All employees and workers have a legal right to be provided with a written document summarising the main terms of their employment on or before their first day of work.

Our service includes not only ensuring that the correct documentation is in place to meet the minimum legal requirements, but we can also draft bespoke employment contracts to suit your business culture and specific needs, including contracts for staff with atypical working patterns.

We can also assist with updating or varying contracts for existing employees.

Policies and procedures

We advise on what types of policies and procedures are appropriate for your business and draft where necessary. Policies and procedures are often incorporated into a Staff Handbook. We can also review and update existing policies and procedures.

In addition, we offer training on policies and procedures to ensure that your managers are able to implement them, where required.

We can also assist with drafting the following documentation:

Directors Service Agreements
Staff handbooks (HR policies and procedures)
Secondment Agreements
Consultancy Agreements
Settlement Agreements

We provide as much support as you require, whether you have a specific task that you require assistance with or would like advice on the most appropriate policies and procedures for your business.

Employment Tribunal Support

If an Employment Tribunal claim is brought against your business, the time and expense involved may be considerable.

We can advise and assist you through the entire process, at highly competitive rates.
During the ACAS early conciliation process, we can give you an initial assessment of the merits of the case, and negotiate on your behalf if desired.

If the ACAS early conciliation does not prevent a subsequent claim being brought in the Employment Tribunal, we can draft a response to the claim, advise on disclosure, prepare witness statements and assist with any settlement negotiations.

Where possible we offer fixed fees for each step of the process so that you can budget for the likely legal costs, and we will also advise you on the risks and financial implications of having a Tribunal award made against you, weighed against the benefits of concluding a settlement on the basis of no admission of liability.

HR Strategy And Advice

Disciplinary, performance management, and grievance procedures

As well as advising you on the necessary procedural steps, we offer an opportunity to save you time by preparing letters, scripts, and documents. Crucially, we can provide you with a risk/benefit assessment when you are dealing with difficult HR decisions, including whether or not to dismiss.

Managing sickness absence

When an employee is on sick leave, whether intermittently or long term, we can advise on what you need to do and also ensure that this takes into account current legal developments.

Flexible working requests

We can assist you with considering flexible working requests and guide you through the procedure that needs to be followed, including drafting any letters or scripts for meetings. We also offer advice on what you need to consider when introducing hybrid models of working in your organisation.

Restructuring and organisational change

If your business is undergoing re-organisation, we can advise on the employment law implications and obligations involved, including collective redundancy and/or TUPE consultation, due diligence and the preparation of key employment documentation.

Help with settlement agreements

When a settlement agreement becomes necessary, we can advise you on the tactical and commercial considerations. We can lead negotiations on your behalf, and advise on the terms.

Hr Training

Our training can help show you how to spot red flags/avoid problems, how to deal with difficult conversations, pre-empt potential challenges and how to use employment documentation.

We offer employment law training to anyone responsible for managing a workforce, for example, trustees, governors, directors, line managers and business owners.

We can provide training on a wide range of topics, and we can tailor it to your specific needs.

Our training is practical and includes tips on effective performance management, handling tricky conversations and successful engagement of staff, particularly in the changing landscape for the world of work.

Redundancy Support

Redundancy is a necessity for many business owners that are experiencing a reduction in work, relocating premises or winding up and closing a business.

As well as being a challenging time for employers as well as employees, the risk of making a mistake can be costly and time-consuming.

Our employment solicitors have designed an affordable redundancy support package for a single one-off payment. The support hub will help guide you through the process and provide you with the tools and templates you need to avoid making mistakes.

What do you get?

As part of the package, you will receive access to legal support aimed at helping you manage the redundancy process. The package includes:

A helpful reference list of steps needed to get redundancy right
A series of short videos explaining each step you need to take
Detailed and precise notes and guidance on each step
Access to a library of precedent letters and scripts
A free 30 minute 1:1 consultation to deal with bespoke queries
Discounted additional time and legal services

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