Employment Services for Employers Brochure by WrightHassallLaw

HR AND EMPLOYMENT LAW SUPPORT

SERVICES OFFERED TO EMPLOYERS

HR AND EMPLOYMENT LAW SUPPORT FOR EMPLOYERS

We appreciate that the success of a business is dependent on the relationship it has with its workforce, including employees, workers and self-employed contractors

With the ever-changing landscape of employment law, we recognise that it can sometimes be challenging to know how best to manage the legal aspects of this relationship We are here to help your business navigate this rapidly evolving area of law by providing up-to-date legal advice, which is both cost-effective and tailored to your specific business needs

OUR AREAS OF EXPERTISE INCLUDE:

Drafting and advising on contracts of employment and staff handbooks

Advising on employment and HR processes, including handling disciplinaries, grievances, redundancies and restructuring and managing sickness absence

Managing high-level and complex terminations

Negotiating exits, including drafting settlement agreements

Delivering HR and employment law training

Mediation

Advising on and defending employment tribunal claims

Assisting with TUPE transfers

Chairing HR meetings such as disciplinary, grievance and redundancy consultations

Chairing without prejudice discussions and protected conversations

YEAR - YOUR EMPLOYMENT ANNUAL RETAINER

What is YEAR?

YEAR is our fixed-fee annual retainer service This enables your business, for a period of 12 months, to receive expert HR and employment law support and advice whenever you need it from our team of highly experienced lawyers who are ranked in the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners

Under our YEAR service, we work with businesses of all sizes and across a wide range of industries helping them to easily and swiftly obtain HR and employment law advice via a communication method which best suits them, including phone calls, MS Teams calls, email or in-person meetings. We help HR teams (or others within the business with HR responsibilities) to understand employment law and ensure they get the right advice and level of support for their business whenever they need it

As part of this, we assign all our YEAR members a primary and secondary adviser who personally partner with you to provide advice and assistance whilst having background knowledge of your business and ensuring that your strategic objectives are considered and maintained It has been said YEAR is like having your own in-house employment lawyer, but better!

Our YEAR membership has proved to be invaluable We are grateful to have always received incredibly prompt and eﬃcient service and highly recommend it to other businesses

Calum McConnachie Operations Director, Crewsaders Ltd

We value the relationship with the team and have built excellent relationships with individuals We have the highest level of confidence in the relationship and advice given

The team at Wright Hassall offers an exceptional legal service They make you feel valued, supported and equipped to deal with complex situations with legal implications Its a gold standard service

A satisfied client

UNLIMITED EXPERT ADVICE

Access our experienced Employment Law team whenever needed, all under a fixed annual retainer split into 12 monthly instalments

COST-EFFECTIVE SUPPORT

No extra costs like NI or pensions - just straightforward, affordable legal help without the overheads of an in-house hire

BENEFITS

FLEXIBLE COMMITMENT

YEAR runs on a 12-month basis, giving you support without tying you into long-term contracts

TRUSTED BY MANY

With a strong track record of clients renewing their membership without hesitation after 12 months, YEAR proves its value by providing day-to-day legal reassurance that’s just a call or email away

YEAR - YOUR EMPLOYMENT ANNUAL RETAINER

What support is provided under YEAR?

All your day-to-day HR and employment law needs can be provided for under YEAR

Typically, the most common areas where we provide support are advising on the handling of disciplinary and grievance procedures, dealing with performance management processes and sickness absence dismissals, support with protected conversations and without prejudice discussions, drafting settlement agreements, and advising on redundancies and restructures We also regularly provide advice and support drafting contracts of employment and staff handbooks to comply with current legislation and best practice but also to meet business needs.

Some larger scale projects are not included under the YEAR membership however, the team can still provide you with any necessary advice and support with these matters

YEAR Memberships

We recognise that one size does not fit all, and it is important for any business to find a service which not only provides the necessary support and expertise but can do so in a way to suit your unique requirements

This is why we have opted to offer a few variations of our YEAR membership, allowing you to choose the one that reflects what your business needs at the time

YEAR

Our standard YEAR membership offers ongoing HR and employment law support, including unlimited advice from qualified solicitors and dedicated primary and secondary legal advisers It includes an initial HR document audit, updates to your staff handbook and contracts, and tailored legal documents You’ll also have access to our wider legal services Support is available daily - in person, remotely, by phone or email –whatever suits you best

YEAR PLUS

For businesses who may need that extra little bit of support and guidance, YEAR Plus provides the same offering as a YEAR membership but with two full days or four half days of attendance with you built in for additional support from the team

YEAR PERSONALISE

Where you may want to make some changes to your YEAR membership to better suit your business needs, YEAR Personalise offers flexibility. We can discuss what would be your ideal package and look to create a membership that is personalised to you

If you are interested in finding out more about our YEAR service, or are interested in becoming a member, please do get in touch with the team and we would be happy to discuss this further with you

TRAINING WITH WRIGHT HASSALL

We have a comprehensive training programme with a variety of HR and employment law training sessions which have been designed by the team The purpose of our training sessions is to equip businesses, including their HR teams, managers and overall workforce, with the requisite skills and knowledge they need in their individual roles to comply with employment legislation

The 2-day course allowed the team to indulge and think about areas of our business that are not naturally their skill set but will make them better people managers Thank you Wright Hassall for leading a very engaging and thought-provoking event to build good HR foundations for our young team of front-line managers

Marie-Bernadette Ashe Group Finance Director, Kite Packaging Group

What training is offered?

