Employing Staff

This section provides links to key employment advice and information needed throughout the employment lifecycle. A company handbook which clearly outlines employment rights provides the means for both employers and employees to know where they stand.

For information on funding or support to enable your business to take on apprentices or graduates please follow the grants and funding simplified link

Acas (advisory, conciliation and arbitration service) have an online employment helpline or you can call an Acas helpline adviser on 0300 123 1100 text relay is also available by dialling 18001 0300 123 1100

Acas provide a number of templates in Word format to help with hiring staff, managing staff and disciplining staff

• Taking on an apprentice or trainee

If you are interested in finding out more about employing apprentices or offering traineeships and the benefits they can bring to a business, please click Taking on an Apprentice. Alternatively you can call the National Apprenticeship Service on 08000 150 600.

Employers who have not taken on an apprentice in the last year may be eligible to receive a grant.

• Getting started

A checklist of steps to get your business ready to employ someone is provided on the Government website. When you become an employer you will need to sort out employers liability insurance and register as an employer with HMRC. The HMRC e-learning guide to becoming an employer takes you through the process step-by-step.  

• Pay

Staff should be paid at least the National Minimum Wage but what you actually pay may depend on a number of factors including experience, qualifications, age and market demand.

Since April 2019, all employers are required to provide payslips to all workers showing hours and to show hours on payslips where the pay varies by the amount of time worked.

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings is a Government survey of pay across the UK by job and local area. 

The Employment Allowance enables businesses and charities to reduce their Class 1 Employer National Insurance Contributions bill by up to £3000 each year

• Calculating Holiday Pay

The Government has introduced regulations to take effect from 1 July 2015 to limit and clarify the maximum amount of back-dated holiday pay that can be claimed. Click here for advice from Acas on holiday pay and requirements.

• Recruitment, selection, employment checks, induction

Preparing to recruit includes a number of tasks including preparing a job specification, person specification, advert and advertising. Once you have written interest in the post you need a clear process for selection and interview of potential candidates. Prior to appointment you should check if someone has the legal right to work in the UK. Other checks such as Disclosure and Barring may be appropriate.

• Contracts and terms and conditions of employment

A template for a written statement is a useful starting point but should be used with care and with the specific requirements of the job and employer in mind. A step by step guide to preparing the new contract including details of employment and working hours is a useful aid to the process.
There are specific considerations, for example, in employing part-time workers and agency workers.

• Ongoing employment and staff development

There are many considerations to be aware of on a day to day basis including procedures for absence, holidays and sickness. At some point you may also need to find out more about maternity and paternity leave as well as state pensions workplace pensions and other benefits. 
Complaints will need sensitive handling and may require mediation or even early concilliation if it is likely to become a matter for an employment tribunal.

Winter weather - how to handle problems caused by travel disruption
The right to request flexible working now extends to all employees. Requests should be made on the appropriate form.

• Travel Assistance

The Wheels to Work scheme helps you when transport is stopping you get to work, training or college. The scheme offerss an all-inclusive moped loan for anyone living in Derby, Derbyshire or Nottinghamshire. For information or applications visit the website or call 01629 592976.

• Health Check

Live Well Health Check provides funding to pay for employer health checks (performed on site) for Derby City Residents aged 40 – 75, registered with a Derby City GP.

• The end of employment?

Support and information is available to ease the process of termination by employee or employer as well as retirement and dealing with redundancy (redundancy calculator)
Information to support the process of lay offs and short time can be found here

• Employment Regulations

Complying with the legal requirements of employing staff can be daunting. A range of information and advice is available to help you to get it right.

• Seven things you need to do when employing staff for the first time
• Step-by-step guides to employing people from Acas
• HM Revenue & Customs - Information for Employers
• Expenses and employee benefits
• Acas (advisory, conciliation and arbitration service) provides support to improve organisations and working life through better employment relations
• Shared Parental Leave and Pay a guide for employers to the regulations which came into force on 1 December 2014.
• Automatic Pension Enrolment Employers will be required to enrol their eligible workers into a workplace pension if they are not already in one. Many larger employers have already started the scheme and by 2018 every employers will be required to enrol their workers.
• State Pension changes introduced 6th April 2016-a resource pack to help employers communicate these changes to employees.