Five ways HR Dept retained clients benefit when employment laws change

You are sure to already have a lot on your plate running your business. In fact, rising payroll costs, regulatory changes and even staff housing challenges were all cited in a survey of SMEs’ outlook at the start of 2026.

In any given year, you can also factor in employment law changes. Auto-enrolment is perhaps the biggest of 2026. But for retained clients of ours here at The HR Dept, we will be doing much of the work for them.

Here are five specific areas that need to be addressed (plus how we help for each).

1 Payroll updates

Changes to the national minimum wages and the introduction of auto-enrolment mean a busy time for payroll teams.

How we help retained clients: HR Dept retained clients are advised of all the changes that need to be made, so they are not left guessing or having to research it all themselves.

2 Policy and handbook updates

Just think about the breadth of employment law changes that have come in or will do shortly, and how they affect your company policies; statutory sick pay, EU AI laws to name but two radically different ones. Every time a new law, code of conduct or regulation is introduced, SME business owners need to review policies to ensure they do not become outdated.

 How we help retained clients: Policy updates are an automatic part of our retained service, so we’ll ensure that all relevant policies reflect new rules as they evolve.

3 Training 

Companies should see training as part of the solution for incorporating new employment law changes into their business. From managing absence (which will likely rise) to taking reasonable steps to prevent harassment and sexual harassment, training is a key component.

How we help retained clients: We offer a huge range of eLearning and in-person training courses. Retained clients will have good access to these and advice on what suits them most (training costs apply).

4 Compliance

Compliance is always a concern in regulation heavy functions including HR. When you don’t follow the rules, whether accidentally or cynically, you can end up in court and/or fined. And it is not just you that needs to be aware – line managers and other key people in your business must be too.

How we help retained clients: We will lay the groundwork for our clients to be compliant with all the latest regulations.

5 Contracts

Employment contract wording and clause inclusion requires ever more careful thought. Googling a template will never provide you with the full protection you need. And the worst thing is, you won’t find this out until a situation arises and it is too late.

How we help retained clients: We provide fully tailored and up-to-date employment contracts for our retained clients, and ensure they are suitable for all eventualities.

Retained vs One-off

Our retained service is called Advice Line, and includes unlimited telephone and email support, as well as all the documentary support outlined above (contracts, policies and handbooks). Furthermore, it features tribunal indemnity insurance. As long as you follow our advice from the outset on an issue, you will be protected from the costs of being brought to an employment tribunal – a highly valuable benefit.

With local offices, we take care to add a personal touch for all our clients, ensuring we really get to know your business and give you peace of mind.

We also offer one-off services that can help with any HR related project in your business – from conducting a disciplinary investigation to supporting you with workplace cultural change.

Now, though, it really is a good time to consider our retained Advice Line service. Get in touch to find out more.