We appreciate that managers, as part of their role, are involved in implementing HR policies and procedures as they are often the first point of contact for their team members Whilst they will often have HR support, it is important that managers are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to properly advise on these matters, especially as they can often be involved in investigating and chairing HR processes

We offer training sessions, which includes “An introduction to Employment Law for Managers”, which can be delivered specifically to managers in order to provide them the necessary confidence and understanding for undertaking these processes when the time comes

If you’re interested in a bespoke training session, we’d be happy to discuss your requirements and tailor a session that aligns with your needs

MOST POPULAR TRAINING SESSIONS INCLUDE:

An Introduction to HR Processes and Procedures

Banter v Discrimination in the Workplace

Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Flexible vs Hybrid Working: What are the Differences?

Termination of Employment: An Overview

Conducting Effective Disciplinary Investigations and Hearings

Conducting an Effective Grievance Process

Redundancy: How to Conduct an Effective and Legal Process

A full list of our extensive range of training sessions can be found here

TRAINING WITH WRIGHT HASSALL

Training pricing

Training sessions are available as either half or full days, to suit your requirements We often find that businesses opt to arrange for a couple of different training sessions to be delivered to their workforce during the course of one full day to benefit from a variety of HR and employment law topics being covered for attendees

Where you commit with us to providing at least two days of training to your workforce (i e two full-day sessions or four half-day sessions) within a 6 or 12-month period, we can look to spread the costs of the training sessions across this period through fixed monthly invoices.

If this is something you would be interested in, please do speak with a member of the team and we would be happy to discuss your training requirements further

How are the sessions delivered?

We believe it’s important for participants to be fully engaged during our training sessions Active involvement helps attendees get the most out of the experience by applying the information in real time To support this, we use Mentimeter to deliver our sessions, allowing attendees to interact by submitting responses and comments through their devices Contributions can be anonymous, which we find encourages more open and honest discussion

Our sessions can either be delivered at our office in Leamington Spa, or at your premises (with travel expenses being separately charged) Alternatively, we can deliver our sessions remotely

It was really useful, and the way it was presented was wonderful Keep up the great work!

A satisfied client

TRAINING WITH WRIGHT HASSALL

Lunch and Learn

With the ever-changing nature of HR and employment law, it is of vital importance that employers remain up to date on legislative changes and best practice so this can be implemented within their workplace However, we appreciate that it can sometimes be overwhelming trying to stay up to date, especially with the volume of information which can often be shared relating to upcoming changes.

While we can deliver updates through a formal training session, we find it more beneficial to approach upcoming changes through a discussionbased format This allows for a deeper exploration of the legal updates, their potential impact on your business, and the recommended actions to take

Two of my colleagues and I attended a lunch and learn session on the latest changes in employment law It was incredibly informative and engaging [The team] did an excellent job breaking down complex legal updates into understand and actionable insights The session not only highlighted the key changes, but also provided practical advice on how to implement these updates in our organisation

I left feeling much more confident about navigating the new regulations and ensuring that we remain compliant I highly recommend these sessions to any organisation that is looking to stay ahead in the ever-changing world of employment law!

A satisfied client

To complement our formal training sessions, we’ve introduced 'Lunch and Learn' events - informal and flexible forums where we share updates on HR and employment law These sessions are designed for smaller groups of up to eight participants, creating a more conversational environment that encourages open discussion and ongoing Q&A throughout.

These sessions are specifically tailored for HR professionals, or those with HR responsibilities, who need to stay up to date with legislative developments as part of their role By attending a Lunch and Learn session, you'll gain insights into recent and upcoming changes, understand their potential impact on your business, and identify the actions your organisation may need to take in response

If you are interested in one of our training sessions, but having it delivered as a Lunch and Learn, please do let the team know and we would be happy to discuss options with you

WHAT’S INCLUDED:

A session of approximately 90 minutes for a group of up to eight individuals

An interactive discussion on employment law updates with two experienced members of our team

An opportunity to ask questions as we discuss the topics, in relation to the legal position and potential business specific considerations

A buffet lunch

TRAINING

MEDIATION

What is Mediation?

Mediation is a method of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) which seeks to enable parties to resolve workplace issues without recourse to potential litigation via Employment Tribunal Mediation works via a neutral third party, known as a mediator, helping the participating parties put forward their position on the issue(s) in dispute and seeks to guide them towards a solution which is agreeable for all involved

Our team is equipped to handle workplace mediations having qualified mediators form part of the Employment Law team.

