HR Policies & Procedures
Your HR policies are the rulebook your managers rely on every day. When they are clear, current, and practical, your managers act with confidence and your business is protected. When they are outdated, vague, or missing entirely, problems follow. We build policy frameworks that actually get used.
Why Your HR Policies and Procedures Matter
HR policies are the written rules and expectations that govern how your workplace operates. They cover everything from how you manage absence and sickness to how you handle disciplinary issues, flexible working requests, maternity leave, data protection, and social media use. Good policies give your managers a clear framework for making decisions, and they give your employees certainty about what is expected of them and what they can expect from you. Without them, every people issue becomes an ad hoc decision, and inconsistency is one of the fastest routes to a tribunal claim.
The legal landscape around HR policies has changed significantly in recent years. The right to request flexible working now applies from day one of employment. Neonatal care leave has been introduced. The statutory framework for handling sexual harassment complaints has been strengthened. Holiday pay calculations have been clarified. Employers who are still working from a set of policies written five or ten years ago are almost certainly non-compliant in several areas, and that non-compliance creates real risk. When an employee raises a grievance or brings a claim, the first thing a tribunal will look at is your policies and whether you followed them.
At Rebox HR, we do not hand you a set of templates and leave you to it. We create bespoke policies tailored to your business, your industry, and the way you actually work. We write them in plain English so your managers and employees can understand them without needing an employment law degree. We provide supporting manager guidance notes with template letters and step-by-step procedures so your managers know exactly how to apply each policy in practice. And we train your management team on using the policies, so they have the confidence to handle situations consistently. For our retained clients, we review and update policies annually as legislation changes, so you never fall behind.
What We Cover
Practical, expert support across every aspect of policies & procedures for your business.
Employee Handbook
We create a comprehensive employee handbook that brings all your key policies together in one document. A good handbook is not a legal textbook. It should be written in clear, accessible language that your employees will actually read. Our handbooks cover the essentials (disciplinary and grievance procedures, absence management, equal opportunities, health and safety, data protection) plus any additional policies relevant to your business and industry. We can provide your handbook in printed format, as a PDF for your intranet, or set it up in your HR software. We also include a signed acknowledgement form so you have a record that each employee has received and read the handbook.
Bespoke Policy Drafting
Every business is different, and your policies should reflect how your business actually operates. A manufacturing company with shift workers needs different absence management triggers from a professional services firm with flexible hours. A business with customer-facing staff needs a more detailed social media policy than one where employees have no public profile. We draft each policy from scratch based on your business, your team, and your industry. We never use generic templates, because generic policies create gaps, and gaps create risk.
Policy Reviews and Updates
If you already have policies in place, we review them against current legislation and best practice, identify what needs updating, and produce revised versions. Common issues we find include disciplinary procedures that do not follow the ACAS Code of Practice, absence policies with no return-to-work process, flexible working policies that do not reflect the day-one right introduced in April 2024, family leave policies missing recent entitlements like neonatal care leave, and data protection policies that predate GDPR. We provide a clear report showing what has changed and why, so you can see the value of the update.
Manager Guidance Notes
A policy tells your managers what should happen. A guidance note tells them how to make it happen. For each key policy, we produce a supporting manager guide that includes step-by-step procedures, template letters (invitation to meetings, outcome letters, appeal acknowledgements), timescales to follow, and practical tips for handling common scenarios. These guidance notes are for management eyes only and sit alongside the employee-facing handbook. They are one of the most effective tools we provide, because they give your managers the confidence to handle situations without needing to call us every time, though we are always available when they do need to.
Manager Training
Policies on paper are only as good as the people applying them. We deliver practical training sessions for your management team, covering the key policies and how to use them day to day. Training typically covers how to manage absence effectively, how to conduct return-to-work interviews, when informal action is enough and when to go formal, how to handle a flexible working request, and how to run a disciplinary or grievance procedure properly. We use real scenarios relevant to your business, not generic slides. Training can be delivered at your premises or remotely, and we offer refresher sessions for new managers joining your team.
Ongoing Reviews and Compliance
Employment law does not stand still. Each year brings changes that can affect your policies, from new statutory rates and entitlements to entirely new pieces of legislation. Our retained clients receive annual policy reviews as part of their support package. We track the legislative changes, assess which ones affect your policies, produce updated versions, and help you communicate the changes to your team. This means you are never caught out by a law change you did not know about, and your policies are always current when you need to rely on them.
How We Help
A clear, structured approach from start to finish.
Audit
We review your existing policies (or, if you are starting from scratch, we discuss what your business needs). We identify gaps, outdated content, areas of non-compliance, and any policies that are missing entirely. We then provide a clear recommendation on what needs creating or updating, prioritised by risk. This initial review is free.
Create
We draft your policies and employee handbook from scratch, tailored to your business. We walk you through every policy so you understand the reasoning behind each one, and we make revisions until you are completely happy. We also produce the supporting manager guidance notes and template letters for your key procedures.
Launch
We help you roll out the new policies to your team. This includes distributing the handbook (with signed acknowledgement), briefing managers on the key policies and procedures, and delivering training if required. We also set up an annual review schedule so your policies stay current. For retained clients, this review happens automatically as part of your ongoing support.
Frequently Asked Questions
What HR policies does my business legally need?
