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Staying up to date with employment law

  • Do you manage to keep up-to-date with changes in employment law, but struggle to know what to do when they occur?
  • Do you have regular problems with your employees?
  • Are your employment contracts and staff handbooks tribunal-proof?
  • Do you want the comfort of knowing that an experienced employment lawyer is only a phone call or email away?

Then you need our employment law support package, Peace of Mind!

Your business can rest easy in our hands, as we take the stress and worry away so you can concentrate on running your business.  Your ethos and working environment will always be at the front of our minds, whether it is when you need employment law advice, during any employment law training we provide or when we review your employment contracts and staff handbooks.  That way we can ensure that we tailor our services to best suit your business and make sure that our advice supports your strategies and aims.

Staff handbook policies

Through our Peace of Mind package we will make sure that you are up-to-date.  We will review all the important policies in your employment contracts and staff handbooks, including:

  • Disciplinary and grievance procedures
  • Whistleblowing
  • Maternity and paternity rights, including shared parental leave
  • Flexible working
  • Equal opportunities
  • Holiday and sickness absence
  • Retirement
  • Redundancy
  • Health and safety
  • Data protection

We can also prepare the more complex contract clauses, such as restrictive covenants and confidentiality agreements, and if things go wrong we can talk you through the minefield of dismissal procedures to follow or help with settlement agreements to tidy up loose ends.

Of course the list doesn’t stop here…with the constant flow of new employment law legislation and changes, what you need is someone to give you up to the minute employment law advice and guidance.

Peace of Mind can provide this and much more. 

What is Peace of Mind?

Peace of Mind is our employment law support package, providing your business with one-stop legal and HR advice and support in 3 easy steps:

Step one – document audit

Employment contracts and staff handbooks are the foundation of your relationship with your employees so you need documents you can rely on.  We will carry out an audit of your existing paperwork, reviewing your existing policies and procedures, and will provide you with a report as to any areas for improvement and will prepare any new documents that you need, specifically tailored for your business.

Step two – designated employment lawyer

You will have a designated employment lawyer, available by telephone and email.  They will provide advice which is tailored to your business ethos and commercial needs.  We do not use call centres so you will receive consistent employment law advice and will not waste your valuable time repeating yourself to successive employment law solicitors.

Step three – employment law training

Our standard package includes an induction session including employment law training for your managers on how to avoid tribunal claims, which helps them spot potential pitfalls when managing their employees, and ensure they can recognise when they may need our help.  We also offer 2 free places each year at one of our Masterclasses (subject to availability).

What else will you receive from Peace of Mind?

The first three steps of our employment law support package, Peace of Mind, are enough to start taking the pressure off you when it comes to keeping your business safe from tribunal claims.

We prefer to go above and beyond though, and offer you more!  Therefore you can also expect to receive the following:

Updates on important employment law changes delivered to you through:

  • Peace of Mind Updates
  • Weekly Employment Law Newsletters
  • Employment Law training through our Masterclasses and free Seminars
  • An exclusive Facebook and Linkedin group to share best practice
  • An annual review of your employment contracts and staff handbooks
  • An annual review from our HR consultancy service
  • To help your business get seamless legal support, our team of commercial lawyers will provide free initial legal advice on any commercial legal issue that may arise

As a local firm (with offices in Southampton, Portsmouth, Fareham, Chandler's Ford and Waterlooville), we can offer face to face meetings at a time convenient to you.

Four life changes that can distract your staff from your business are moving house, getting divorced or separating, sustaining an injury and losing a loved one.   We offer a discount to your employees which can be linked directly to your intranet so that they too can access legal advice should they need it.

Are there any hidden extras with Peace of Mind?

There are no hidden extras in our employment law support service, Peace of Mind, only optional extras, which include:

  • Insurance to cover the cost of defending any employment tribunal claims and any awards made in favour of employees.  Importantly we are not self insured and can therefore give robust advice when dealing with a potential tribunal matter
  • A review of your pension arrangements
  • In partnership with local health and safety experts HCS Safety Limited we can offer your business a package to enhance your current health and safety policies in the workplace including a bespoke safety policy, face to face support, free updates and training discounts
  • HR advice and support in association with our HR consultancy service in internal meetings. This will give your managers extra confidence in dealing with disciplinary and grievance meetings and investigations
  • The benefit of our partnership with immigration employment law specialists, Davidson Morris
Why is Peace of Mind different?

You will be looking for the best service for your business, and there are many reasons why we should be your first choice.

You can not only come to us for employment law advice, but also for any commercial legal issue you may have, for example shareholder agreements or disputes, commercial leases, franchise options and many more.  Being part of a well established law firm means we can offer your business more for an all round service.

Unlike some of our competitors, Peace of Mind also includes offering you advice on employment matters such as settlement agreements or restrictive covenants.  Other providers will tend to charge a fee on top of their standard package, as this involves more in-depth work and negotiation.  We understand however, that this is all part of running a business, and so is an important part of Peace of Mind.

The opportunity for you to meet with our HR adviser means that while we can inform you on what needs to be done to ensure your business is safe from tribunal claims, our HR consultant can educate you on the softer side of HR, for example how best to communicate with your staff on any changes that are to take place, which can be particularly useful during any redundancy or restructuring scenario.

It is not only your business that is looked after, but also the wellbeing of your employees.  If they are suffering at home, then their work will suffer.  It is for this reason that we offer legal advice at a discounted rate for those who are moving house, getting divorced, have sustained an injury or looking to make a Will.

Will I be tied in for a long period of time?

No you won’t.  Whilst we renew the employment law support package and quote on an annual basis, there is a three month break clause in the terms and conditions.  Therefore, if at any point you decide that you no longer require or want the package, you can simply provide three months notice and thereafter will not be required to pay anymore or will be reimbursed, on a pro rata basis, for the remainder of the period left if you have paid in advance.

We do understand however that every business is different, with some liking the security of knowing they are committed for a certain amount of time.  If you are one of these businesses, you can choose to have a three year contract with us, which you will receive at a discounted fee.

Will Peace of Mind save me time and money?

Time and money are both precious things to every business owner, and Peace of Mind helps you save both.

Often the cost of the review and update of your staff handbooks and employment contracts are akin to the cost of Peace of Mind for one year, without the other standard benefits you receive such as the tribunal claims avoidance training, masterclass attendance and telephone or email advice from your designated employment lawyer as and when required.

All these elements combined provide you with a fixed and upfront cost in respect of your employment legal fees, and will protect you from the risks of employment tribunal claims which, even if you win, are costly in terms of money and management time.

Peace of Mind also saves you time as our employment lawyers will walk you through various employment procedures providing you with template letters tailored to your business along the way.  This saves senior management a significant amount of time and enables them to focus on running your business.

You will also not have to spend time updating your staff handbooks and employment contracts when a piece of employment law legislation undoubtedly changes, or a new one is introduced.  When this happens, we will contact you and make any changes necessary.

You can also read our Testimonials page to find out how Peace of Mind has helped other local businesses. 

If you would like to discuss Peace of Mind in more detail, or for more information on employment law please contact the team on 023 8071 7446, email peaceofmind@warnergoodman.co.uk or read our brochure.

If you are an existing Peace of Mind member, visit the Members Area for more information on your membership.  

 

To speak to one of our experts please call us

A true class act; every company should have them on their speed dial!