The importance of getting the content of terms of conditions of employment correct cannot be underestimated. The A P Partnership Ltd has consultants who are experts in drafting terms and conditions of employment specific to the needs of each client. We will discuss with the client their current terms and conditions and produce draft documents for the client to review. Typically, we would produce a staff handbook, which applies to all employees and covers such areas as absence and sickness, holidays and holiday pay, maternity provisions, health and safety and disciplinary and grievance procedures. It contains many other sections necessary to comply with current legislative demands and each section is tailored to reflect the existing terms and conditions of each client.

The Contract of Employment however is different. For example, hourly paid workers will be different from administrative workers. Supervisors and Managers will have different Contracts of Employment, again to reflect the level at which they work, and we are also able to produce Director’s Service Agreements. Individual contracts may require different conditions, for example, with regards to sickness, notice periods, restrictive clauses and other aspects which make the drafting of such documents a specialist task. We can also provide associated policies, such as equal opportunities, harassment and company vehicles.

It is worth noting that, for the first time, companies can be penalised for not issuing employees with terms and conditions of employment. This penalty can amount to up to four weeks pay to each individual concerned. Therefore not only is it important to issue these documents so that such a penalty can be avoided, it is also necessary to issue them so that all staff know what the rules of the Company are and what will happen if those rules are broken. It is therefore in an organisation’s interests to make sure that their documents are accurate so that if they are required to present these before an employment tribunal, they are able to defend themselves on the basis of what is contained within the Contract of Employment and associated documentation.