There are a handful of policies that are either legally required or so closely connected to legal obligations that every employer should have them. These include a disciplinary and grievance procedure (required to be referenced in the written statement of employment particulars under section 1 of the Employment Rights Act 1996), a health and safety policy (required by the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 for employers with five or more employees), and a data protection or privacy policy (required under the UK GDPR). Beyond these, there are policies that are strongly recommended because they provide a framework for managing common situations consistently: absence management, equal opportunities, anti-harassment and bullying, flexible working, family leave (maternity, paternity, shared parental, adoption, neonatal care), whistleblowing, and social media use. We assess your business and recommend the right set of policies for your size, industry, and workforce.
What is the difference between a contractual and non-contractual policy?
A contractual policy is one that forms part of the employee's contract of employment, either because it is written into the contract itself or because the contract expressly incorporates it by reference. If you change a contractual policy, you need the employee's agreement, just as you would for any other contract change. A non-contractual policy sets out the employer's current approach to a particular issue but can be updated or withdrawn without employee consent. Most employers benefit from keeping the majority of their policies non-contractual, so they can be updated easily as legislation changes or business needs evolve. However, some policies (such as enhanced maternity pay or enhanced redundancy pay) are better as contractual terms so employees can rely on them. We advise on the right approach for each policy and make sure the wording is clear about its status.
We already have policies. Why would we need new ones?
Employment law changes frequently, and policies that were compliant when they were written may no longer be. In recent years, the right to request flexible working has been extended to all employees from day one, neonatal care leave has been introduced, the duty on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment has been strengthened, and holiday pay calculations have been clarified following several court decisions. Beyond legislative changes, we regularly find policies with practical problems: disciplinary procedures that skip the investigation stage, absence policies with no trigger points or return-to-work process, and grievance procedures that do not follow the ACAS Code of Practice. Even if your policies are broadly correct, a review ensures they are working as hard as they should be.
How often should HR policies be reviewed?
We recommend a full review at least once a year, timed to coincide with the main April legislative changes each year. However, some changes take effect at other times (for example, new statutory rates are usually confirmed in March for April implementation, but new regulations can come into force at any point). Beyond the annual review, you should also review specific policies when there is a relevant court decision that changes the interpretation of the law, when your business undergoes a significant change (such as restructuring, expanding, or entering a new sector), or when a policy has been tested by a real situation and found to be inadequate. Our retained clients receive automatic updates throughout the year as changes happen.
Do you provide manager training on the policies?
Yes, and we strongly recommend it. The most common reason policies fail is not because they are poorly written, but because the managers applying them do not understand the process or lack the confidence to follow it through. We deliver practical, interactive training tailored to your business. Sessions typically cover absence management (including conducting return-to-work interviews), disciplinary and grievance procedures (including investigations and hearings), flexible working requests, and having difficult conversations. We use real-world scenarios drawn from your industry, not generic examples. Training can be delivered at your premises or remotely, and sessions typically last two to three hours.
Can you help with just one or two specific policies?
Absolutely. While we often work with businesses on a full suite of policies or a complete employee handbook, we are equally happy to draft or review individual policies. Common requests include updating a disciplinary and grievance procedure to align with the ACAS Code, creating a flexible working policy following the April 2024 changes, drafting a social media policy for the first time, or reviewing a sickness absence policy that is not working effectively. We can also help if you have a specific situation that has highlighted a gap in your current policies.
What is an employee handbook and do I need one?
An employee handbook is a single document that collects all your workplace policies and procedures together. It is not a legal requirement, but it is best practice for any employer with more than a handful of staff. A well-structured handbook gives employees a clear reference point for workplace rules and expectations, helps managers apply policies consistently, and demonstrates to a tribunal that you had proper procedures in place if a claim arises. We create handbooks that are professional, clearly written, and branded to your business. They can be issued in print, as a digital PDF, or hosted in your HR software for employees to access online.
What do manager guidance notes include?
Manager guidance notes sit alongside your employee-facing policies and give your managers the practical tools to apply each policy correctly. A typical guidance note includes a step-by-step procedure (for example, the stages of a disciplinary process from initial concern to final outcome), template letters for each stage (invitation to investigation meeting, invitation to hearing, outcome letter, appeal acknowledgement), key timescales and deadlines, common scenarios and how to handle them, and tips on what to do and what to avoid. They are designed to be used in the moment, when your manager is about to have a difficult conversation or run a formal meeting, not read once and forgotten.
“I cannot emphasise enough how fortunate I feel to have such an incredible HR team supporting us every step of the way. Knowing they are just on the end of the phone has given us complete peace of mind.”
Related Services
Retained HR Support
Ongoing HR support that includes annual policy reviews, automatic updates when legislation changes, and day-to-day advice for your managers.
Retained HR Support →HR Health Check
A comprehensive audit of your HR practices, including a full review of all your policies and procedures against current legislation.
HR Health Check →Absence Management
Your absence policy is only effective if it is applied consistently. We help you implement robust absence management processes that align with your written procedures.
Absence Management →Need HR Policies That Actually Work?
Whether you need a full employee handbook, a review of your existing policies, or help with a specific procedure, we are here. Book a free consultation and let us build a policy framework your managers will actually use.
Book Your Free ConsultationOr call us directly on 01327 640070