EMPLOYMENT law is constantly changing but Pearson Solicitors and Financial Advisers says businesses can stay updated and protected across a range of human resource issues with an annual support package which operates alongside their HR functions.
In the new Oldham Business Edge magazine, Susan Mayall, head of employment law at Pearson, explains how the Employment Protect package offers quick, effective advice and gives business owners and managers peace-of-mind.
Pearson Solicitors and Financial Advisers provides a variety of legal and commercial services to businesses across many sectors including manufacturing, engineering, health, leisure, childcare, technology, digital and marketing services.
Its employment law specialists help managers on a wide range of employment issues including contracts, employee handbooks, maternity and paternity, sickness, disciplinary and grievance, redundancy, termination of employment and settlement agreements.
Pearson offers an annual Employment Protect legal package that covers all such needs. The service includes drafting and reviewing of clients' employment documents and correspondence, along with practical guidance and updates.
Susan, who heads the employment law team, said: "Businesses cannot afford to ignore or mishandle employment problems, no matter what their size.
This is why Pearson has created a simple, user-friendly employment law support service that works alongside businesses' HR provision to provide the best legal advice competitively."
She also emphasised that the Pearson team builds a friendly, accessible relationship with businesses, adding: "We are the 'go-to' people for businesses with employment law or HR issues. Our clients are large and small and we have a close working relationship with them. One client, for example, is a national business which has recommended our Employment Protect package to others. The firm's head of HR said she treats the Pearson employment law team as an extension of her own HR team. That's the kind of strong relationship we aim for.
"We also offer clients an informal 'helping hand' with their everyday employment and HR queries."
In contrast, she said many call-centre type law/HR firms cannot offer such extensive expertise because they are typically staffed by higher numbers of non-qualified call-handlers who are overseen by fewer solicitors.
The Pearson annual 1-2-3 Employment Protect package gives employers:
1. A review of existing employment contracts, policies, procedures and handbooks to ensure full compliance with current UK law.
2. Protection from potential employment tribunal claims by planning ahead and keeping up-to-date through seminars, newsletters and email updates on important changes on employment law.
3.The ability to relax and focus on running the business while having access to an employment solicitor to help with decisions, from the routine to more complicated matters.
Explaining some of the elements, Susan said: "The starting point is employment contracts. We check contracts are correct regarding employment law and have the relevant policies. We also check for details such as confidentiality clauses and post-termination restrictions.
"Confidentiality clauses are more commonly-used in contracts because anyone working in a business at any level, from a secretary to director, can get hold of valuable, confidential information, whether from databases or simply through hearing conversations.
"Post-termination restrictions are, however, less common. This is because they are relevant to specific roles, such as sales staff, where there is a risk of departing employees being well placed to take advantage of customer and client details, strategic plans, confidential information and other information about the business after the termination of employment which then may be used in a rival business. But restrictions must be reasonable and be designed to protect a legitimate interest of the business. It wouldn't be reasonable to impose them on a lorry driver, for example.
"Some businesses put post-termination restrictions on all employees. However care is needed. If restrictions are not enforced in just one case, this can subsequently undermine all future cases."
Susan cited two cases where business clients had benefited by savings on a redundancy payment and by protecting valuable information by re-affirming restrictions on an employee moving to a competitor business.
The Pearson employment law team includes partner Michael Pitt and solicitors Kate Hunter and Andrew Murray.
For the full report including case studies, see the latest edition of Oldham Business Edge magazine.
