Employment Law for Employers
Employment advice is often business-critical and urgent. Our employment lawyers help you navigate the complexities of employment law, so that you can focus on your core business. Our team of expert employment law solicitors have a wealth of experience in helping businesses defend themselves in Employment Tribunals.
Along with this, we provide businesses with comprehensive employment advice, and support with training, TUPE, contracts and policies, restructuring and general employment and HR advice.
Employment Services
It is often said that staff are the most important asset of a business, so it is important that you have the right documentation for your staff and, if there are issues, that you are equipped to deal with them legally and effectively. Our team supports organisations throughout the employment relationship, enabling employers to focus on running their business. Where things do go wrong, we are also on hand to defend any Employment Tribunal claim that might arise.
Our employment lawyers act for a wide variety of clients, across multiple industries, ranging from SMEs to multi-national household names. From our base in Plymouth, we work with clients nationwide.
Helping your business
The employment relationship is a journey: from the initial interview, to issuing the contract and handbook, supporting employees with events in their personal life, promotions, and working with staff to ensure that their performance and conduct meets the needs of the business. During the employment relationship, businesses also evolve through growth and acquisitions. We are always available for our clients to support them in both day-to-day matters and, also, for the more significant business changes.
Employment law should be simple, but over the years it has become anything but that. It’s a given that your legal advisors will know the law but being told what the law is doesn’t really help businesses; we provide advice which is clear and pragmatic, tailored to the needs to your business.
Employment Tribunal representation
Receiving a claim form in the post from the Employment Tribunal is a very worrying moment for any employer. The successful defence of an Employment Tribunal claim rests on understanding the legal principles underlying the claim, and how the facts of your case interlink with the legal tests.
We are on hand to ensure you understand the claim and the strategy in defending it. We take over the day to day running of the case, liaising with the relevant parties to meet the required deadlines, so you can continue to focus on the success of your business.
Day-to-day Employment Advice
We have heard it said that employment relationships are similar to a marriage: when it is going well, it is great; when it starts going wrong, things can get messy. This is why dealing with issues, early in the right way, can save a lot of problems further down the line.
We help our clients with the full breath of day-day employment and HR issues from drafting an offer letter through to advising on any issues which arise during or following the employment relationship.
Contracts and Policies
Contracts are the cornerstone of the employment relationship, and they must be in writing containing certain legally required information.
Long handbooks are often issued as a default, without any real thought as to what policies a business actually needs. There are a few policies that a business must have, such as disciplinary and grievance and others that, whilst aren’t legally required, are advisable such as an equality policy, IT policy and a whistleblowing policy.
It’s tempting to think that a contract of employment and handbook, containing a business’ policies, are much of a muchness; however, we’ve seen far too many occasions where generic contracts and policies, that are overly restrictive, can tie employers up in knots. We work with our clients to ensure that whilst the employment relationship is clearly defined in such documentation, flexibility is retained to enable the business to operate effectively.
Training
So many HR people have sat in those large rooms listening to a lawyer with a PowerPoint droning on about the complexities of TUPE – look at me they seem to be saying, I understand TUPE. The problem is, at the end of the training, the attendees still don’t!
We put in place informative training which is both interactive and engaging. We’d much rather listen to what our client’s learning objectives are than simply dictate training to them. We can deliver training in person or virtually on any employment topic you require. If you feel your managers could improve their knowledge in relation to handling grievances or disciplinaries, sickness absences or knowledge of equality and diversity obligations, we can work with you to tailor business specific training to meet those needs.
TUPE
TUPE stands for the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006. As you can see, there is good reason that it is usually shortened to TUPE.
TUPE normally applies when there is a business sale or a change of service provider. If TUPE applies, this small piece of legislation means that a very formal and precise process must be followed with your staff, including, in many cases, electing representatives from amongst your staff in order that you can properly consult with them.
In addition, if you are buying a business or taking on an outsourced service where TUPE applies, you will be liable for everything that the previous owner was responsible for: such as unpaid wages, acts of discrimination, equal pay claims and even trade union recognition. We help clients understand their obligations and potential liabilities before signing on the dotted line.
The rights under TUPE are well protected and, if the correct process is not followed, the liability on an employer can be very significant. We work with our clients to ensure that the right process is followed from the outset and remain on hand to ensure that each step is taken correctly and at the right time.
Restructures
As businesses evolve, the structure that had worked for many years may need to change too. This can involve changing the duties of certain roles or, in some cases, reducing headcount.
We understand that this can be a difficult transition for staff and businesses alike and work with our clients to ensure that the correct process is followed, with as little disruption to your business as possible.
We help with business reorganisations and both small scale and large-scale redundancies. Where significant redundancies are required (where there are 20 or more redundancies at an establishment in a 90-day period) we assist businesses through the complexities of collective consultation and ensure that employers meet both their obligations to the employees and their directors’ duties to the government.
Our charges
Businesses are often worried about the cost of hiring a law firm when it comes to Employment Law. Indeed some may not even look for legal advice, believing it to be too expensive. But that doesn’t need to be the case, and it certainly isn’t at Nash & Co Solicitors.
From monthly retainers, to hourly rates and fixed fees, our specialist employment law solicitors help businesses by providing a number of different payment structures, depending on the work that you need done.
Get in touch
Fill out the form below and let us know whether you would like us to call you, or email you. One of our Employment team will be in touch as soon as we can.
If your inquiry is urgent then please call us on 01752 664444.