Meeting Legal Employment Obligations

For small and medium-sized businesses ("SMEs"), the words "recession, down-sizing, restructuring, change, merger and acquisition" all represent occasions where employers have to be particularly careful in meeting their statutory duties to their staff. 4-consulting’s HR consultants are regularly asked by SMEs for help to comply with legal obligations, minimise risks and secure good employee relations. However, this type of service can be very expensive.

4-consulting’s HR consultants often recommend to clients a tool called Employment Manager from iQ Business. This facility provides all the necessary advice, procedures and documentation, telephone support and insurance protection to ensure a business complies with all its legal and administrative responsibilities with confidence. The content has been specifically written by iQ’s legal team of solicitors to remove the jargon usually found in today’s case law and legislation. This ensures that iQ products are understood, can be implemented easily and, therefore, are of benefit to business.

Not all workplace issues are black and white and Employment Manager provides an option of a legal helpline for employers to clarify their understanding and actions. This service, coupled with insurance, means that your organisation can stay up to date and protected from day one. The annual subscription for Employment Manager provides:

CD Contents

A search and view of all content, clearly laid out and structured with a facility for copying documents into Microsoft Word so they can be customised and printed with no retyping being required

Extensive Documentation and Procedures

Contract of Employment

Employee Handbook & Customisation Checklist, including:

	Disciplinary Rules & Procedures
	Grievance Rules & Procedures
	Sickness & Injury
	Work Permits & Immigration

Reference Guides that provide step-by-step guidance on how to deal with just about every conceivable issue ranging from recruitment to termination. Each guide has links to all the paperwork and records required to complete a task. You also have unlimited access to the legal advice service for any clarification required

46 iQ Template Documents and 34 Template Documents from ACAS, including:

	Job application form
	Interview checklist
	Job offer letter
	Employee holiday record form
	Employee absence form
	Sickness self certification form
	Notification of maternity leave
	Warning letter
	Disciplinary record

Employment Legal Advice Line

The service, which is included in the subscription, is available 24 hours per day 365 days per year unrestricted access. iQ’s team of legally qualified employment experts provide individual telephone consultation and advice. They can deal with simple queries of clarification or complex or an ongoing issue. Their advice and support continues until the matter has been concluded. They can also review documents and confirm things in writing if you request it.

Employment Legal Expenses and Awards Insurance Policy

The insurance covers against legal expenses and awards of up to £50,000 cover per claim with an aggregate limit of £500,000 for all claims in one year. In addition to Employment Tribunal Representation, the policy also covers the legal expenses such as fees, costs, witness attendance allowance, basic and compensatory awards and jury service allowance.

Regular Updates

Regular updates are included in the subscription. These completely replace the previous CD so that you always access the most up-to-date documentation. The updates take account of legislation changes and the knock-on effect such changes may have on other documents/policies doing away with the need to attend expensive training courses.

The updates include a Legal section which provides you with an at-a-glance guide explaining in plain English all the changes that have taken place and other relevant up and coming issues to help you plan for the future. The What's New/Changed section helps you implement these changes by keeping your manuals, policies, procedures and templates up to date ensuring that your business is always legally compliant and protected – with the minimum of effort.

4-consulting’s HR consultants can work with you to customise the contents of iQ Employment Manager to meet the specific needs of your business. For example, the standard draft Employee Handbook contains some policy options to cover differing business circumstances. We can assist in creating your tailored Employee Handbook by selecting those policies most appropriate to the requirements of your business. Thereafter, we can support you in communicating any policy changes to your managers and staff to ensure that they understand what they must do to follow the new procedures.

If you would like to discuss your HR needs with us, please contact Mary Leishman, one of our HR associate consultants, at Mary.Leishman@4-consulting.com and you can click here to view her profile.

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