Employment Contracts and Handbooks, Ready for the Employment Rights Act 2025
Clear, compliant documents that protect your business, with no long contract to sign.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 is the biggest change to employment law in a generation and it is already rolling out. If your contracts, handbook and policies were written before it, they are almost certainly out of date. We will get them right, quickly and we will not tie you into an ongoing contract to do it.
Your employment contracts and employee handbook are the foundation of a fair, compliant workplace. Leave them out of date and you are exposed to disputes, tribunal claims and confusion that hits morale, performance and your bottom line. Get them right and you set clear expectations, protect your interests and give your managers the tools to lead well from day one.
What the Employment Rights Act 2025 means for your documents
The Act is coming into force in phases through 2026 and 2027. Several of these changes impact directly on the documents you issue to your people, so this is the moment to get ahead of them rather than scramble later. The main ones:
- Contracts and the statement of particulars. There is a new requirement to tell workers about their right to join a trade union, which needs to be reflected in the written particulars you give every new starter.
- Probation and performance procedures. From January 2027 the qualifying period for unfair dismissal drops from two years to six months. That means your probation and performance management processes need to be tight, fair and properly documented well before then, so a well-drafted handbook matters more than ever.
- Harassment and dignity at work. The duty on employers is rising to taking all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, including harassment by third parties. Your policy and the evidence that sits behind it need to be stronger than "we had a policy".
- Sickness and family leave. Statutory Sick Pay becomes a day-one right and there are new day-one rights to paternity and unpaid parental leave from April 2026. Your absence and family leave policies should reflect this.
- Changing terms. Tighter rules on fire and rehire mean the way you vary contractual terms needs care and your contracts should be drafted with that in mind.
We will make sure your documents reflect the position that actually applies to your business.
Get compliant without signing your life away
Many HR providers will only update your documents if you sign up to a rolling monthly retainer. We do not work that way.
You buy the documents you need, we write them and that is the end of the obligation. If you want ongoing HR support afterwards it is there, through pay as you go advice or our retained service but it is always your choice and never a condition of getting your documents sorted.
- No rolling retainer and no minimum term
- Pay once for your documents and own them outright
- Optional ongoing support if and when you want it, never required
- Written by a CIPD qualified HR consultant, not pulled from a template library
Professionally Written Documents, Tailored to Your Business
Our employment contracts and handbooks are not off-the-shelf templates. We take the time to understand your business, your industry and your people, creating documentation that works in real life, not just in theory.
What you'll get:
The way we all work is changing fast and your documents should keep pace. AI is now part of the working day for a lot of teams, so we can build a clear AI and acceptable use policy into your handbook. It sets out what is acceptable, protects your confidential and personal data and makes plain that people stay responsible for checking what AI produces. It is one more way your documents deal with problems before they start rather than after.
Our HR Documentation Packages
If you're looking for documents and on-going advice, our HR Advice Plus™ package includes both.
Audit
Review and update your existing documents:
- Ensure they're legally up to date
- Make best practice recommendations
- Video call to discuss your needs and our recommendations
- Work completed by CIPD qualified HR consultant
- Final documents in editable Word format
Silver
£1,600
Bespoke documentation to suit the needs of your business. Includes:
- Initial telephone call to get to know your business
- Bespoke Employee Handbook, covering all the HR policies you need to protect your business
- Employment Contract (Statement of Particulars) templates bespoke to your business
- Guidance and template letters for issuing new contracts to employees
- Documents provided in electronic format (e.g. Word/Google docs) for you to print yourself
Gold
£3,275
Our Gold package goes beyond legal compliance and protecting your business. With this package we really get to know what you need from your employees. We’ll document not only your policies and procedures but also your culture, brand and expectations of your team. Includes:
- Initial call to get to know your business and your requirements for documents
- Bespoke Employee Handbook/ Culture Book/ Operations Bible - call it what you want we’ll make sure it’s exactly what you need!
