Five ways HR Dept retained clients benefit this April when employment law changes kick in

April, and its "shower” of employment law changes will soon be upon us. 

You are sure to already have a lot on your plate running your business. In fact, rising operational costs and UK economic uncertainty were the top cited concerns of SME owners in a survey carried out by a financing company at the start of the year.

That does not mean the employment law changes will go away. They are signed into legislation and you’ll have to give them your attention. But for retained clients of ours here at The HR Dept, we will be doing much of the work for them.

Here are five specific areas that need to be addressed (plus how we help for each).

1 Payroll updates

Changes to the national living wage and minimum wages, rises in statutory pays, and the introduction of day-one-of-sickness statutory sick pay mean a busy time for payroll teams.

How we help retained clients: HR Dept retained clients will be advised of all the changes that need to be made, so they are not left guessing or having to research it all themselves.

2 Policy and handbook updates

Because of the breadth of changes, a wide range of typical policies that companies may have within their company handbook will require updating. These include family policies like paternity leave and unpaid parental leave, absences policies where references to new statutory sick leave will need to change and whistle-blowing policies.

 How we help retained clients: Policy updates are an automatic part of our retained service, so we’ll ensure that all relevant policies reflect new rules as they evolve.

3 Training 

Companies should see training as part of the solution for incorporating the new employment law changes into their business. From managing absence (which will likely rise) to taking all reasonable steps to prevent harassment and sexual harassment, training is a key component.

How we help retained clients: We offer a huge range of eLearning and in-person training courses. Retained clients will have good access to these and advice on what suits them most (training costs apply).

4 Compliance

With the introduction of super agency the Fair Work Agency, the requirements for HR compliance will be more stringent than ever. One of the agency’s powers is to bring tribunal cases where they see a breach of the law, without the need for an employee to raise it themselves.

How we help retained clients: We will lay the groundwork for our clients to be compliant with all the latest regulations.

5 Contracts

Employment contract wording and clause inclusion requires ever more careful thought. Googling a template will never provide you with the full protection you need. And the worst thing is, you won’t find this out until a situation arises and it is too late.

How we help retained clients: We provide fully tailored and up-to-date employment contracts for our retained clients, and ensure they are suitable for all eventualities.

Retained vs One-off

Our retained service is called Advice Line, and includes unlimited telephone and email support, as well as all the documentary support outlined above (contracts, policies and handbooks). Furthermore, it features tribunal indemnity insurance. As long as you follow our advice from the outset on an issue, you will be protected from the costs of being brought to an employment tribunal – a highly valuable benefit.

With local offices across the country, we take care to add a personal touch for all our clients, ensuring we really get to know your business and give you peace of mind.

We also offer one-off services that can help with any HR related project in your business – from conducting a disciplinary investigation to supporting you with workplace cultural change.

Now, though, it really is a good time to consider our retained Advice Line service. Get in touch to find out more.