What is the Mediation process?

By way of brief overview to the Mediation process is below

STAGE 1:

SEPARATE MEETINGS WITH THE PARTICIPANTS

These meeting are aimed to allow each participant to tell their story and what they hope to achieve from the mediation It also helps the mediator to build a rapport with the participants before the mediation

STAGE 2: DRAWING UP AN AGENDA

The aim of this stage is to explore the issues that need to be resolved and to draw up an agenda with the parties to enable a joint meeting to effectively take place

STAGE 3:

JOINT MEETING IN LINE WITH THE AGENDA

Having explored the issues to resolve with the participants, the mediator will encourage the participants to communicate more openly and shift the focus to an amicable and creative resolution.

STAGE 4: THE AGREEMENT

The mediator will support the participants to reach a workable agreement and records the terms of the agreement.

STAGE 5: CLOSING

Once the agreement is signed by the participants, the mediator will explain the participants’ responsibilities for implementation and bring the mediation to a close

MEDIATION

When should you consider using Employment Mediation?

There are a vast number of situations where Employment Mediation could be beneficial

Some key situations where it would be suitable to consider workplace Mediation include: the parties involved have been unable to resolve the existing dispute themselves; the issues in dispute are emotional issues which could benefit from a neutral third party’s intervention; the dispute is causing difficulties on the parties’ ongoing working relationship, or impacting the wider workforce; or there is a need for an ongoing working relationship between parties.

Disputes between employees can arise in a number of circumstances These can be identified through day-to-day workplace interactions or employee feedback but often come to light as a result of a recent HR process, such as a grievance or disciplinary process

COSTS

Generally, costs are significantly lower than pursuing an employment tribunal claim

COLLABORATION

An experienced mediator can often get to the crux of the problem very quickly and agree on a more flexible remedy than an Employment Tribunal would have jurisdiction for

MANAGEMENT TIME

It often saves a substantial amount of management time

MEDIATION CAPACITY

Mediation can resolve conflicts between colleagues, between a line manager and their staff, and between teams or groups of employees

KEY BENEFITS

FAST RESOLUTION

The process can be considerably faster than issuing Employment Tribunal proceedings

IMPARTIALITY AND CONFIDENTIALITY

Mediation is impartial and confidential, both parties are encouraged to speak openly: the mediator will only disclose information to the other side if agreed

SUCCESS

Mediation has a high success rate

ISSUES

Mediation can be used to address a range of issues, such as relationship breakdowns, personality clashes and communication problems

CHAIRING HR MEETINGS

HR processes are a fundamental aspect of any working relationship, and it is essential that they are carried out in line with current employment legislation As part of our service offering, we’re pleased to provide support by conducting HR meetings on your behalf, ensuring compliance and professionalism throughout

Chairing

We can be delegated authority by your business to chair necessary meetings and conduct investigations, as required, ensuring that a fair, transparent and complete process is undertaken in accordance with the company’s employment law obligations.

Note-taking

We can also provide members of the team to undertake the role of note-taker at these meetings, either alongside or separately to a member of the team chairing a meeting

As part of formal HR processes

ACAS published guidance in March 2015 via its Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures which promotes best practice and provides key guidance for employers to follow when conducting such processes Whilst this is useful guidance, and it is important employers comply, it is often not familiar to many managers who can be expected to chair HR processes This is completely understandable; it is not their day-to-day role

It is, however, guidance that our team is fully informed as part of our roles to provide support and advice to businesses in HR and employment law We frequently advise and support on disciplinary, grievance and redundancy meetings which provides us with a high level of expertise in being able to chair these meetings ourselves, especially those which may be more complex in nature

As part of settlement discussions

In addition to our involvement with the above processes, we are also able to provide more holistic support in respect of settlement negotiations through our offering to chair protected conversations and without prejudice discussions

We acknowledge that there are a number of reasons why, as a business, you may wish to propose a protected conversation or without prejudice discussion to an employee in order to seek an amicable parting of ways. This may be because of a working relationship breaking down, to seek to avoid following a lengthy formal HR process, or simply because it does not feel as if an individual is the right fit for the business

It can be challenging to undertake these discussions with an employee on the basis such discussions are often proposing to bring about an end to their employment We are experienced in negotiating settlements and engaging in settlement discussions, enabling us a beneficial perspective on how to best approach these discussions to obtain the best outcome for you

HR MEETINGS

CHAIRING HR MEETINGS

Pricing

Our costs to provide chairing and/or note-taking support will be dependent on the specific HR process we are supporting you with, alongside the scope of work required

In advance of undertaking such work, we will provide you with an estimate of our costs once we have established the full background to the specific situation. We will always keep you up to date of any developments and provide fee updates and updated estimates as necessary.