EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS & HR POLICIES
Clear documents that work in practice.
Employment contracts, HR policies and employee handbooks drafted around the way your business actually operates.
Whether you need new documentation, want existing contracts and policies reviewed, or need to update employment terms as your business changes, we’ll help you understand what is required and prepare the documents for you.
Outcome-first advice. Same-day responses. Drafted for you.
DOCUMENTATION THAT FITS THE BUSINESS
An employment contract can contain all the familiar clauses and still be wrong for the business using it.
Working hours, location, hybrid arrangements, pay, commission, benefits, notice periods and confidentiality should reflect what actually happens in practice. The same applies to HR policies: they need to describe processes your managers can realistically follow.
Generic documents can create uncertainty when the wording does not match the way people are employed or managed.
The aim is not to create more paperwork. It is to give the business clear terms and workable rules.
We take the time to understand how your organisation operates before recommending what needs to be drafted, reviewed or changed.
PRACTICAL DOCUMENT SUPPORT
We can create new employment documentation, review what you already have and update documents where your business or working arrangements have changed.
We can support with:
contracts of employment;
reviews of existing terms;
amendments and contractual variation documentation;
offer and employment documentation where appropriate;
probation, notice and termination provisions;
pay, bonus and commission arrangements;
working hours, location and hybrid or remote working terms;
confidentiality and appropriate business protections;
more complex employment terms where additional care is needed.
This may include policies covering areas such as:
disciplinary and grievance;
sickness absence;
performance and capability;
equality and dignity at work;
family-related leave;
flexible working;
holiday;
remote and hybrid working;
IT, data and social media;
whistleblowing.
Where appropriate, we can bring relevant policies, procedures and workplace rules together into a clear employee handbook that reflects how the organisation operates.
A handbook can provide employees and managers with a practical reference point for:
workplace standards and expectations;
absence, holiday and leave arrangements;
disciplinary and grievance procedures;
performance and conduct;
flexible, remote and hybrid working;
other policies relevant to the organisation.
You do not necessarily need every policy.
We help identify which documents are appropriate, which ones need updating and where additional paperwork would add little value.
CLEAR TERMS. FEWER SURPRISES.
Employment contracts are not just onboarding paperwork. They set the framework for important parts of the employment relationship.
Clear drafting can help establish:
what the employee is employed to do;
where and when they work;
how pay, commission or bonuses operate;
what benefits apply;
notice arrangements;
confidentiality and other important obligations;
appropriate protections for the business.
Problems often become apparent only when circumstances change or the employer needs to rely on a particular clause.
A bonus provision may be unclear. A notice clause may not say what the business thought it did. Working arrangements may have changed years ago without the contract ever being updated.
Good drafting creates clarity before those issues become urgent.
We review employment terms with the practical question in mind: if the business needs to rely on this wording later, does it actually work?
Employment terms can sit untouched for years. The real test often comes when something changes and the business needs to know exactly what it can rely on.
Pay and bonus
Is entitlement clear? Are discretionary elements actually described as discretionary? Could the wording create an expectation the business did not intend?
Notice and termination
Do the notice provisions say what you think they say? Are the options available to the business clear when employment ends?
Hours and location
Hybrid working, changed hours and new locations can leave older contracts disconnected from the way employees now work.
Confidentiality and protection
Where commercially important information, client relationships or other legitimate business interests need protecting, generic wording may not be enough.
Changes over time
A contract that was appropriate when somebody joined may no longer reflect their role, responsibilities, remuneration or working arrangements several years later.
The question is not simply whether a clause exists. It is whether the wording remains clear, appropriate and useful when the business actually needs it.
PRACTICAL POLICIES
HR policies should make expectations and processes clearer — not create a rulebook that nobody knows how to use.
Well-structured policies can help employers:
set clear workplace expectations;
give managers a consistent process to follow;
explain employee responsibilities;
reduce uncertainty when issues arise;
support fair and consistent decision-making.
The right level of detail matters.
A policy that is too vague may provide little practical guidance. One that is unnecessarily rigid can make straightforward management decisions more difficult than they need to be.
We help employers decide which policies are genuinely useful, how detailed they should be and how they should fit with the way the business actually operates.
Where appropriate, we can also advise on whether particular provisions are better kept contractual or non-contractual, preserving flexibility without losing clarity.
A good handbook should help managers manage — not give them 200 pages they never open.
WHEN THE BUSINESS CHANGES
Businesses evolve, and employment arrangements often need to evolve with them.
A role created several years ago may now look very different. Working patterns may have changed. A business may have introduced hybrid working, changed its operating hours, moved premises or restructured responsibilities across a team.
Contractual changes may be needed because of:
new working hours or shift patterns;
changes to duties or responsibilities;
revised pay, bonus or commission arrangements;
changes to benefits;
relocation or new workplace arrangements;
hybrid or remote working;
restructuring or organisational change;
growth, integration or harmonisation following a business transfer.
