At Berrymans Solicitors, our specialist Employment Law team are on hand to provide employers with comprehensive commercial advice on employment law in a competitive and ever-changing marketplace.
Your employees are a valuable asset to your business but if things do not work out then they can be a risk to the business. We can keep you informed about employment law matters and changes in legislation through seminars and news briefings. We appreciate how important it is to understand your business and have a point of contact you can trust and rely upon.
We offer a wide range of services to support your business:
- Settlement Agreements (formerly Compromise Agreements)
- Disciplinary and grievance procedures
- Redundancy
- Unfair dismissal
- Dealing with sickness absence
- Discriminatory and Diversity
- Employment Tribunal claims
- Employment aspects of business transfers
- Restrictive covenants
- Employment status – employee, worker or self-employed?
Employment contracts, Executive Service Agreements, Policy Manuals, Consultancy Agreements
The specialist Employment Law team can draft the documentation so that it is tailor-made to your business. Every business is different and we work with you to produce the appropriate documentation for your staff so that it truly represents the working practices within your organisation. We can assist you in the implementation of (and changes to) your employment contracts and policies as well as drawing up consultancy agreement for non-staff. We can also help with any associated training programmes.
Settlement Agreements
You may find yourself in a situation where as an employer you wish to offer you employee a severance or compensation package in return for settling employment claims. This is known as a Settlement Agreement (formerly a Compromise Agreement). Our specialist Employment Law team can provide you with advice as to when this type of agreement is appropriate, draft it for you and assist you through the process.
Disciplinary and grievance procedures
From time to time you may need to deal with disciplinary and grievance issues in the workplace. The Employment Law team can not only draft disciplinary and grievance procedures for you we can guide you through the process. We understand that these matters require empathetic handling and that any action taken must be done carefully and with due process being followed.
Redundancy
As an employer you may have to make difficult decisions including making redundancies. Whether it is reducing the size of your workforce, restructuring your business, or closing the work place, the Employment Law team is able to provide sound legal advice from the start to the end of the process. We can advise you on the correct procedures (and consultation obligations) and draft the necessary redundancy letters and documents to minimise the risk of claims.
Unfair Dismissal
The Employment Law team can advise you as an employer as to what is a potentially fair reason for ending someone’s employment and the fair process that needs to be followed. We will advise on the appropriate documentation and be available to answer any questions. We will try and resolve the issue without having to go to an Employment Tribunal if it is possible liaise with ACAS negotiate, mediate and prepare settlement agreements and if it does come to an Employment Tribunal, we will support and represent you through this.
Dealing with sickness and absence
Long term sickness absence and intermittent short term sickness absences can impact your business. We will provide practical help and guidance in situations which require sensitivity within the necessary legal framework. We can draft the relevant sickness policy documentation for you and manage the process with you.
Discrimination and Diversity
It is unlawful to discriminate, victimise or harass individuals because of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, race, religion or belief and pregnancy or maternity. We can draft equality and diversity policies and provide training. There are potentially huge financial consequences for employers who get this wrong and we can help you get it right.
Employment Tribunal Claims
If you receive an Employment Tribunal claim we can support and advise you throughout the process. We will help you to gather the relevant evidence and prepare a quality defence to the claim. We will represent your organisation at the Tribunal.
Employment Aspects of business transfers
Selling and buying a business can be far from straight forward and the law in this area is complex. The Employment Law team can guide you through your obligations under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (known as TUPE) particularly your consultation obligations.
Restrictive Covenants
As a business you may wish to protect your goodwill and confidential information from your employees going to work for a competitor and stealing your clients and customers. We can work with you to draft the necessary clauses to put in an employment contract to give your business as much protection as the law will allow.
Employment status – employee, worker or self-employed
It is vital to identify whether your workforce has been correctly categorised as employees or workers or whether you have individuals that are genuinely self-employed. This will have a direct impact on the nature of the rights of each category of the individual and therefore have direct financial and tax implications for the business. The Employment Law team can you help you with that assessment.
