Inform and consult your employees

Legal requirements for communications

As an employer, you are required to consult and inform employees in certain circumstances. See the page in this guide on  consulting your employees .

You must inform employees of:

• the main terms and conditions of employment in written form - see our guide on  the employment contract
• changes in the terms and conditions of employment
• the reason in writing for dismissing them if they request it, or automatically if they are a woman who is dismissed when pregnant or on maternity leave
• certain matters when your business is involved in the transfer of an undertaking - see our guide on responsibilities to employees if you buy or sell a business

You must give recognised trade unions the information they require for collective bargaining. For more information on recognising trade unions and collective bargaining, see our guide on  recognising a trade union - the issues . You are also required by law to:

• provide employees with an itemised pay slip whenever you pay them
• communicate in writing if asking shopworkers or betting workers in England and Wales to work on a Sunday - see our guide on  Sunday working and night working

The Information and Consultation of Employees (ICE) Regulations broadens the number of situations in which businesses may be required to inform and consult employees. The regulations are being phased in from 6 April 2005, initially applying to businesses with 150 employees, and by 2008 to those with 50 or more.

The new regulations currently apply only to businesses with more than 150 employees where at least 10 per cent of employees (subject to a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 2,500) request information and consultation arrangements within a six-month period. Businesses will be required to negotiate an agreement setting out how and when informing and consulting will take place.

Read about the Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations on the DTI website . You can also find out about ICE regulations on the Acas website .

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• Why good communications are important
• Legal requirements for communications
• Consulting your employees
• Communicating and consulting - ways and means
• The art of good communication
• Examples of good practice
• The role of training
• Here's how asking employees for ideas improved our business

 

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