Contracts of Employment and Handbooks

At Alker Ball Healds solicitors we can conduct a thorough review of your business to make sure that any existing employment contracts and handbook are compliant with current legislation. We can prepare bespoke contracts of employment and handbook to suit the particular needs of your business.

Written statement of main terms and conditions of employment 

Employers are legally bound to provide employees with a written statement of their main terms and conditions of employment such as rates of pay, holiday pay and job title.

Contracts of Employment 

Many employers choose to incorporate the statement of terms and conditions into a written contract of employment. The written contract of employment can provide additional protection for an employer and can include clauses such as:

  • Restrictive covenants - for example, to prevent an employee from working for a competitor after the employment relationship has ended
  • Payment in lieu of notice clause - this allows an employer to make a payment in lieu of notice rather than allow an employee to work their notice period 

Handbooks 

Handbooks contain policies which are not usually included in a written contract of employment. Common examples are:

  • Maternity/paternity leave polices 
  • Equal opportunities policy 
  • Health and Safety policy 

These policies provide certainty for employees and can also be useful evidence for employers in defending Employment Tribunal claims brought by employees/former employees.

Our Costs

We work on a fixed fee or an hourly rate basis depending on the type of work you want us to do for you. The basis on which we charge will be agreed with you in advance. If we charge on an hourly rate basis we will give you an estimate of the likely fees at the outset and this will be reviewed with you as your matter progresses.

Contact us

To arrange an initial consultation, call our employment team on 01942 246241.