Given the increasing proliferation of new employment legislation and regulations which employers have to deal with nowadays, coupled with the greater awareness being shown by employees as to their rights within their employment situation, it has become absolutely essential that employers get the right legal advice to ensure that they do not fall foul of these regulations and suffer potentially disastrous financial consequences. The number of tribunal awards and settlements in the U.K. is continuing to increase in both numbers and amounts year by year. However it is indisputable that a large number of disputes between employers and employees could have been avoided or mitigated if professional advice had been sought at an early stage when drafting contracts of employment, sickness, holiday or bereavement leave policies, grievance and disciplinary procedures or any number of other employment-related issues.

Camerons Jones can give you sound, practical and cost efficient advice on the key principles of Employment Law which we refer to as our "Ten Commandments": You must provide written Terms and Conditions of employment to your employees within eight weeks of the commencement of their employment You must grant to your employees a minimum of twenty-four days paid leave per annum (twenty-eight days from 2009). You must comply with all the Working Time Regulations and ensure that all your employees do not work more than forty-eight hours per week (subject to certain exceptions). You must ensure your employees are aware of their Family-Friendly Rights (maternity, paternity, adoption, carer etc.). You must make available to all employees a written policy on Grievance and Disciplinary Procedures. These policies should set out, in clear, unequivocal and statutory-compliant terms, procedures to assist them raise a grievance and protect their rights if you commence disciplinary action against them. You must ensure that in a situation where redundancies are made, your employees’ rights are fully protected and observed. You must ensure that your employees have remedies against acts of bullying and harassment. You must ensure that when expanding your business the Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment Regulations (known familiarly as TUPE) is complied with. You must not tolerate any form of discrimination, either relating to sex, colour, race or age. You must not ride roughshod over your employees’ rights when you restructure your business.