- Employment Contract (Statement of Particulars) templates designed to protect your business
- Hand holding as you issue new contracts to your employees
- A video call with your management team or all your employees (whichever is right for your business) to introduce them to the new documentation, explain why and answer any questions they may have
- A bespoke recorded video, with your branding, for you to use when onboarding new employees
- Documents that create a solid foundation for you to drive performance and business growth
- Perfectly presented documents suited to your business. Whether you want a branded ebook, posters with key information or upload to your wiki our graphic designers are on hand to make sure your documents look the part
All prices are exclusive of VAT.
Jennifer [sic] put together my new contracts and handbooks for my business, she was so efficient and gave me lots of advice along the way. Highly recommend!
How do employment contracts protect my business?
- Protecting you from employment tribunals, which matters all the more as the unfair dismissal qualifying period shortens from January 2027.
- Avoiding disputes with your team by making clear the terms, conditions and rules right from the beginning of employment.
- Allowing you to deduct from wages for loss or damage to company property, overpayments and if someone leaves employment when you’ve invested in training.
- Setting out a social media policy that protects your brand and gives you the procedures to deal with issues if they happen.
- Providing a sickness absence policy that gives you the tools and procedures to manage absence fairly.
What happens when I buy an Employment Contracts package?
Once you’ve decided you want us to write your employment contracts, we’ll book a video call at a time convenient for you. During this call we’ll gather everything we need to write your documents. After this we draft your documents, giving you everything you need to protect your business.
Once the documents are drafted and you’re completely happy with the wording we’ll provide all the support you need to issue contracts to your existing team.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Do I need to update my documents for the Employment Rights Act 2025?
Most employers do. The Act changes several things that live in your contracts, handbook and policies, from the statement of particulars through to sickness, family leave, harassment and how you handle probation and performance. If your documents were written before December 2025 they will need reviewing.
Do I have to sign up to a contract or retainer?
No. You pay for the documents you need and that is the end of it. There is no rolling retainer and no minimum term. If you decide you want ongoing HR support later, our pay as you go and retained services are there, but they are never a condition of getting your documents written.
Do your documents cover the use of AI at work?
Yes. AI is now part of day-to-day work for many teams, so we can include an AI and acceptable use policy in your handbook. It sets out what is acceptable, protects confidential and personal data and makes clear that people stay responsible for checking what AI produces. Like everything we write, it is in plain language so your team actually follows it.
Who are Silk Helix?
Silk Helix consultancy services are led by Jenefer Livings, HR professional, trainer and neurodiversity specialist. With over 20 years’ experience in HR, Jenefer has always been drawn to the human side of work, the messy, complex, brilliant reality of people coming together to get things done. Her career has spanned many sectors and a constant throughout has been the belief that good people management is about more than compliance, it is about understanding how people actually work.
What is a legally compliant employment contract?
There is a list of information you must provide to employees, known as the statement of particulars. This is a minimum legal requirement first set by the Employment Rights Act 1996, and the Employment Rights Act 2025 adds to it, including a new requirement to inform workers of their right to join a trade union. The statement covers key terms but it is not the full contract, so we recommend a comprehensive written contract covering the rights and responsibilities of both employer and employee.
What is an Employee Handbook?
An employee handbook sets out your rules and expectations. It is non-contractual, which lets you update it as business needs change and with everything in one place there is no room for “I didn’t know that existed”. Should you ever need to dismiss for gross misconduct, a clear handbook helps ensure a fair dismissal. Above all, when people know what is expected they are far more likely to meet it.
What is the benefit of bespoke documents?
When contracts and a handbook are written bespoke they reflect your culture, your values and your expectations. Even something as simple as a holiday policy varies widely, some businesses have a Christmas shutdown, some close on bank holidays while others are busier, some ask for 12 weeks’ notice of holiday while others are happy with two. We talk through every aspect of what you need from your employees so your contracts and handbook reflect exactly that. Some things also need to sit in separate documents, such as restrictive covenants and training agreements, and where you need these we provide them as part of your package.