Sometimes the need for change is obvious. In other cases, the business only discovers that its contracts are out of date when a management issue arises and the existing wording no longer reflects what happens in practice.
That is why the starting point should not simply be “we need a new contract.”
The first question is what the business is trying to achieve. From there, the existing terms, practical working arrangements and implications of the proposed change can be considered properly.
An employer should not assume that contractual terms can simply be rewritten and imposed because the business wants a different arrangement. The appropriate route depends on the existing position, the significance of the change and the circumstances in which it is being proposed.
We help employers understand the options, plan the change and prepare the documentation needed to move from the current position to the new one.
The objective is to achieve the commercial change without creating unnecessary contractual risk along the way.
Changing an employment contract is rarely just a paperwork exercise.
The business may have a perfectly reasonable commercial reason for wanting a change, but the way it is introduced can be just as important as the change itself.
Start with the existing position
Before deciding what to do, establish what the current contract says and how the arrangement operates in practice. Long-standing working practices, previous amendments and communications with the employee can all be relevant to understanding the starting point.
Be clear about what needs to change
A relatively minor administrative amendment is very different from reducing pay, changing working hours, moving somebody to another location or materially altering their role.
The greater the impact on the employee, the more carefully the process is likely to need to be managed.
Agreement is usually the strongest route
Where a proposed change can be explained properly and agreed with the employee, implementation is generally more straightforward.
That means thinking about the business rationale, how the proposal will be communicated and whether there is scope to address reasonable concerns before positions become entrenched.
Where agreement is difficult
If employees object to a proposed change, the business needs to understand its options before taking further action.
The appropriate route will depend on the circumstances and may involve further consultation, reconsidering the proposal or assessing more formal alternatives.
Document the outcome properly
Once changes have been agreed or otherwise introduced appropriately, the paperwork should accurately record the new position.
A poorly documented change can leave the business arguing later about what was actually agreed.
The goal is not simply to issue a new contract. It is to move the business from the old terms to the new position in a controlled and defensible way.
DRAFTED FOR YOU
Good employment documentation starts with understanding the business behind it.
We do not send employers a library of templates and leave them to decide which ones apply. We look at how your organisation actually works, what documentation you already have and what you are trying to achieve.
From there, we can identify what needs creating, what needs changing and what can be left alone.
01
We start with the business. How do you employ people? How are teams managed? What working arrangements, pay structures and practical issues need to be reflected in the documentation?
02
We look at what is already in place. That may include contracts, handbooks, policies, previous amendments and other employment documentation. The aim is to identify genuine gaps, inconsistencies and areas that no longer reflect reality.
03
We tell you what we think needs to change. Not every old document needs replacing and not every business needs the same policies. We focus on what is useful, appropriate and commercially relevant.
04
We prepare the documentation. Contracts, policies, amendments and supporting documents are drafted for you, rather than leaving you to translate advice into wording yourself.
05
Where changes need to be introduced, we explain how the documentation should be used and what the next steps should be.
You should finish the process knowing what has changed, why it has changed and how the new documentation should work in practice.
WHERE THE DETAIL MATTERS
The more commercially important the term, the less sensible it is to rely on generic wording.
Certain contracts, policies and working arrangements need closer consideration because the consequences of getting them wrong can be greater.
This may include:
senior or strategically important employees;
bonus, commission or incentive arrangements;
confidentiality and intellectual property concerns;
restrictive covenants and post-termination protections;
remote or hybrid working arrangements;
unusual hours, shifts or working patterns;
businesses with several different employee groups;
transferred or inherited employees;
legacy contracts that have been amended repeatedly;
policies that no longer match management practice;
proposed contractual changes that employees may resist.
In these situations, the wording should reflect the commercial objective as well as the legal position.
A restriction that is unnecessarily broad may be difficult to rely on. A bonus clause that lacks clarity can create disagreement over entitlement. A policy copied from another organisation may introduce obligations or processes that were never appropriate for your business.
The document should solve the problem you actually have — not create a different one later.
Where a particular issue requires more specialist consideration, we will explain the position and the appropriate next step rather than forcing standard wording into circumstances where it does not fit.
CONTRACTS & POLICIES FAQs
Related employer support:
Broader advice on difficult employment decisions.
Ongoing advice, drafting and day-to-day employer support.
Support if an employment dispute becomes a Tribunal claim.
See the options for ongoing HR & Employment Law support.
An employment contract should clearly reflect the terms on which the individual is employed and the arrangements that matter to the particular role and business.
This may include pay, working hours, place of work, holiday, notice, benefits, probation, confidentiality and other relevant obligations or protections.
Employees and workers must also receive the statutory written statement of employment particulars. Some information must be provided on or before the first day of work, with other prescribed information provided within the required timeframe.
An employment contract can exist even where there is no single signed written contract. Contractual terms can arise through written documents, verbal agreement, workplace practices and other sources.
