HR Documentation

What is HR documentation?

HR documentation is a set of records that businesses keep, providing evidence of the employment relationship, tracking changes and issues, and providing information to make decisions. Some HR documentation, such as employment contracts, is legal.

Why is HR documentation important?

Having the right HR documentation in place helps protect your business and ensures you comply with the UK working regulations. Keeping this documentation organised and up to date will be essential if you are ever faced with an Employment Tribunal.

What types of documents should be kept?

All the legal documents; employment contracts, pay records, policy and procedures, plus informal documents; performance reviews, job descriptions, absence and holiday records. Notes of meetings with employees are also very useful for keeping informal HR documentation.

What documents do I need?

Firstly, the employment contract. An employee has the legal right to an employment contract (written employment particulars) from day one. Ideally, the employment contract should be issued before they join.
Plus, grievance and disciplinary policies, an Equal Opportunity Policy, Anti-bribery policy, and Sickness and Absence policies. These are the minimum.
If you employ 5 employees or more, you must also have a written Health & Safety policy and health and safety infrastructure in place.

Recruitment FAQs

How long does the recruitment process usually take?

In our experience, we usually know within 2 weeks if a job advert has been successful, i.e., has some suitably qualified candidates for consideration. If interviews can be carried out within a few days of the shortlist being provided, the whole recruitment process can be completed within 4-6 weeks.

What happens if there is a high number of applications?

We monitor the applications as they come in and select against the skills and experience criteria that has been agreed with you. You will not be inundated with CVs, it’s our job to handle this for you.

What happens if we don’t find any candidates to interview?

We will monitor the applications as they come through, if no suitable candidates apply during week 1, I will discuss this with you and may suggest an alternative job site or a paid advert. No paid advertising will be used without your prior approval as this would be at your cost. Advertising costs must be paid on booking.

Is there still a cost if we don’t hire anyone?

As we are not a recruitment agency there would still be a fee to pay – which would be based on the time taken. However, if there is a lack of candidates, I will always discuss different routes to advertise and, so far, every job I have taken on has resulted in a great new hire for the business owner.

Who will handle the rejections and communicate with the candidates?

We will handle all rejections and communications with candidates. All applications are acknowledged within 48 of applying.

Who makes the offer to the successful candidate?

We can advise on the salary to offer, based on our knowledge of the local market, the candidate, and your budget. We can also make a verbal offer on your behalf.