HR Policies, Procedures and Governance Frameworks

Getting your HR policies and procedures right matters from day one. Whether you are putting documentation in place for the first time or reviewing what you already have, our solicitors advise employers on the full range of employment documentation, from standalone policies through to complete governance frameworks. We work with businesses across Manchester and the UK.

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Poorly drafted or out-of-date HR policies and procedures create real commercial risk. The ACAS Code of Practice means a missing or non-compliant disciplinary and grievance procedure can result in a 25% uplift on any employment tribunal award. The Employment Rights Act 2025 has introduced the most significant changes to UK employment law in a generation, covering flexible working, family leave, sick pay and unfair dismissal. Employers who have not reviewed their documentation since late 2025 are operating with policies that no longer reflect the law.

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What This Means for You

  • HR policies and procedures that reflect current employment law
  • Reduced tribunal exposure through compliant disciplinary processes
  • A whistleblowing policy that meets your legal obligations
  • A governance framework your managers can apply consistently
  • Documentation updated for the Employment Rights Act 2025


How Our HR Policy Solicitors Help Employers

From individual policy drafting to full governance frameworks, our solicitors cover the complete range of HR documentation businesses need to operate lawfully and manage their workforce with confidence.

Employee Handbook Drafting

We draft employee handbooks for businesses at every stage, covering legally required policies and the additional documentation that protects the business as it grows. The result is a handbook that is clear, current, and practical for managers to apply day to day.

HR Policies and Procedures Review

We review existing HR policies and procedures to identify gaps, outdated provisions, and areas that no longer reflect current employment law. This includes a full review against the changes introduced by the Employment Rights Act 2025.

Disciplinary Policy and Grievance Policy

We draft and review disciplinary and grievance policies in line with the ACAS Code of Practice. Clear, compliant procedures reduce tribunal risk and give managers a consistent process to follow when issues arise in the workplace.

Whistleblowing Policy

The duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent workplace harassment has been strengthened. We draft and review whistleblowing policies that meet your legal obligations and give employees a clear route to raise concerns internally.

Employment Rights Act 2025 Updates

The Employment Rights Act 2025 requires employers to update policies on family leave, flexible working, sick pay and unfair dismissal. We advise on what has changed, what needs updating, and produce the revised documentation your business needs.

HR Governance Frameworks

Beyond individual policies, we help businesses build governance frameworks that set out how HR decisions are made, documented and reviewed consistently. This gives the business a clear structure for managing its workforce lawfully as it grows.

When To Seek Advice

  • You are hiring your first employees and need HR policies and procedures in place
  • Your documentation has not been reviewed since the Employment Rights Act 2025
  • A disciplinary or grievance process has highlighted gaps in your existing policies
  • Your whistleblowing policy does not reflect the current duty to prevent harassment
  • Your business is growing, and your HR governance framework needs to keep pace
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Why Businesses Choose MAR Legal for HR Policies and Procedures

Solicitor-Led Work

Every policy and framework is drafted or reviewed by our solicitors with direct employment law experience.

Current and Compliant

Our solicitors keep pace with employment law changes, so your documentation always reflects the current legal position.

Fixed-Fee Options

Transparent pricing means you know the cost of your policy review or handbook before committing.

Plain Language

Documents written clearly so employers can implement them, and employees can understand them.

Trusted by businesses across the UK for clear, practical HR documentation.

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How Our HR Policies Process Works

01

Initial Brief

We take a brief on your business, your workforce size, and what your HR policies and procedures need to cover.

02

Review or Drafting

Our solicitors keep pace with employment law changes, so your documentation always reflects the current legal position.

03

Amendments and Approval

We work through any amendments with you and make sure the final documents reflect how your business actually operates.

04

Final Delivery

We deliver completed policies and frameworks in a format ready to issue to staff, with implementation guidance where needed.

HR Policies and Procedures for Employers FAQs

There is no single list in statute, but several policies must exist in writing under UK law. A disciplinary procedure and a grievance procedure are required under the ACAS Code of Practice, and failure to follow them can increase any tribunal award by up to 25%. A health and safety policy is legally required if you employ five or more people. A UK GDPR-compliant data protection privacy notice must also be provided to employees. Beyond the legal minimum, most employers also need an equal opportunities policy, an absence policy, and a whistleblowing procedure. The specific policies required depend on the size of your workforce, your sector, and how your business operates.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent in December 2025 and introduced a range of changes that directly affect employment documentation. Paternity leave and parental leave are now day-one rights, removing the previous qualifying period. Statutory sick pay waiting days have been removed and the lower earnings threshold abolished. The unfair dismissal qualifying period is reducing to six months from January 2027. Employers also face a strengthened duty to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment. Any HR policies and procedures written before late 2025 will need reviewing to reflect these changes.

Most employment documentation advisors recommend keeping the majority of handbook policies non-contractual. If a policy is contractual, you cannot change it without the individual employee's consent, which creates practical problems as your business and the law evolve. Non-contractual policies can be updated without consent, provided you give reasonable notice. Some elements, including pay, hours, and holiday entitlement, must appear in the written statement of particulars and are contractual by nature. The relationship between the handbook and the employment contract should be clearly stated at the outset of the handbook to avoid ambiguity later.

At a minimum, you should review your HR policies and procedures every 12 months. Any significant change in employment law requires a review of the affected policies before that annual cycle. The Employment Rights Act 2025 is the most significant legislative change in UK employment law for many years and requires immediate attention for most employers. Waiting for a dispute to arise before reviewing your documentation is a common and avoidable mistake. If your business has grown, restructured, or changed the way it operates, that is also a prompt to review whether your governance framework still reflects how decisions are actually made.

An HR policy sets out the rules and procedures for a specific area, such as disciplinary matters, absence, or flexible working. An HR governance framework sits above individual policies and sets out how HR decisions are made across the business, who has authority to make them, how they are documented, and how compliance is monitored over time. For smaller businesses, a well-drafted set of individual policies is often sufficient. As businesses grow, particularly those with multiple managers or sites, a governance framework gives the business the structure it needs to manage its workforce consistently and reduce the risk of ad hoc decisions that create legal exposure.

Templates are widely available but carry real risk if used without proper review and adaptation. A generic template will not reflect your sector's specific requirements, the size of your workforce, or the current state of the law. Templates also frequently contain contractual language that limits your flexibility as an employer, often without making that clear. If a policy dispute arises and your documentation is a generic template that does not reflect your actual practices, it will not provide the protection you expected. A template can be a useful starting point, but it should always be reviewed and adapted against your specific circumstances and current employment law before being issued to staff.

A whistleblowing policy sets out how employees can raise concerns about wrongdoing, malpractice, or legal breaches within the business, and what protections apply to them when they do. There is no standalone legal requirement to have a written whistleblowing policy, but the Employment Rights Act 2025 has strengthened the duty on employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, and a clear internal reporting mechanism is part of meeting that duty. For regulated sectors, a formal whistleblowing procedure may be required under sector-specific rules. For most employers, having a clear and well-communicated whistleblowing policy reduces the risk of protected disclosures being mishandled, which can lead to significant tribunal liability.

MAR Legal provides advisory and documentation support in relation to HR policies, procedures and governance frameworks. This service covers drafting, reviewing and advising on employment documentation. Where a matter involves reserved legal activities, we work alongside appropriately regulated professionals.