Employment Law Guidance Programme: tools and guidance to help you comply

The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR)’s Employment Law Guidance Programme has produced and is promoting free-to-use and legally-compliant online tools, proforma letters and agreement forms (opens new window). These Government produced tools make it quick and straightforward for you to manage and comply with commonly-occurring employment law obligations. You can also save time and money, reduce record keeping and avoid duplication by adopting the following tips:

Taking on a new Employee? (opens new window) – Use this interactive tool to check what your legal responsibilities are when taking on a new employee or other type of worker or employing someone for the first time.

Don’t duplicate Written Statements of terms and conditions (opens new window). If your standard contract of employment covers all of the statutory elements, there is no need to produce a written statement. Additionally, if your standard contract covers most, but not all, of the statutory items, consider expanding the contract –so you won’t have to issue written statements in the future. You can meet your obligations in full by using the written statement tool to create a tailored written statement of employment for an individual employee. The tool can also be used when an employee’s terms and conditions are varied.

Reduce your paperwork – Check whether your payroll/employee records already satisfy the record keeping requirements for both the National Minimum Wage and Working Time Regulations. Separate or special records are often not required to meet these obligations.

Check whether an individual is entitled to the National Minimum Wage (opens new window), and whether arrears are due to a worker, by using the new interactive tool, which is aimed at employers. This tool provides up-to-date guidance on the rules that apply in the circumstances specified by the employer. The National Minimum Wage, entitlement, rate and arrears checker will calculate the underpayment, if any, for the period specified helping employers to comply with National Minimum Wage law and avoid the new financial penalty that comes into effect on 6 April.

Manage the process for employees who opt out of the 48 hour week (opens new window) by producing your own opt out agreements using the simple, proforma.

Save time – use the flexible working guidance to decide which Flexible working schemes (opens new window) would best suit your business and produce your own written notices of decisions using the ready-made forms.

Manage the employment rights of your employees who may become pregnant, request paternity leave, or adopt a child (opens new window) by using the guidance and interactive tools.

Calculate how much annual leave your employees are due and how this fits in with your business’ leave year using the holiday entitlement tool (opens new window).

Save money - the tool for handling potential redundancies (opens new window) helps you to understand what you need to think about when considering redundancies and advises of the legal requirements and processes.

Save time – use the interactive redundancy calculator tool (opens new window) to quickly and reliably calculate the statutory redundancy payments due to employees. Produce personalised written statements for employees showing the amount of the redundancy pay to be awarded and how it has been calculated.

Update on resolving employment problems

As of 6 April 2009, there is a new simpler and more flexible system in place in Great Britain for dealing with problems at work. Find out more about how to deal with discipline and grievance issues at work and download a copy of the leaflet (opens new window) that explains the changes, or call the Acas helpline on 08457 47 47 47 from 8.00 am - 8.00 pm Monday to Friday and 9.00 am - 1.00 pm on Saturdays to obtain free, impartial and confidential advice on the options available for resolving your workplace dispute.

The Employing People pages on the Business Link website are an excellent source of information for anyone running their own business. They are continually being improved and updated to ensure that the free advice and online tools are designed to meet employers’ needs and help them to avoid unnecessary and expensive over-compliance with their employment law obligations. If you are interested in helping us test new guidance as it is developed please email the Guidance Programme Team. You can also sign up on the website for email alerts to tell you about significant changes to the law.