Employment essentials pack
UK employers must give every employee a written statement of particulars on or before their first day, keep a right to work check on file before employment starts, and follow the ACAS Code before dismissing anyone. A tribunal can add up to 25% to an award where the Code is not followed.
Core pack · 14 documents · 96 pages
The short answer
UK employers must give every employee a written statement of particulars on or before their first day, keep a right to work check on file before employment starts, and follow the ACAS Code before dismissing anyone. A tribunal can add up to 25% to an award where the Code is not followed.
Who this pack is for
- UK employers with 1 to 50 staff and no HR department
- Anyone hiring their first employee
- Companies that have outgrown a contract copied from the internet
- Office and finance managers who have inherited the HR file
- Accountants and bookkeepers whose clients keep asking for these documents
Not for you if: You already pay an HR provider such as Peninsula or Croner, or you need advice on a live dispute. This pack is paperwork, not representation.
What it solves
An employee starts on Monday and there is no written contract.
Someone has to be dismissed and there is no written procedure to follow.
A right to work check was never recorded and a Home Office letter arrives.
What the law requires
Written terms, on or before day one
Section 1 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 requires a written statement of particulars for employees and workers, delivered no later than the first day. It must cover pay, hours, holiday, place of work, probation, training and notice. Missing it rarely creates a claim on its own, but it adds two to four weeks pay to any successful claim brought alongside it.
Source: GOV.UK, employment contracts and written statements
Right to work, before employment starts
The check must be completed before the first day, using a share code for most non-UK nationals or the manual document route where it applies, and the evidence kept for the length of employment plus two years. Done correctly it gives a statutory excuse against a civil penalty.
Source: Home Office, employer's guide to right to work checks
A process before dismissal
The ACAS Code sets the minimum: investigate, put the allegations in writing, hold a meeting the employee may be accompanied to, decide, and offer an appeal. Skipping steps is the most common reason an otherwise defensible dismissal fails at tribunal.
Source: ACAS Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures
What is in the pack
| ID | Document | Pages |
|---|---|---|
| EMP-01 | Written statement of employment particularsEmployment Rights Act 1996 s.1 | 9 |
| EMP-02 | Part-time and fixed-term contract variantsFixed-term Employees Regulations 2002 | 8 |
| EMP-03 | Staff handbookACAS Code; GOV.UK | 22 |
| EMP-04 | Disciplinary policy and procedureACAS Code of Practice | 7 |
| EMP-05 | Grievance policy and procedureACAS Code of Practice | 6 |
| EMP-06 | Absence and sickness policy, with SSPGOV.UK statutory sick pay | 6 |
| EMP-07 | Holiday policy and entitlement calculatorWorking Time Regulations 1998 | 5 |
| EMP-10 | Right to work check procedure and recordHome Office employer's guide | 6 |
And six more: flexible working, probation, leaver and references, family leave, pay and pension auto-enrolment, working time records.
How updates work
Every document carries a version number and a reviewed date. On the first Tuesday of each month the pack is checked against its primary sources. If anything has changed you receive the updated file and one line explaining what moved and why. If nothing has changed you receive an email saying so.
April and the Budget are the months when most figures move.
Questions
Can I edit these documents?
Yes. They arrive as Word files with your company details already merged in. Edit any clause, add your own, change the branding.
What does personalised mean?
Your company name, registered address, company number, sector and named contacts are merged into all fourteen documents before delivery. A cover sheet lists the decisions only you can make, such as notice periods and holiday year start.
What happens when the law changes?
Documents are reviewed on the first Tuesday of every month. If anything changes you get the updated file and a line explaining what moved and why. If nothing changes you get an email saying so.
Is this legal advice?
No. These are templates built from published regulator guidance. They are a starting point, not a substitute for advice on a specific dispute.
How are they delivered?
By email, as Word and PDF files, personalised with your company details.
Sources
Built from published UK primary sources only: ACAS Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures, GOV.UK, employment contracts and written statements, Home Office, employer's guide to right to work checks. No secondary or aggregator sources are used.
Order the employment essentials pack, or ask about an association licence covering your whole membership.
Email support@kaeltripton.comThese documents are drafted from published UK primary sources and are a starting point you adapt to your own circumstances. They are not legal, tax or immigration advice, and documents you edit become your responsibility.