All the HR policies you need

If your business provides goods or services to customers or individuals in the EU the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will apply to your business.

The GDPR requires such companies to document the personal data they collect, what they use it for, and how they secure it. This includes any data that can be used to identify an individual, however it has been provided, observed or inferred. Individuals will also have extensive rights to access, correct, request deletion or restrict the use of this data.

The GDPR comes into force in the UK on 25th May 2018, replacing the Data Protection Act 1998. While there are many similarities to the previous regulations, there are a number of new requirements which make it more demanding for businesses, especially SME’s which had previously been largely able to stick their head in the sand over data security issues.

The NimbleHR Data Protection Policy sets out the rights of data subjects and the obligations of a business as a data controller or processor under the GDPR, laying down a number of organisational and procedural measures to help you achieve compliance.

The policy is quite extensive and aims to assist with both your general understanding of the underlying principles of the GDPR and also to help you implement the correct processes to ensure your businesses meets the new standards of care required in relation to the retention, processing and storage of data. Unfortunately, simply adopting this policy is not sufficient to become ‘compliant’ with the GDPR. You will still need to implement the processes detailed in the policy and we strongly advise arranging training for all individuals handling personal data within your company.

With more employees posting brand-damaging photos online, business owners need to learn how to protect their reputations.

This policy is intended to minimise the risks of social media which can impact on the wellbeing of staff and the reputation of the company, so that staff, and the business, can enjoy the benefits of social networking whilst understanding the standards of conduct expected by your company.

This policy is a statement of your company's commitment to promoting diversity in all areas of employment and to providing a working environment which is inclusive and where everyone feels valued and respected, irrespective of their race, gender, age, marital/civil partnership status, disability, religion or belief, ethnic origin or sexual orientation.

The Bribery Act 2010, which came into force on 1 July 2011, created a new offence which can be committed by commercial organisations which fail to prevent people associated with them from bribing another person on their behalf.

A business that can prove it had "adequate procedures" in place to prevent persons associated with it from bribing will have a defence and this policy sets out a framework procedure which will provide all staff with guidance on what is, and what isn’t, acceptable conduct.

This policy establishes transparent principles so that if problems arise with a member of staff’s capability or performance, a fair and reasonable course of informal and/or formal action can be taken to resolve issues and aid improvement.

‘Capability’ relates to a person’s actual capability to do their job. For example, if they have been ill, lost a necessary qualification or their driving license. A performance-related disciplinary process relates to a person’s conduct and this will include things like poor time keeping or attendance or could be more serious such as bullying or misuse of company property.

The discipline and dismissal policy ensures all staff members are treated in a fair and equitable manner in relation to unsatisfactory standards of performance, conduct or as a result of the breach of any of the terms of their employment. It also ensures that, where practical, matters are dealt with quickly and staff members are given every opportunity to improve.

We also provide a procedure for the discipline and dismissal of staff members and provide guidance for staff members on the steps to take to appeal any such action.

This redundancy policy explains to staff members how redundancy decisions are to be made, and summarises their statutory rights.

While redundancy is a potentially fair reason for dismissal, staff members need to follow a fair procedure before making anyone redundant. Employers who fail to get the redundancy selection process right will expose themselves to costly employment tribunal claims.

The objective of these policies is to ensure that all employees, customers, consultants or any persons doing business with your company use your electronic resources in a manner that serves the purpose intended (i.e., to support your business).

The policies are intended to sustain employee productivity while maintaining the good reputation of your company. They are also intended to safeguard your confidential information, as well as your customers' and employees' sensitive information. Lastly, the polices serve to limit the possibility of damage to and unauthorised access and use of your systems and data.

Show staff members that you are a responsible employer with a clear and fair grievance procedure for dealing with workplace grievances.

Every good employer knows that trust and confidence is a two-way street, and that this is helped by having a proper process in place for handling grievances.

This grievance policy explains all stages of the process and covers key issues such as investigation, suspension, confidentiality, companions, hearings, evidence and appeals.

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that all employees are treated with dignity and respect and are free from harassment or other forms of bullying at work.

Every Company has a duty to provide its workers with a safe place and system of work. This includes a workplace free from harassment and bullying which may, in certain circumstances, also amount to unlawful discrimination.

This policy outlines procedures to be followed if anyone at your company feels they are being harassed, bullied or victimised.

It is a legal requirement to have a written health and safety policy if your organisation employs more than five employees. Having a health and safety policy also helps to inform staff of what to do in an emergency and the steps to take to prevent unnecessary risks of injury.

This policy explains the responsibilities of managers and employees, and deals with key workplace issues such as record keeping, training, equipment, accidents, emergencies and risk assessment and sanctions for non-compliance.

The purpose of this policy is to ensure all employees are aware of their rights and obligations relating to illness and absence and understand the procedures a company needs to implement to monitor and record absences.

The policy also provides senior staff with a structured framework to assist them in managing sickness absence to ensure all employees are treated with fairness and consistency.

Significant changes to the parental right to share maternity or adoption leave and pay were made on 1st December 2014. These changes related to any baby born or child adopted after 5th April 2015. Under the new system of flexible parental leave, parents will be able to choose how they share care of their child in the first year after birth.

This policy covers all the statutory entitlements to maternity, adoption, paternity and (shared / unpaid) parental leave and pay.

The whistleblowing policy states your company's commitment to the highest standards of corporate openness and accountability. It sets out arrangements for members of staff to raise concerns about malpractice or serious wrongdoing in ways which will protect them from reprisal.

This policy provides a comprehensive resource of information to inform staff members of the standards of conduct and behaviour expected of them.

It sets out practical guidance on matters such as expenses, the company’s policy on dress code, the misuse of drugs and alcohol, intellectual property and flexible working.

It might seem like overkill to have to consider all of these issues, especially if you are a small company or just starting out, but a recent employment tribunal case where an employee who was dismissed for being drunk at work successfully claimed unfair dismissal as there was no misuse of alcohol policy in place, highlights the importance of these seemingly obvious policy topics.