Navigating the confusing details of employment law can be a daunting task. There are many rules to consider and adhere to if you don’t want to get into legal trouble. One of the simplest and most effective things you can do to protect yourself is to get the right legal documentation in place. Just what types of legal documents should an employer have in place? Below are 5 of the most important pieces of documentation to prioritise.
Employment contract
An employment contract is the most vital document you need. This outlines the terms and conditions of employment. Some of the things to outline in this document include:
- Job title and description
- Salary and payment frequency
- Working hours
- Holiday entitlement
- Rights and responsibilities
- Notice periods
You can hire a lawyer or legal writer to help you create an employment contract. Having a well-written employment contract will help protect you from the risk of potential future disputes.
Employee handbook
In-person training is important, but it can be worth backing up this training with an employee handbook that each of your workers can refer to when they need it. Such a handbook could come in the form of a physical book or a digital document (accessed via a computer file or a mobile app).
Things to consider in your employee handbook include:
- Detailed information on company protocol and procedures
- Code of conduct information
- Information on employee benefits and perks
- Information on grievance and disciplinary procedures
As with an employment contract, you can hire someone to help you write an employee handbook specific to your company.
Settlement agreement
When an employment leaves, it can be useful to have settlement agreements in place. These can detail information such as confidentiality agreements, financial settlement agreements and how to get a reference.
Settlement agreements can also be used in the case of complaints or lawsuits filed by employees, helping to outline exactly what compensation you are willing to provide.
It’s worth hiring professional help when writing these agreements.
Health and safety policy
Certain health and safety measures need to be carried by law as an employer in order to safeguard your workers. Others may not be legally required, but may be highly recommended. A health and safety policy provides written evidence that you have implemented these.
It can also outline health and safety protocols such as how to report accidents, how to respond in emergency situations and how to safely carry out various manual tasks.
Such policies are often written by a legal professional and handed out to employees when they join the company. A digital health and safety policy can sometimes be preferable as it can be easily updated. That said physical documents are often still required by law to be displayed around the workplace.
Data protection policy
Finally, it’s worthwhile putting in place a data protection policy. This outlines exactly how you plan to handle employee data. This should include information on employee rights regarding their data, and information on how data breaches will be handled.
Like other documents, it is a good idea to get this professionally written so that it is legally tight.
