Employment Guides
Employer’s Health Check
Employing staff greatly increases the reach and capacity of an organisation toward meeting its aims and objectives. At the same time however this brings with it a new set of responsibilities to employees and in ensuring employees fulfil your responsibilities to others.
Much of this is governed by legal requirements and sanctions so that, beyond the moral obligation, there are real risks associated with failing to address these responsibilities.
This is a checklist of the areas that you must consider and develop sound policies and procedures for to ensure you meet your responsibilities as an employer.
When employing staff the ‘easy’ route is to deal with the issues as the need arises, there is always a more urgent priority; this risks your reputation, service users and financial penalty. The responsible approach is to systematically look at what you need to have in place and work your way through these. This checklist is designed to help you do that and links to Reading Voluntary Action’s (RVA) series of online Employment Guides
Insurance
If you are the direct employer you will have a legal requirement to take out Employer’s Liability Insurance and, depending on the other options you have chosen, may need to take out insurance on premises and/or contents. More information is contained in RVA’s guide, Employing for the first time
Recruitment procedures
Sound recruitment procedures and training for those involved are key to ensuring you select the right person for the role and to comply with legal requirements – see RVA Guide to Successful Recruitment
Job Descriptions
A well thought through job description helps you to clarify the role and how it relates to others as well as the attributes of the person you need to fulfil it; the person specification. It is also key to communicating what is expected from your employee – for more information see RVA Guide to Successful Recruitment
Terms and Conditions of Employment
You have a contractual relationship with your employee; the terms and conditions of employment make clear what the basis of this is and are required to be communicated to your employee in writing by law. For detailed guidance and a model employment contract see this Model Contract of Employment from NCVO and Russel Cooke
Managing and Developing Staff
A sound management framework and clear processes are essential for getting the most out of your staff, building your reputation as a good employer, delivering excellent services and complying with your legal responsibilities. See RVA’s management guides:
How to be a successful first time manager
Developing staff and managing performance for quality and success
Dealing with Unsatisfactory Performance
Most unsatisfactory performance can be avoided by sound management processes, but when things do go wrong you need to have comprehensive and effective procedures that meet legal requirements in place, ready to use. See RVA guide Managing and remedying poor performance and the ACAS booklet: How to manage performance.
Managing Volunteers
A clear framework for your relationship with volunteers, framed around your mutual interests and respect will enhance your effectiveness, their experience and your attractiveness to future volunteers. Your policy will also provide clarity about the distinction between employees and volunteers, which is important in legal terms. Take a look at RVA’s own volunteer policy and other online guidance about recruiting and managing volunteers
Employment Policies
Much of the above, together with other areas of more general application, such as Equality & Diversity or Health and Safety, need to be set out in your organisation’s policies. The priorities for an organisational policy framework and what they need to cover are set out in RVA’s guide Putting together your employment policy framework
Protecting Children and Vulnerable Adults
If your organisation is involved with providing services to children or vulnerable adults or those that bring staff or volunteers into frequent or intensive contact with them, then you need to develop protection policies. There is general guidance in the Safeguarding section of our online resources area and we can offer help with developing policies and procedures that fit with your individual organisation or project.
October 2014
Updated August 2018
Reading Voluntary Action promotes strength within Reading's voluntary sector by providing information, access to resources, volunteer recruitment and training to people who work in or with charities, community groups and voluntary organisations.
info[a]@rva.org.uk
0118 937 2273
Reading Voluntary Action, 3rd Floor Central Library, Abbey Square, Reading RG1 3BQ