Acas Codes of Practice set the minimum standard of fairness that workplaces should follow. They are used by employment tribunals when deciding on relevant cases.
When to use this pattern
Use this pattern when an employer or worker must follow a law that is covered in an Acas Code of Practice.
The pattern
[Intro specific to topic] [you / the employer / the employer and worker] must [legal requirement specific to code]. This must be in line with the [relevant Acas Code of Practice]. An employment tribunal will take this into account in any relevant claims.
Example in content
When handling disciplinaries or grievances, the employer must follow a full and fair procedure. This must be in line with the Acas Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures. An employment tribunal will take this into account in any relevant claims.
Things to remember
The pattern is worded in this way to cover the following points each time:
- if a relevant Acas Code exists and an employer does not follow it, this will be taken into account in an employment tribunal
- an employer can follow their own procedure but it should cover the same points as the relevant Acas Code as a minimum
- they must follow the law underpinning the Acas Code, not the Acas Code itself
This pattern uses 'worker' as the generic term. If you have used 'with the legal status of employee' before on the page, you may need to amend the wording accordingly.
This does not cover codes of practice that are not Acas's, for example the Code of Practice on dismissal and re-engagement on GOV.UK.