Legal Advice for Employment Contracts
Our Employment Contract Solicitors in Manchester are experts at supporting business owners across England and Wales.
As legally binding documents which form the basis of the employment relationship between both employer and employee, contracts of employment are of the utmost importance. It is essential that all members of staff are provided with a contract of employment within two months of starting work, and this must include certain information in order to comply with the requirements of the Employment Rights Act 1996.
Our in-depth knowledge of current UK employment law and friendly and efficient approach has seen us become the employment law firm of choice for businesses throughout South Manchester, Cheshire and beyond. Through enlisting our services, we will not only advise you on the drafting and implementation of documents, we will also assist you by offering advice on enforcing the contract and/or the company’s policies should an employee be found to be in breach of them.
We realise that not all businesses are the same. Therefore, in addition to preparing standard contracts and policies on a fixed-fee basis, we can also prepare you with bespoke documents which are tailored to meet your organisation’s individual needs.
Why choose Analysis Legal?
As a specialist employment law practice, we deal with all aspects of contracts of employment and the law. We realise that running a business can often be stressful, leaving little time for dealing with the legalities of employing staff. Nevertheless, contractual issues cannot be ignored and our aim is to relieve you of this time-consuming burden.
Through enlisting our help, your needs will be managed by one of our experienced Employment Law Solicitors, meaning you can rest assured that you always have access to quality advice on employment contracts and all other aspects of the law.
Drafting Employment Contracts
As a firm of specialist employment lawyers, we can assist your organisation in drafting contracts and ancillary documentation including specific policies and staff handbooks (which would include policies for issues such as absence management, disciplinary and grievance, social media and information technology). We will take the time to understand your business, ensuring that we draft contracts that meet your specific requirements and offer sound advice when it comes to creating and implementing internal processes and procedures.
Once again Analysis Legal LLP is a leading firm in the Legal 500 directory, which states our solicitor Kate Oberg ‘provides pragmatic advice to companies in a variety of sectors, with established strength in matters regarding dismissal and discrimination claims, holiday pay, and employee contracts’.
What special policies can I include in an Employment Contract?
An employment contract should always be drafted based on your business values and operations. No two contracts are the same, and depending on the industry, role, size of the business, and many other factors, we may advise you to include special policies in your employment contracts to protect you from future claims. There are over 300 types of claims that an individual can bring against their employer. A well-drafted contract of employment will give you maximum protection from the outset. Some of the special clauses and policies we can include in your employment contracts are:
Confidentiality, trade secrets, and IP protection
Absence policies
Preventing unfair competition
Disciplinary and Grievance procedures
Social Media policies
Reclaim costs
Why should I draft a Staff Handbook?
There is no legal requirement for employers to have a staff handbook. However, it is advisable to have one in most cases, in order to clearly inform employees of policies, rights, and expectations that come with working in your company.
A staff or employee handbook can make it easier for employees to understand your policies while also providing a context of your company’s history and values. Handbooks do not need to be contractual, however it could be helpful to draft a contractual staff handbook to ensure that going against certain policies would constitute a breach of contract.
It’s common for staff handbooks to outline your special policies, such as absence management, social media policies, and grievance procedures. This information may need to be updated more often than your employment contracts, with most companies reviewing and updating staff handbooks every 6 to 12 months.
Whether you are drafting, reviewing, or updating a staff handbook, our Employment Contract Solicitors in Manchester can help you. Analysis Legal supports business owners and managers across England and Wales to protect their interests, and be safe from legal action with simple and expert legal advice for employers. Contact us today.
How do I enforce an Employment Contract?
Having a well-planned employment contract is not only helpful to ensure both parties are informed of all policies and terms, but will also protect you in case of a breach of contract by an employee.
Breaches of express terms are breaches of conditions that have been included in your employment contracts. They could involve working hours, conditions, or duties which fail to be respected. Failure to work through a period notice or adhere to a code of conduct may also represent breach of express contract terms.
Any failure to meet the terms of employment by a worker should be properly enforced. Your employment contracts should include details regarding disciplinary procedures. However, depending on the specific circumstances of the breach, it can be complicated to enforce a contract and the relative consequences. If an employee has breached terms of their contract, it’s vital to seek legal counsel as soon as possible: the repercussions of a breach can be extremely damaging to your business. Our Employment Contract Solicitors in Manchester help businesses enforce their agreements in complex situations, and can support you through the process with advice and legal support, even for serious cases which may escalate to an employment tribunal.
How can Employment Contract Solicitors help me?
We can help you to reduce the likelihood of a successful claim being brought against you by providing you with valid employment contracts as well as other policy documentation, whether as standalone policies or as part of a staff handbook. For example, an Equal Opportunities policy is essential as an employer. Due to the constantly changing nature of employment law, it makes absolute sense to carry out regular reviews of your contracts and policies.
As leaders in our field, we can review your existing employment documentation and advise you on any modifications required to ensure everything is up-to-date and protects your position in accordance with the current law. Whether you need advice on drafting employee handbooks or employee contracts, support on scope and implementation of internal policies or assistance with breaches of contract, we can offer all of this and more.
Contact our Employment Contract Solicitors in Manchester
As a specialist employment law practice, we deal with all aspects of employment law. From our office in Stockport, we regularly assist clients all over Manchester and the North West, notably the larger towns of Sheffield, Liverpool and Leeds. However, our team can also help you wherever you are in England or Wales with matters relating to employment law for employers.
We realise that running a business can often be stressful, leaving little time for dealing with the legalities of employing staff. That’s where we step in. Contractual issues cannot be ignored, and we can help take the weight off your shoulders with this time-consuming burden.
Through enlisting our help, your needs will be managed by one of our experienced Employment Law Solicitors in Manchester, meaning you can rest assured that you always have access to quality advice on employment contracts and all other aspects of the law. We understand that every business is different, which is why our approach is tailored to your needs. We will ensure that we do our best to understand your company and values, and ensure that any requirements from you are met.
Our priority is delivering first-class client service for managers, HR representatives and business owners. Get in touch today to begin your legal journey with Analysis Legal.