I’m not suggesting HR people are sitting around twiddling their thumbs. But I do know some HR teams are using what can be one of the quietest months of the year for a little housework.

So here are my five key things you could be doing to ensure your organisation is best placed for a cracking start in September.  

Update terms and conditions

We have been helping a number of SMEs get their terms and conditions of employment in order – particularly pressing where there has been a recent merger or business acquisition. But even without any major structural changes you should review your T&Cs at least annually to ensure they are in line with current legislation and best practice.

For more on contracts of employment, how to use them and what to include see our Contracts of Employment Factsheet.

Review disciplinary and grievance procedures

It is more than a year since the Acas Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures replaced the old Statutory Dispute Procedures. However, many SMEs wrongly think small company exemptions apply – they don’t.

Employment Tribunals can uplift awards by 25 per cent where the employer – or employee – has unreasonably failed to follow the Acas Code of Practice. So getting it right matters.

Print off the Acas Code of Practice and take the time to read it thoroughly. Then check your procedures are in line. And keep a copy to hand.

Stress test employment practices for discrimination

We are working with a number of retail chains, professional practices and employment agencies to ensure their employment practices are in good shape in respect of equality, diversity and disability discrimination claims.

A grey area for many of them is the Disability Discrimination Act of 2004 which requires all employers, whatever their size, to make reasonable adjustments in relation to a disabled applicant or an employee who became disabled while working for them.  The important term is ‘reasonable’ as it must be proportionate to the business and not have detrimental effect on its ability to carry on.

When reviewing policies ensure you have issued comprehensive terms and conditions of employment within 13 weeks of every new employee starting. You also need a disciplinary and grievance procedure available to all staff that is in line with the revised Acas Code of Practice.

You should also have statements on your approach to managing disability and diversity. As a minimum this should avoid potential Employment Tribunal claims from staff who do not feel you have met your legal obligations as an employee. For more information see www.equalityhumanrights.com, www.direct.gov.uk  and www.acas.com.

Embrace equality and diversity

Because small employers often grow with the help of family and friends, when the time comes to recruit the first paid employees they tend to replicate their own experiences without looking at the wider community. As such, many small firms miss the benefits offered by a more diverse workforce.

We have worked with a number of small employers recently on their equality and diversity policies and encouraged them to think how these could be applied in practice to achieve a more diverse workforce. A first step can be as simple as looking at a range of job boards – very cheap to use – to reach applicants from the wider community. 

Review recruitment practices

One local client is using the summer months to update their assessment centre processes ready for another round of recruitment when the holidays are over. And this certainly seems a good time to review practices in general to ensure you can recruit and retain the best talent for your business. 

If you are recruiting in the near future the biggest problem you may face may be the number of applications. So ensure you have a fair scoring system so you can answer any challenges as to why a particular individual was not selected.      

For more on successful recruitment in a recession see our factsheet Recruiting in a Downturn.

Tags: contract of employment uk, HR checklist, HR management
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