However, employers must provide employees and workers with a written statement setting out specified employment particulars. The principal statement must currently be provided on or before their first day of work.
Sometimes a common starting document is appropriate, but not every employee necessarily needs identical terms.
Different roles may have different working arrangements, notice periods, pay structures, benefits, confidentiality requirements or business protections. Senior employees and those with commercially sensitive responsibilities may require additional consideration.
The important point is that the contract accurately reflects the employment relationship rather than using different wording simply for the sake of it.
There is no single standard list of HR policies that every business should adopt.
The appropriate policies depend on the organisation, its workforce and how it operates. Common areas include disciplinary, grievance, sickness absence, performance, equality, flexible working, family leave, holiday, whistleblowing and remote working.
Some written procedures are particularly important. For example, employers must set out and communicate a written grievance procedure, while disciplinary procedures should also be written and readily available. Separate legal requirements apply to areas such as written Health & Safety policies for employers with five or more employees.
There is no general legal requirement for every employer to have a document specifically called an employee handbook.
For many businesses, however, a handbook provides a practical way to bring relevant workplace rules, HR policies and procedures together in one accessible place.
The objective should not be to create the longest possible handbook. It should contain the information employees and managers genuinely need and reflect how the organisation actually operates.
Not necessarily
Some provisions may appropriately be contractual, while employers may prefer other policies to remain non-contractual. Making every policy contractual can reduce flexibility because changing a contractual provision is different from updating a non-contractual workplace policy.
The right approach depends on what the provision covers, how important it is to the employment relationship and the degree of flexibility the employer reasonably needs. GOV.UK confirms that contractual terms can arise from documents including employee handbooks, so the distinction should be handled carefully.
There is no single review interval that is right for every document or employer.
A sensible approach is to review documentation regularly and whenever there is a material change in legislation, working arrangements or the way the business operates.
Reviews can also be valuable after significant growth, restructuring, acquisitions, changes to benefits or pay arrangements, or where managers repeatedly find that an existing policy no longer works effectively in practice.
Potentially, but employers should not assume contractual terms can simply be rewritten and imposed.
The appropriate process depends on the existing terms, the proposed change and the circumstances. Employers should explain proposed changes and genuinely consult affected employees and any relevant representatives, with agreement generally providing the strongest route.
Making changes without proper agreement or consultation can create risks including breach of contract, unlawful deductions and other potential claims.
A refusal to sign does not automatically determine whether a contractual change has or has not taken effect.
If an employee objects to a proposed change, the employer should understand why and assess the available options before taking further action. Where changes are agreed, Acas recommends recording them clearly in writing; an employee does not necessarily have to sign an entirely new contract for an agreed change to take effect.
Where agreement cannot be reached, the legal and commercial risks should be assessed before deciding how to proceed.
Yes, in many cases. If an agreed change affects an employee’s main terms, the employer must put the change in writing, but this does not necessarily require issuing an entirely new employment contract.
A variation letter or other written confirmation may be more appropriate, depending on the circumstances. Acas currently states that changes to main terms must be confirmed in writing within one month.
The important point is that the documentation clearly records what has changed, when it takes effect and whether the change is temporary or permanent.
This should be reviewed rather than simply ignored.
Roles, working hours, locations and other arrangements can evolve over time, and contractual terms may also arise or change through agreement and, in some circumstances, established custom and practice.
Where the paperwork no longer reflects reality, employers should establish what the current contractual position actually is before trying to update it. Harrington Raine can review the existing documentation and working arrangements, then advise on the appropriate way to bring them back into alignment.
Often, yes.
Senior or commercially important roles may justify additional consideration around areas such as notice, bonus or commission arrangements, confidentiality, intellectual property and appropriate restrictions after employment ends.
That does not mean every senior employee needs an excessively complicated contract. The terms should reflect the individual’s role, responsibilities and the legitimate interests the business may need to protect.
Potentially, and this is one reason some policies are deliberately kept non-contractual.
However, calling a document “non-contractual” does not mean every change can automatically be made without considering the circumstances. Employers should first establish whether the relevant provision has become contractual through another route and whether the proposed change affects employees’ contractual terms or other legal rights.
Where an agreed change does affect main contractual terms, it must be recorded appropriately in writing.
For that reason, it is worth being deliberate about which provisions sit in the employment contract and which are better placed in policies or an employee handbook.
Yes. We can review the employment documentation you already have, identify gaps or terms that may no longer reflect the business and recommend what should be updated.
Where changes are needed, we can prepare the contracts, policies, amendments or handbook documentation for you and explain how they should be introduced and used.
For retained clients, appropriate drafting also forms part of Harrington Raine's wider HR & Employment Law support within the agreed service scope.
We can review what you already have, identify what needs changing and prepare the employment contracts, HR policies, handbook or supporting documentation required.
You will know what needs attention, what can stay as it is and what the next step should be.
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