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When your business is growing, as an owner it can be difficult to put in place everything you need to, with limited time resources. Producing materials that will safeguard you from a legal perspective can be challenging as it is unfamiliar and in some instances complex. You need to ensure that what you put in place is up to date with the most current legislation. From preparing employee handbooks through to driving at work polices we can help ensure you stay complaint.
It is increasingly important to operate as a best practice employer. Attracting and retaining the best staff can be hard in a competitive recruitment landscape. Employees need to feel that they are being given what they are legally entitled to and that they are operating in a safe working environment. Serious health and safety breaches can destroy a business’s reputation and the loyalty of its workforce as well as leading to serious implications for company directors. Effective planning means that staff have a framework and pattern of consistent working. This will benefit your business in terms of driving positive behaviour, minimising disputes, costly settlements, defence costs and avoiding adverse publicity.
From a time and benefit perspective outsourcing the drafting and advice around these policies and procedures is a cost effective solution. It also means that you can be confident you have up to date and legislative compliant materials. For advice and assistance call our experts on 01616 966 229.
We recognise that it is often difficult to recruit the right person for a role and to ensure that you follow a fair selection process. Recruiting individuals to fill particular posts within a business can be done either internally by recruitment or externally by outsourcing. At Stephensons we can assist you should you wish to outsource that process or where you are planning to recruit internally, give you guidance on the steps you must follow and consider from a legal perspective when recruiting staff internally.
Once you have selected the right candidate for the role we can also provide advice in terms of following a fair induction process. We can advise on the legal implications you need to consider when recruiting and selecting for a role. For instance, it is important to consider reasonable adjustments to any process for disabled applicants. You also need to follow a fair process to ensure that you do not discriminate against a candidate on the basis of any other protected characteristic; i.e. discrimination on grounds of sex, gender re-assignment, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy, race, religion, sexual orientation and religion or belief. We can also provide advice in communicating the job offer and acceptance of the position once you have selected a successful applicant.
If this is something you would like assistance with, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the team on 01616 966 229.
We recognise that a crucial step in our relationship with any new business client is to meet with them to get a full understanding of how the business works so that we can design any contracts, policies and procedures to suit that business. The mistake that many businesses fall into is to adopt template policies, procedures and contracts which do not suit business’ needs.
At Stephensons, we will assign a designated solicitor who will act as your ongoing HR adviser and point of contact and you will not be passed from pillar to post on each occasion you may need advice. We are happy to meet with you at your business to spend time understanding the people you engage in the business to prepare the contracts and policies and procedures to suit them and importantly, the company’s needs.
If this is something you would like assistance with, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the team on 01616 966 229.
At Stephensons we work with a number of partners who are suitably qualified to give health and safety advice and undertake appropriate audits for compliance purposes.
As an organisation, you are required to ensure the health and safety of the people who work for you and provide a safe working environment. This duty of obligation applies whether you are a large employer or small business with only a few employees.
In the event you are unsure of your obligations please do not hesitate to contact us on 01616 966 229 so we can advise you further.
We recognise that as a small business you will not necessarily have the time and resources to invest in expensive software to keep track of matters such as staff absence, holiday requests and personnel information.
As part of our service, we can provide a HR platform at a competitive rate to allow you to store all contracts, policies and procedures online and take care of the headaches that come with keeping a paper trail and personnel file. You will be able to store all this information online and all data can be archived and requested electronically.
We can provide you with access to the service on a trial basis to allow you to fully test before signing any contract. Your data would be safe and secure with remote backup and an archived system. With the package comes access to 24/7 customer service which can provide excellent technical support and training for your staff.
If this is something of interest, please get in touch with us on 01616 966 229.
Mary Jarrett shares her experience of using the Workplace Plus package and working with the HR and employment law team at Stephensons.
Head of Employment Law Philip Richardson explains what is included in Workplace Plus, the benefits of having a fixed price employment and HR support package like Workplace Plus to rely on and the cost of the package.
"They've been amazing. Everything is so easy. I have a question, I can make a phone call or send an email and it doesn't matter when I do this, I'm always going to get a prompt response. It's taken away some of the worry actually from trying to ensure that I always get it right."
Mary Jarrett
"Right from the outset, we'll go and visit a client at their premises to understand the client's needs and what we'll focus upon is undertaking a full audit of the company's HR and employment products. So for instance, we will draft any documentation or take them through a disciplinary or grievance procedure for instance."
Philip Richardson - Head of Employment Law
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