Employment Relations

We understand that for most businesses, wages are the largest single item of expenditure, and the risks involved in employing a person represent one of their most significant contingent liabilities in day to day operations. The relationships set up with the people employed to assist you in your business have long term consequences on organisational performance. This is why we focus on helping businesses create a ‘front end’ legal framework for healthy and productive employee relations. We also help businesses when alterations to this framework are necessary, and assist where there has been an irrevocable breakdown in employment relationships.

Members of our team have specific expertise advising on contractors –v- employee matters, particularly in relation to payroll tax liability, and employment-related lawsuit prevention.

We provide clients with prompt, clear, user-friendly advice, keeping our client’s commercial interests at the forefront of everything we do.

Front End Services

Drafting all forms of employment documentation including:

  • Employment policies and procedures
  • Employment and consultancy contracts
  • Share, bonus and commission schemes

Management and staff training on policies, including occupational health and safety and workplace behaviour.

Establishing a robust occupational health and safety framework to limit the risk of injury or incident.

Maximisation, maintenance & management

Ensuring you get the most out of your arrangements, can respond to change and handle day to day management issues as they arise.

Support on determining liability for payroll tax and obtaining outstanding amounts.

Hands-on advice and support (including performing due diligence) in situations of:

  • change of ownership
  • outsourcing
  • in-sourcing
  • insolvency

Immediate advice on day-to-day HR issues, including:

  • Performance management
  • Inappropriate workplace behaviour
  • Contractual interpretation
  • Statutory entitlements

Practical advice on multi-faceted, high-level HR projects.

Critical issue response

Dealing with situations of relationship breakdown, conflict and serious incident:

  • Guiding clients through internal investigation, disciplinary and dispute resolution proceedings, including in relation to harassment, bullying and discrimination
  • Providing external employment incident investigation services to complement internal procedures
  • Commercial advice on employment termination, for summary dismissal, compromise and resignation, including assistance in structuring separation arrangements
  • Advice on employment restrictions, including restraints of trade and protection of intellectual property
  • Litigating unfair and wrongful dismissal claims and all discrimination claims, equal pay, working time and redundancy claims
  • Responding to workplace safety incidents, and managing the investigation and prosecution process