Leading Employment Advice for Businesses

What does it mean to be an ethical employer?

Being an ethical employer means putting your purpose and your people at the heart of everything you to. You still need to make a profit, and sometimes make difficult decisions, but you can do so in such a way that upholds your principles and does the right thing by your people.

What does it mean to be an adviser to an ethical employer?

We believe that it is not enough just to be good lawyers; it is also important that the advice we give reflects the best ethical standards. We know that helping our employer clients to go over and above their legal obligations not only protects them against the perils of litigation, but it can also help their employees to be happier and more productive, too.

What we can do for you?

We advise organisations on how to deal with employment processes and issues legally but also ethically. Specifically:

• Ensuring your contracts of employment, policies, handbooks etc. include ethical extras which create a workplace where your staff feel their welfare and the work environment are dominant considerations for the company;

• How to manage restructures and redundancies in a sensitive yet effective manner to ensure staff are treated fairly so that morale and productively are not negatively impacted;

• Providing training to managers to identify red flags and help avoid bad practices and a negative work culture;

• Advising on day-to-day HR and people issues and procedures (grievances, disciplinaries etc.) procedures with ethical plating – focused on achieving positive outcomes for all parties.

• Assisting with early/informal resolutions of disputes to avoid escalation and ensure a healthy and productive working relationship.

When an employee raises a complaint, responding in a defensive and adversarial way is often counterproductive and can lead to a breakdown in the relationship, resulting in the employer having to engage in a protected conversation process and costly litigation. Our experience shows that adopting an ethical approach, one where the employee feels heard and respected, often results in a resolution which is mutually beneficial. This helps ensures staff loyalty and increases productivity.