Before You Set Off
Get prepared. Get protected.
Before You Set Off
Maintain Momentum
Bumps in the Road
Changing Direction
Taking on your first employee is one of the most exciting and equally challenging thing you will do as a business owner.
Whether you are about to hire your very first employee, have been meaning to formalise the paperwork for someone who has been with you for years, or simply want to make sure everything is in order as your business grows, this is where we start.
Most small business owners do not set out to get it wrong. They get caught out because they did not know what was required, ran out of time, or assumed a verbal agreement was enough. It is not. And the longer you leave it, the more risk quietly builds up in the background.
enlightenHR takes that worry away completely. No second-guessing, no wondering what order to do things in, no trying to figure out where the risks are. We come in, we assess where you are, and we sort it. Simply and completely.
At this stage we help with:
- Small Business Starter Pack
- Advice & Support packages
- BreatheHR set-up
- HR Administration
Contracts of employment
Every employee needs a written contract. Under UK employment law, you must provide a written statement of employment particulars on or before their first day. Not within two months. Not after they have settled in. From day one.
If you have an employee who has been with you for some time without a formal contract, that is a risk you need to address now. A well-drafted contract protects you if something goes wrong. It sets out pay, hours, holiday entitlement, notice periods, the expectations of the role, and critically, it protects your business interests and client data if the employment relationship ends.
Our contracts are bespoke to your business. We do not hand you an off-the-shelf document and leave you to it. We also keep them updated whenever there is a relevant court ruling or change in employment law, which happens more often than you might think. Online templates go out of date quickly and are not written with your specific risks in mind.
Employment policies
Some policies are required by law from the moment you have employees. Others protect you and your team from misunderstandings that can quickly become something more serious.
At a minimum, most businesses need a disciplinary and grievance procedure, a health and safety policy, a whistleblowing policy, a GDPR and data protection policy, and a bullying and harassment policy. We work with you to build the right set of policies for where your business is right now, and we add to them as you grow or change. Everything is bespoke to your business and stored securely on your own SharePoint, so it is always accessible and always current.
We do the heavy lifting. All policies are updated for you ahead of any legislative change, with guides and blogs to help you understand what has changed and why. No hidden costs. No chasing. We stay on top of it so you can focus on running your business.
Right to work checks
Checking that an employee has the right to work in the UK is a legal requirement. Getting it wrong exposes your business to fines of up to £60,000 per illegal worker. We carry out right to work checks via YotiSign, our digital verification platform. It is easy, included in your set-up, and ensures every employee is compliant from day one. The admin stress lands with us, not you.
Breathe set-up
From the moment you formalise your HR, you need somewhere to keep your records. All enlightenHR clients receive access to Breathe, our award-winning cloud-based HR system. We set it up for you as part of your onboarding. It replaces the spreadsheets, the shared drives, and the folders on someone's desktop, and means the right information is always in the right place.
Probation
Probation is something that catches a lot of new employers out. What does a probation period actually mean legally? What should you do if it is not working out? How do you extend it? How do you pass someone through it properly?
We support you with all of this. From the right probation clauses in the contract, to structured check-ins along the way, to the conversation at the end. Whether someone has sailed through or you have concerns, we will guide you through it step by step.
Not sure where to start?
A free 30-minute call with the enlightenHR team is the best place to start. No obligation.
Book a free call ->
The Small Business Starter Pack
If you are a new business with up to five employees, our Small Business Starter Pack gives you everything you need for a one-off fee.
- Contract of employment and new starter documentation
- Breathe set-up and training, plus one year’s access to Breathe
- Suite of essential employment policies, compliant with current legislation
- Right to work checks via YotiSign for your existing team
- Probation management forms and support
- Annual 30-minute call with your designated HR Business Partner
Breathe Diamond Partner
Award-winning HR software for You
We are partners with Breathe, a cloud-based HR software solution, to allow you to keep all your people information in one place, taming the chaos, so that you can get out from behind the desk and lead your people.
Starting Out HR FAQs
Latest HR News & Advice
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