Built Not Born Podcast · 23 May 2025
HR Laws 2025: Essential Hiring Tips and How to Hire Employees Without Legal Issues
Emma Cromerty of EC Human Resources explains how small businesses can reduce HR risk through better recruitment, clear contracts, practical policies and regular employee conversations.
FeaturingEmma CromertyHR Consultant, EC Human ResourcesEpisode guide
About this episode
Hiring people can feel like one of the biggest commitments a small business makes. In this episode, Chris and Helen Butler are joined by HR consultant Emma Cromerty of EC Human Resources to unpack the practical steps employers can take to reduce risk before, during and after recruitment.
Emma begins by explaining how she moved into HR through recruitment and training before building a corporate HR career and then her own business. That experience shapes a recurring point throughout the conversation: people issues are rarely solved by one document or one conversation, but businesses can make life much easier by setting clear expectations and keeping accurate records.
The discussion covers the employment-law changes employers were dealing with in 2025, including flexible working, carer's leave and the stronger emphasis on preventing sexual harassment at work. Emma also separates changes already in force from proposals that were still being discussed at the time, particularly around future day-one employment rights. Her advice is to avoid acting on headlines alone and to keep contracts, policies and procedures under regular review.
Recruitment is another major theme. Emma recommends starting with a realistic job description, being transparent about what the role actually involves and resisting the temptation to hire the best available applicant when important red flags remain. Practical tests, longer conversations, second interviews and involving another person in the process can all help employers understand how someone is likely to perform and fit within the business.
Once someone joins, Emma argues that onboarding, probation reviews and regular one-to-one meetings should be treated as part of the management process rather than optional admin. These conversations create space for employees to raise concerns, help managers document performance and can prevent small frustrations from turning into formal grievances or sudden resignations.
The episode also looks at workplace culture, working from home and the tension between flexibility and fairness when some roles can be done remotely and others cannot. Emma closes by introducing HR Chest, her digital HR resource and staff management system, and by encouraging business owners to get the basics right: contracts, policies, clear communication and documented conversations.
Key takeaways
What you'll learn
- Clear contracts and up-to-date HR policies give both employers and employees a shared set of expectations to work from.
- Hiring risk starts before the interview. Define the role properly, be honest about the job and avoid trying to squeeze several unrelated jobs into one person.
- Practical skills tests, second interviews and input from more than one interviewer can reveal issues that a short formal interview may miss.
- Good onboarding and regular probation reviews matter because employers need evidence of the support, expectations and feedback given to a new employee.
- Regular one-to-one meetings can surface performance problems, grievances, missing resources and development needs before they become bigger issues.
- Sexual harassment prevention should include clear policies, reporting routes, communication and training so employees understand expected behaviour.
- Small employers should distinguish between employment-law changes already in force and proposals still being discussed, rather than relying on headlines alone.
Questions from this episode
Frequently asked questions
Should small businesses have contracts of employment for every employee?
Emma's advice is yes. She recommends having contracts in place for every employee, including friends and family, and reviewing them when legislation changes so expectations and terms are clear.
How can a business reduce the risk of hiring the wrong person?
Start with a clear and realistic job description, explain the role honestly, use structured interviews, test practical skills where relevant, involve more than one interviewer and do not ignore red flags simply because a candidate appears to be the best of the available applicants.
What should employers do to help prevent sexual harassment at work?
Emma recommends clear policies, visible communication, a known reporting route and staff training so employees understand what behaviour is acceptable and what to do if an issue occurs.
Why are one-to-one meetings important for small businesses?
Regular one-to-ones give managers and employees a private place to discuss performance, missing tools or support, development, concerns and potential grievances. They also create a written record of what has been discussed and agreed.
Were proposed day-one unfair dismissal rights already in force when this episode was recorded?
No. In the episode, recorded for publication in May 2025, Emma explains that the proposed changes being discussed at the time had not yet come into force and that several details were still uncertain.
Is working from home suitable for every role?
The conversation suggests it depends on the work. Emma notes that some jobs can work well remotely, while other roles require physical presence, and that employers also need to consider communication, management, onboarding, team learning and fairness between different job types.