A good policy for businesses to follow is the 'do it right first time' policy
. This approach applies to all levels of business not just to the products and services that a company sells. It should also relate to how staff are managed and the standard of procedural documentation that is put in place to support them in the workplace.
As an employer doing it right the first time will prevent you from having to seek tribunal representation due to employee disputes. Employment law makes it paramount to your business to have strong processes in place in order manage staffing issues in a fair and just manner. Within your industry you are the expert on the services and products you sell but when it comes to employment law, processes and policies you can very quickly start to flounder without the correct advice and support. From a financial standpoint it makes perfect sense to get thing right from the outset. Employee disputes can cost thousands of pounds and can quickly destroy a carefully nurtured company reputation.
With each employee you should have a written employment contract. These agreements need to be carefully drafted and it is sensible to get employment law specialists to advise you on the content. The agreement need to make clear the obligations and requirements of both employee and employer including rates of pay, the employment relationship and working hours. It should outline probationary periods, whether the working relationship is part or full time, temporary or casual. There must also be details of the disciplinary process and the grievance procedures. All processes within the realm of human resources should be documented and fully understood by employees. In this way you protect yourself and your staff.
At NorthgateArinso we are experts in employment law and can help you to develop robust procedures to protect your business.