In our recent webinar, now available on demand, we explored what the HR essentials are for small businesses, including which HR policies they should have in place.
99% of businesses in the UK employ fewer than 50 people, meaning their HR resources are typically on a smaller scale when compared to larger corporates – which can lead to gaps in expertise.
Our webinar revealed that while participants had the majority of HR policies in place, 51% did not have a family friendly policy. Family friendly policies set out the employer’s position on adoption and maternity leave, parental leave, parental bereavement leave, paternity, shared parental leave and time off for dependants. We recommend having the one HR policy document covering all of these entitlements because it makes it easier for your employee to find information they need for their circumstances. Having separate policies can make it harder to find exactly the information you are looking for.
With regards to other policies in place, these were the results:
- Absence – 83%
- Bullying and harassment – 83%
- Disciplinary – 86%
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion – 86%
- Grievance – 81%
- Health and safety – 90%
- IT and computer usage – 80%
- Whistleblowing – 66%
While more than 80% of participants had most of the essential policies in place, there is still a gap for some employers, which could turn out to be costly because of the risk of tribunal claims. Policies are not only a written form of evidence demonstrating your organisation’s approach, but they ensure consistent treatment in how the workforce are managed. We also asked participants when their policies were last reviewed:
- Last 12 months – 66%
- Between 1 and 3 years ago – 28%
- Pre pandemic – 6%
It is essential that policies are monitored and reviewed to ensure the business remains compliant all of the time and reflects the organisation’s working practices.
2025 and 2026 are expected to be significant years for employment law, and so employers will need to be thoroughly prepared. This is because the Government has proposed 28 employment reforms as part of its ‘Make Work Pay’ plan, all of which are set out in the new Employment Rights Bill. Consequently, many policies will become outdated. The easiest and most cost-effective way for employers to understand what policies they need to put in place and which to update is to work with an outsourced HR partner. Think you might need support? Why not speak to one of our expert HR Advisors. A free, no-obligation call might be just what you need to protect your business.
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