Business Link

We always say to all of our clients that paperwork is so important when dealing with employee issues, having the right piece of paper and ensuring you have a paper trail could mean you being able to defend whatever is thrown at you by a disgruntled employee.


However trying to 'invent' documents is not recommended as a Scottish employer found out recently. By trying to produce forged documents to get out of paying the worker some compensation they were due, and by inventing a contract of employment and further letters in regards to their case, the employer ended up with a £29k penalty and a four month jail term.

To make sure you don’t end up trying to defend your business with no evidence our advice would be to keep notes at all stages of employment, from recruitment to appraisals and from absence management to termination of employment.  

When the employment relationship is going well and there’s a friendly atmosphere it can be easy to overlook the importance of keeping records, but remember people are unpredictable and the business environment is uncertain so spending a few minutes making notes could prove extremely beneficial and cost effective at a later date.