Which HR policies should l ask for? -clarity of job offer

[EL8888]

I have been offered a new job role and I have asked to see some of their HR policies to see what the whole package actually includes. Which should l ask to see? I was thinking pension so l can find out my % contributions and the organisations % contributions. As well as sick leave, grievance, annual leave and maternity. For obvious reasons the maternity policy bit makes me feel awkward about asking to see! Part of me thinks just brazen it out?!

Ask if they can provide you with a pdf staff handbook - then you don't have to specify a policy.

I think if you're going to do it you'll just need to brazen it out, unless they have a PDF staff handbook as a PP suggests which would be ideal.

Why do you want to see the grievance policy? That's the one I'd probably find most odd and concerning as a hiring manager, more so than the maternity policy.

Yes, I agree - just ask for a copy of the staff handbook. It would look a bit odd imo for a prospective employee to be asking to see grievance policies etc before even accepting the role. Would set off some alarm bells for me.

Completely fair enough to ask about pension, leave, sickness pay, maternity benefits etc, if these are not specified, but usually I'd expect most of these to be outlined in your contract.

@Blueskyemily

I think if you're going to do it you'll just need to brazen it out, unless they have a PDF staff handbook as a PP suggests which would be ideal.

Why do you want to see the grievance policy? That's the one I'd probably find most odd and concerning as a hiring manager, more so than the maternity policy.

X post but totally agree!

No PDF staff handbook unfortunately

The grievance policy is partly as l will be line managing some people and as a filler. I have no form for having investigations or grievances levelled against me! Despite my industry having a culture of grievances. We have fertility issues and already had 2 rounds of ivf so lm conscious l may never have cause to use it and we wouldn’t be trying any more ivf until next year at the earliest. I’m just trying to cover all my bases plus see what the TOTAL job offer actually is. Obviously if they contribute 5% to my pension rather than 3%, also offer less than legal maternity pay then it’s a better deal. I have other job offers on the table from elsewhere

@AlexaShutUp last few places l have worked didn’t specify these in my contract, just mentions them but didn’t detail anything about them

@AlexaShutUp grievances are quite common in my industry. E.g. recent rumour was one of my team wanted to do one, as l wouldn’t let her take every weekend off in August . Problem is if l had let her then other people would be limited in August weekend leave and obviously it’s a popular time of year. I was only following our annual policy. Also for clarity lm not getting every weekend off this month myself!

I think your rationale for seeing the grievance policy is more understandable now you've explained it. I'd probably include some of that context around grievances when you ask to see the policy.

A PP mentioned that a lot of this will be outlined in the contract (technically I'm not sure it all has to be, some of it doesn't need to be provided until later but in reality a lot of employers just put it all in the contract - mine does). So could you try asking to see a draft contract?

Sorry, x post with you about contracts.

At my employer, if someone raised a grievance for that reason (being refused annual leave every weekend in August) nobody would take it seriously and it definitely wouldn't be upheld. I'm not sure there's anything to stop them raising the grievance though, you can raise a grievance for literally anything no matter how ridiculous. Personally I think it's more down to the culture than the policy.

@Blueskyemily ok, starting to think l will not go with the grievance one. Stick with annual leave, maternity, pension and sickness (in my current role l was only off sick with covid). I’m was fairly sure the contract won’t -just checked with an acquaintance who accepted a similar role with them a few weeks ago. It doesn’t. They haven’t started yet and didn’t ask any of this either

Personally I think it's more down to the culture than the policy.

Yes, absolutely. If this is a culture that runs right through your industry, OP, then maybe it's fine, but is there any possibility it's just your current employer? I'd be wary about asking if you're not 100% sure, as your employer might see it as a red flag - either that you're likely to be a trouble maker or that you might be a bully.

If the other stuff isn't in your contract, then ask away. It's perfectly reasonable to want to know your terms and conditions.

X post, good call.

@Blueskyemily yep it wouldn’t be upheld where l work. But l think a robust policy to follow is helpful for everyone. Especially if they were having a tantrum in effect, for not getting what they want

@AlexaShutUp it runs through the industry and it’s tiresome! Don’t get me wrong people should be protected but some people take it too far. They did sign up for weekend working and it’s made v.clear at interviews

Acquaintance now wants to know what l find out! Now wishing they had asked

Sounds tiresome indeed OP! Hope you find out all of the other info that you need to know.

Given that it’s always possible for exceptions to be made to policy you need to get details of pension and leave, as they relate to you, in writing.

If it does not form part of your contract then an email confirmation would suffice. But don’t rely on a policy.

I've always framed these requests as wanting to see the specifics of your total remuneration package including pension structure, sick pay, linked benefits (e.g. lease cars, dental plans etc) and maternity pay plus any substantial policies that may differ to the norm.

I've never had issues asking for these when offered a new role.

@WTFisNext that’s exactly how l have framed it. I want to see what the total package is, salary isn’t alone isn’t enough to go on. It is closer to home so that would already save me time and money

@EL8888 don't get me wrong, if I was unemployed and had few options I'd take what I was given...but if you're moving to a new company I agree the whole package needs to be worth moving for. Hope you get the info you need.

Hmmm. If you're public sector you should be fine asking for this. If private, I'd be worried that you're a bit policy/rules obsessed and lack agility/problem solving so would tread more carefully. Especially don't ask about sick days.

Pension contributions should be part of your offer letter though, I've always discussed these before offer stage.