Tools, guides and checklists
Free resources
HR tools, templates and guides hand-picked by us. For owners of small and growing businesses without in-house HR who want to get things right without the guesswork.
- Law updates Every change, and when
- Self-checks Covered or exposed?
- Guides Plain English, done properly
Law updates hub
Employment law changes: what is in force and what is coming
If you haven't yet worked through what the Employment Rights Act 2025 means in practice, this is the fastest way to catch up. We've mapped every confirmed change, covering what's already in force, what's coming next, what's still to be confirmed by regulations and what was proposed but isn't going ahead. Each entry is colour-coded by status, rated by risk level and followed by specific actions. Share it with whoever handles your contracts and policies, and you have a working compliance checklist.
Open the law updates hubCalculator
Sick pay calculator: who qualifies and how much
SSP is one of those things that looks straightforward until someone is off sick and you need to work it out quickly. This calculator tells you whether an employee qualifies, how much they're owed and for how long. It links to the GOV.UK guidance behind each answer.
Open the calculatorSelf-check
HR compliance diagnostic: are you covered or exposed?
A free online self-check against current UK employment law: 47 yes or no questions across twelve areas, with what to look at first. About ten minutes, no email needed.
Open the self-checkReference guide
How long to keep HR records: UK data retention periods
A reference guide to how long UK employers should keep HR records, from contracts and payroll to right to work checks. Each period is marked as set by law or recommended.
Open the reference guideGuide
Job advert guide: how to attract the right people
A practical guide to writing job adverts that attract the right people, reduce mismatches and improve hiring quality from the start, written for founders and managers hiring without an in-house HR team.
Open the guideNewsletter
HR updates by email: law changes explained simply
Occasional emails when employment law changes, with what it means for a small business and the date it takes effect. One click unsubscribes.
Sign up for HR updates
Print and keep
Free downloads
Free PDFs, with no email to give. Each one comes from a guide on the blog, so the detail is a click away.
Checklist · One page · PDF
New starter checklist
What a new employee must get from you and when, in date order: the right to work check, the written statement, payroll and pension, with the 2026 dates down the side.
Form · One page · PDF
New starter form
The details to collect from a new employee before day one, with your own checks down the side. Print it, or type into it on screen.
Template · One page · PDF
Probation review template
A manager's record of a new starter's probation: the dates, what good looks like, three check-ins and the outcome meeting, with the checks to make before you decide. Print it, or type into it on screen.
Planner · One page · PDF
Christmas closure planner
The Christmas 2026 bank holidays, the notice a closure needs, a table for anyone short of holiday and the email to send, with the checks down the side. Type into it on screen.
Kit · Three pages · PDF
Six-month rule kit
Unfair dismissal protection after six months, for dismissals from 1 January 2027: what changes, a timeline for every new starter and a probation review form.
From the blog
Plain-English answers to the questions owners ask most
Rather have someone check it with you?
The tools show you where to look. The HR Health Check looks for you: your contracts, policies, records and practice, with the fixes in priority order.