Employment in the charity sector

The charity team's employment specialists provide solutions to help you manage your workforce, from advice on contracts and handbooks or on best practice and process to defending claims.

We advise on:

• general day to day advisory work - We can provide 'helpline' advice or agree retainers for telephone and email advice on staffing issues.

• employment status, contracts and policies - It is vital to identify employment status correctly as employment rights and potential liabilities will flow from this. We draft employment contracts, consultancy agreements for self-employed staff, casual contracts, volunteering agreements, staff handbooks, and review and draft appropriate policies.

• maternity and parental rights - We advise on family rights including the new right to Shared Parental Leave and the pitfalls you may face as an employer.

• performance, capability, disciplinary and grievance procedures - We advise on disciplinary and grievance procedures, performance management and sickness absence procedures. We can attend hearings in an advisory capacity or provide staff to chair meetings.

• managing change: restructuring, redundancy and TUPE - We advise on the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 in relation to business transfers, mergers and changes of service provision. We also advise on restructuring and redundancy both large and small scale and the process to be followed in order to avoid the risk of claims.

• employment disputes - We advise on the law and, if necessary, can negotiate with employee representatives to arrive at a mutually acceptable conclusion. Where agreement cannot be reached we advise on all pre-action steps. We regularly defend clients in the Employment Tribunal. We have expertise in defending unfair dismissal, discrimination for sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion and age and whistleblowing claims.

• settlement agreements - We are happy to draft and negotiate settlement agreements.

• contractual disputes - We regularly advise employers on the enforceability of their restrictive covenants and confidentiality agreements.

• union matters - We can review and advise on re-negotiating union agreements.

• volunteers and interns - Volunteers are the mainstay of the charitable sector. We advise on appropriate arrangements and policies regulating the relationship with voluntary workers and give advice when disputes arise.

Our team can also help you with the following Charity matters: