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Clear and well-drafted employment policies and procedures are essential for any business. They provide structure, set expectations for employees, and ensure your organisation meets its legal obligations. Without them, even straightforward HR issues can quickly become complex, inconsistent and costly.
At Glanvilles, our employment law solicitors advise businesses across Chichester, Fareham, Havant and surrounding areas on developing effective employment policies and procedures. We provide practical, commercially focused guidance to help you implement workplace policies that support your business while reducing legal risk.
Whether you are building your HR framework from scratch or reviewing existing HR policies and procedures, our team can ensure your approach is compliant, up to date and aligned with best practice. As part of our wider employment law services for employers, we support businesses of all sizes in managing their workforce with confidence.
Get in touch with our employment law solicitors
If you need legal advice on TUPE or any other employment matter, our team is on hand to provide the support and expertise your business needs.
You can contact your local Glanvilles office in Chichester, Fareham, Havant, or Petworth, or complete our online enquiry form and we will get back to you promptly.
Our Employment Policies and Procedures Services
Drafting Employment Policies and HR Policies UK
We prepare tailored employment policies and HR policies UK employers can rely on. Each policy is carefully drafted to reflect your business, your workforce and your sector, ensuring it is both legally compliant and practical to implement.
We advise on the full range of workplace policies, including those required by law and those recommended as best practice. Our approach ensures your company policies and procedures are clear, consistent and enforceable.
Reviewing and Updating Existing Workplace Policies
If you already have employment policies in place, we can review them to identify gaps, inconsistencies or outdated provisions. Many businesses operate with policies that no longer reflect current legislation or working practices.
Our review service ensures your workplace policies and procedures remain compliant, up to date and aligned with how your business operates in practice.
Employee Handbook and Staff Handbook Creation
We assist employers in developing structured employee handbooks and staff handbooks that bring together all employee policies in one place.
A well-prepared handbook improves communication, supports consistent management decisions and helps ensure employees understand expectations from the outset.
Ensuring Compliance with Employment Law Policies
Employment law is constantly evolving, and HR policies and procedures UK employers rely on must keep pace. We provide ongoing advice to ensure your employment law policies remain compliant with current legislation and guidance.
This includes updates following legislative changes, case law developments and best practice guidance from bodies such as ACAS.
Supporting Businesses in Disputes and Investigations
Employment policies play a critical role when issues arise. Whether dealing with a grievance, disciplinary matter or workplace complaint, your policies provide the framework for fair and consistent decision-making.
We support employers in applying their HR policies and procedures correctly, helping to reduce legal risk and strengthen your position if matters escalate to tribunal litigation.
Aligning Policies with Contracts of Employment
It is important that your employment policies align with your contractual documentation. We advise on how policies interact with your service agreements and contracts of employment, ensuring clarity and avoiding unintended contractual obligations.
Why Choose Glanvilles as Your Employment Law Solicitors?
Our employment lawyers have extensive experience advising employers on HR policies and procedures across a wide range of sectors. We understand that effective workplace policies must be both legally compliant and practical to implement.
We take the time to understand your business, your workforce and your objectives. This allows us to provide employment policies and procedures that are tailored, proportionate and aligned with your operational needs.
We have a strong track record of helping employers reduce risk, manage workplace issues effectively and defend claims where they arise. Our advice is clear, responsive and commercially focused, giving you the confidence to manage your workforce consistently and fairly.
When to Review and Update Your Workplace Policies
Employment policies should be reviewed regularly to ensure they remain effective and compliant. As a minimum, an annual review is recommended.
You should also review your HR policies and procedures following legislative changes, business growth, restructuring, or after dealing with a grievance or tribunal claim. Keeping your workplace policies up to date ensures they continue to protect your business and reflect current best practice.
FAQs
What Are Employment Policies and Procedures?
Employment policies set out the standards, expectations and rules that apply within your business, while procedures explain how specific workplace issues are handled in practice. For example, a disciplinary policy outlines expected behaviour, while the procedure explains the steps taken if those standards are not met.
Together, workplace policies and procedures provide a structured framework for managing employees fairly and consistently. They also play an important role in demonstrating compliance with employment law and supporting effective day-to-day management.
Which Employment Policies Are Legally Required in the UK?
UK employers are required to have certain key policies in place. These include a health and safety policy (where there are five or more employees), as well as disciplinary and dismissal procedures and a grievance procedure.
The disciplinary and grievance procedures should follow the ACAS Code of Practice. Failure to comply with the Code can result in increased compensation awards in employment tribunal claims, making it essential that these policies are properly implemented and followed.
What Essential HR Policies Every Employer Should Have
In addition to mandatory requirements, most businesses should have a broader set of HR policies and procedures in place. These typically include policies on equal opportunities, data protection, sickness absence, flexible working, maternity and paternity leave, and whistleblowing.
Having a clear and comprehensive list of HR policies helps ensure consistency across your organisation and provides managers with a reliable framework for decision-making. It also reduces the risk of disputes by setting clear expectations from the outset.
Why Your Business Needs Clear Employment Policies
Clear employment policies help ensure that employees understand what is expected of them and how workplace issues will be handled. This reduces ambiguity and supports consistent decision-making across the business.
From a legal perspective, well-drafted workplace policies can provide important protection in the event of an employment tribunal claim. They demonstrate that your business has acted fairly and followed a structured process, which can significantly strengthen your position.
Policy vs Contract: Understanding the Difference
Employment policies are generally non-contractual, meaning they can be updated as your business evolves or as legal requirements change. This flexibility is important in ensuring your policies remain relevant and compliant.
In contrast, employment contracts are legally binding agreements that cannot usually be changed without employee consent. For this reason, it is important to clearly distinguish between contractual terms and workplace policies, while ensuring they work together effectively.
What policies must every UK employer have by law?
Every UK employer must have a health and safety policy (if they employ five or more people), along with disciplinary and dismissal procedures and a grievance procedure.
These policies form the minimum legal framework for managing employees. In practice, most businesses adopt a wider range of employment policies to ensure compliance and reduce risk.
Should employment policies be part of the employment contract?
Most employment policies should remain separate from the employment contract and be clearly identified as non-contractual. This allows employers to update policies without needing to renegotiate terms with employees.
However, policies should still align with contractual terms to avoid inconsistency or confusion. Careful drafting ensures that policies support, rather than unintentionally override, contractual obligations.
How often should we review our employment policies?
As a minimum, employment policies should be reviewed annually to ensure they remain up to date and effective. However, reviews should also take place whenever there are changes in employment law, business structure or working practices.
Regular reviews help ensure your HR policies and procedures continue to reflect current legislation and best practice, reducing the risk of legal issues arising.
What happens if we don't have proper employment policies?
Without clear employment policies, businesses are more exposed to risk. Issues may be handled inconsistently, increasing the likelihood of grievances and disputes.
In the event of a tribunal claim, the absence of proper workplace policies can weaken your defence and may lead to higher compensation awards, particularly where the ACAS Code of Practice has not been followed. There may also be reputational consequences.
Can employment policies help defend against tribunal claims?
Yes. Properly drafted and consistently applied employment policies can provide strong evidence that an employer has acted fairly and reasonably.
Tribunals will often consider whether an employer has followed its own procedures and whether those procedures align with the ACAS Code. Having clear HR policies and procedures in place and applying them consistently can significantly strengthen your position in any claim.
Get in touch with our employment law solicitors
If you need legal advice on TUPE or any other employment matter, our team is on hand to provide the support and expertise your business needs.
You can contact your local Glanvilles office in Chichester, Fareham, Havant, or Petworth, or complete our online enquiry form and we will get back to you promptly.