Course description

Taking on your first member of staff is a big step, and the rules can feel like a maze: right to work checks, payroll, pensions, holiday pay, sick pay, family leave, and what to do when something goes wrong. This course explains the employment rules and the Acas Code in plain English for owners of small businesses in England, Scotland and Wales, so you can set things up properly and treat your staff well.

It's written for owners of small firms who are taking on or managing staff, with no HR team behind them. You learn what to do before someone starts, what goes in a written statement, how to pay correctly, how much holiday and sick pay to give, how family leave and flexible working requests work, and how to handle performance, conduct and grievances fairly, step by step through the Acas Code. Every rule and figure comes from GOV.UK, Acas, HMRC, The Pensions Regulator, HSE and the ICO, read on 1 November 2026, and the course is clear about which changes under the Employment Rights Act 2025 have started and which are only planned.

There are 10 sections and 50 written lessons, each with a worked example, common slips, questions people often ask and a short exercise to try, and each section ends with a short quiz. You follow Zilpah, a made-up owner of a deli and café in Biggleswade, as she takes on her first three staff and deals with payroll, holidays, a sick day, a baby on the way, a disciplinary, a grievance and a flexible working request. Every section has a practice pack with a worksheet, an answer key, a cheat sheet and worked examples, plus extras such as a written statement checklist, an absence record and return-to-work form, a holiday calculator spreadsheet, disciplinary and grievance letter wording, policy checklists and risk assessment forms. You finish by setting up HR for a garden care firm taking on its first two staff, with a full worked answer.

What you'll learn

• Becoming an employer: the first-hire list in order, right to work checks, registering for PAYE and running payroll, employers' liability insurance, records and where to get help.
• Employment status and contracts: employees, workers and the self-employed, kinds of job, the written statement, probation and changing terms, and a simple staff handbook.
• Pay, payslips and pensions: the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage, avoiding underpayments, payslips, automatic enrolment and the real cost of an employee.
• Holidays and working time: 5.6 weeks' holiday, part-time and irregular hours, holiday pay and records, booking rules, the 48-hour week and rest breaks, with a holiday calculator.
• Sickness absence and sick pay: a sickness policy, Statutory Sick Pay from day one, fit notes, return-to-work conversations, long-term sickness and reasonable adjustments.
• Family leave and flexible working: maternity, paternity, shared parental and adoption leave and pay, time off for dependants and carers, and flexible working requests.
• Performance, conduct and the Acas Code: clear expectations, informal conversations, what the Acas Code says, fair investigations, suspension and gross misconduct.
• Disciplinary and grievance procedures: invitation letters, running a meeting, companions, warnings, appeals and grievances, step by step, with letter wording to copy.
• Fair treatment, safety and staff records: the Equality Act, the duty to prevent sexual harassment, HSE basics, wellbeing and stress, and data protection for staff records.
• Endings, changes and your final project: fair dismissal, notice and final pay, redundancy basics, the Employment Rights Act 2025, and setting up HR for a business taking on its first two staff.

Who it's for

Owners and managers of small businesses in England, Scotland and Wales who are taking on their first staff or managing a small team. You don't need any HR experience. Recruitment is covered only briefly; the course concentrates on being a good employer once someone has said yes.

What this course is, and isn't

This course explains employment rules and the Acas Code. It isn't legal advice, and it says when to call the Acas helpline or speak to an employment solicitor, including before any dismissal or redundancy. Northern Ireland has its own employment law, so the figures and dates are the ones for Great Britain. Pay rates change every April and some changes under the Employment Rights Act 2025 are planned rather than in force, so check GOV.UK and Acas before you rely on any figure. Zilpah, Ivel Larder and every other person and business in the course are fictional.

What will I learn?

• Set up as an employer in the right order: right to work checks, PAYE, employers' liability insurance and workplace pensions
• Tell employees, workers and the self-employed apart, and write a written statement that covers what the law asks for
• Pay at least the minimum wage, give correct payslips, enrol staff in a pension and work out what an employee really costs
• Work out holiday for full-time, part-time and irregular-hours staff, pay it correctly and follow the working time rules
• Manage sickness absence fairly, pay Statutory Sick Pay from day one and hold return-to-work conversations
• Handle maternity, paternity, shared parental and adoption leave, time off for dependants and flexible working requests
• Raise performance and conduct concerns early, and investigate fairly when something goes wrong
• Run disciplinary and grievance procedures step by step following the Acas Code, with letters, companions and appeals
• Meet your duties under the Equality Act, take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, and cover health and safety and staff records
• Know the basics of fair dismissal, notice and redundancy, keep up with the Employment Rights Act 2025, and set up HR for a small business as a final project

Frequently asked questions