EMPLOYMENT
Employment law is constantly developing, making it difficult for employers and employees to be clear about their rights and responsibilities. The consequences of getting it wrong can be financially devastating, and the number of claims to the employment tribunals for unfair dismissal, discrimination, breach of contract and equal pay has soared in recent years.
How we can help you
Based in Manchester, our employment lawyers support clients on a national and international basis, including numerous national and high street retail chains, international PLCs, SMEs and owner managed businesses, as well as senior employees and executives.
Our employment lawyers will work with and support you to deliver firm, prompt, clear and commercially sensible advice and we will remove the pain and worry of complying with the vast array of employment laws.
The employment team will help you with all aspects of employment law, including;
· Mergers and Acquisitions
If your business is contemplating merging or buying another business, or outsourcing part of the business, our employment lawyers will be able to guide you through the process, from start to finish and we will help you follow the correct procedures to ensure your staff are kept informed along the way.
Our employment team frequently provides our corporate clients with the very best technical support when our activities in the corporate, business and property worlds give rise to employment law issues.
Our employment lawyers are also experienced in advising on unfair dismissal claims arising out of dismissals following potential TUPE transfers.
Therefore, whether you are an employee or an employer who has concerns about restructuring or TUPE, contact us today to see how we can help you.
· Drafting employment documentation
Regardless of the size of your business, if you don’t have well drafted and up-to-date contracts of employment, service agreements, consultancy agreements, employee handbooks, and dismissal and grievance procedures, you will be storing up problems for further down the line, as a large number of complaints to Employment Tribunals arise because of unclear contracts and other documents.
We will help you draft clear and sensible documents, and our employment team will tailor the documents to match your specific needs. Contact Daniel Walker now to discuss your needs.
If you are a director or senior employee, call our employment team and they will explain to you what the contract or service agreement means in practice, and whether the terms are reasonable.
· Advising on restructures and redundancies
Our commercially astute employment team understands that businesses sometimes have to restructure, and this may involve redundancies. If you are contemplating reducing your workforce, our employment lawyers are experienced in every step of the redundancy process and will guide you through the process, step-by-step.
If you are a business faced with the possibility of redundancy, or if you are a senior employee or executive facing the threat of redundancy, call us without delay.
· Disciplinary, dismissals, performance and sickness management
If you have concerns over an employee’s conduct, performance or attendance, our employment team will take the stress away and will help you manage the problem in a safe and effective way.
If you are an employee faced with a disciplinary, performance or attendance problem, our employment team will explain your rights and will hold your hand through the process.
· Termination and Compromise Agreements
Our employment lawyers can help to reach negotiated settlements before or after an employee has left. Compromise agreements are increasingly common and are a useful tool in avoiding the disruption and inconvenience of legal action, as well as helping protect confidential information and business interests.
Our employment lawyers can draft settlement agreements to match your specific needs and are extremely experienced in advising on the terms of compromise agreements.
If you are an employee who has been asked to sign a compromise agreement, your employers will usually pay for your legal fees, so call our employment team for specialist advice from a dedicated employment lawyer.
· Employment Tribunal and County Court Claims
Our employment team is experienced in defending every type of claim brought by former directors, employees or workers, either in the employment tribunal or county court, including unfair dismissal, breach of contract, redundancy claims and discrimination claims, including on the grounds of sex, age, disability, race and religion. Our employment lawyers will advise you on every step of the court or tribunal process, and given the expertise of the team, our employment lawyers usually conduct their own advocacy.
Our employment team also has extensive experience in pursuing and defending former employees for breach of restrictive covenants.
If you have worries or concerns about employment law, we will help you. Call Daniel Walker today, on 0161 835 8020, or email your question to daniel.walker@heatons.co.uk.