1. A written contract of employment
Every employee is legally entitled to a written statement of their main terms from day one. More importantly, the contract is what you fall back on when something is disputed: notice periods, hours, pay, probation, and what happens if things don't work out.
Without one, you're arguing from memory, and memory isn't evidence. A clear contract quietly settles most disagreements before they start.
Check every current employee has a signed contract. If anyone doesn't, that is the first gap to close.
2. A staff handbook and up-to-date policies
Your handbook is where your disciplinary, grievance, absence and conduct procedures live. When you need to act, it is the process you point to, and following your own written procedure is a big part of what makes a decision fair.
Policies also set expectations, so people know where the line is before they cross it. An out-of-date handbook is almost as risky as none at all, because employment law moves.
Make sure your handbook exists, reflects current law, and that staff have actually been given it.
3. Right to work records
You're legally required to check every employee has the right to work in the UK, and to keep a dated copy of the evidence. Get this wrong and the penalties are civil and, in serious cases, criminal.
This isn't optional or something to do later. It protects you from fines that can run into thousands of pounds per employee.
Confirm you hold a right-to-work check for every single person on your payroll.
4. A record of key conversations and decisions
The single most valuable HR habit is writing things down. A short, dated note of a performance conversation, a warning, a return-to-work chat or a decision, made at the time, is worth more than the best memory months later.
When a situation is challenged, it is the note made at the time that protects you. No record often means no defence, even when you did the right thing.
Start keeping a brief, dated note of any significant people conversation, from today.
5. An accurate personnel file for each employee
Contracts, policy acknowledgements, right-to-work evidence, notes, absence records and any warnings should live in one place per person, kept securely and in line with data protection.
When you need to act quickly, or hand a matter to a specialist, a complete file turns days of digging into minutes.
“I got in touch about a difficult team issue I was feeling anxious and emotional about. From the very beginning Samantha was exceptional, reassuring, calm and compassionate, while also firm and clear when needed. Everything was explained in plain English with no jargon. The documentation, scripts and clear do's and don'ts she provided were invaluable. Without that level of support, the outcome could have been very different.”
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Key takeaways
- The paperwork you're missing is what catches you out, not bad intentions.
- Every employee needs a signed contract and a documented right-to-work check.
- Keep a current handbook, and follow your own written procedures.
- Write down key conversations and decisions at the time, not later.
- Facing a situation and not sure your paperwork stacks up? Take the free Situation Check.
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