Policies and Procedures for the Private Sector
This page is for private sector businesses of every size, from sole traders scaling up to SMEs and large corporates with established compliance teams. Policy Pros writes bespoke employment contracts, UK GDPR documentation, anti-bribery and modern slavery policies, and the operational procedures that sit behind them, tailored to your size and sector.
The private sector does not have one rulebook. A five-person company and a five-hundred-person company face different legal duties, and the right documentation reflects that. We scope what actually applies to you before we write a word.
Bespoke, audit-ready policies from £65 + VAT per document. Get a quote or call 020 3951 2875 for a free scoping conversation.
Policies Private Sector Businesses Need
Legally Required
- Employment contracts and written particulars - the principal statement of employment particulars is due on the first day of employment (Employment Rights Act 1996)
- Health and Safety Policy Statement - required in writing once you have 5 or more employees (Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974)
- Data Protection Policy and privacy notices - UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 require you to demonstrate compliance with the data protection principles
- Modern Slavery Statement - an annual statement is required for commercial organisations with turnover of £36 million or more (Modern Slavery Act 2015, section 54)
Expected by Regulators, Clients and Insurers
- Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy - the foundation of the adequate procedures defence under section 7 of the Bribery Act 2010
- Fraud Prevention Procedures - the only defence to the failure to prevent fraud offence for large organisations, in force since 1 September 2025
- Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures - the documents a tribunal asks for first when an employment dispute lands
- Anti-Harassment Policy - the duty to prevent sexual harassment at work strengthens to taking all reasonable steps from 30 October 2026
- Whistleblowing Policy - expected in corporate governance codes and in supply chain due diligence questionnaires
- IT and Information Security Policies - client due diligence and cyber insurance applications both ask for them
- Employee Handbook - ties contracts and policies together into one document your staff will actually read
Start With the Core Set Every Company Needs
Whatever your sector, a baseline set of documents applies to almost every UK company. Our guide to the policies every company should have walks through that baseline, and our guide to which HR policies are legally required separates the statutory must-haves from good practice.
Employment Documents From Day One
Employees and workers must receive a written statement of the main terms on or before their first day under the Employment Rights Act 1996. Our guide to writing UK employment contracts covers what that statement and the wider contract need to say.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 is phasing in on top of that, with statutory sick pay changes and the Fair Work Agency live since April 2026 and further duties landing in October 2026 and through 2027. Our updated Employment Rights Act timeline tracks each commencement date.
Failure to Prevent Fraud Now Applies to Large Companies
Since 1 September 2025, a large organisation commits a criminal offence if an employee or agent commits fraud for its benefit and it lacked reasonable fraud prevention procedures. Large means meeting two of three thresholds: more than 250 employees, over £36 million turnover, or over £18 million in assets, as set out in the Home Office guidance under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023.
Our failure to prevent fraud employer guide explains the offence and the six principles behind reasonable procedures. Payment fraud is where most businesses actually lose money, and our business email compromise guide covers the controls that stop it. Construction businesses face a related exposure through gross payment status, covered in our CIS fraud liability guide.
Anti-Bribery Duties Apply at Any Size
Section 7 of the Bribery Act 2010 makes a commercial organisation criminally liable if a person associated with it bribes another to win or keep business, with no size threshold. The only defence is having adequate procedures in place, and our anti-bribery and corruption policies service writes the policy, register and procedures that defence rests on.
Modern Slavery Statements at £36 Million Turnover
Commercial organisations supplying goods or services with annual turnover of £36 million or more must publish a slavery and human trafficking statement each year, per the government guidance on section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. Our Modern Slavery Act policies service writes the statement and the policy behind it.
Below the threshold, large customers and public sector buyers ask for a statement anyway as part of supply chain due diligence. Our modern slavery statements in tenders guide explains what evaluators expect to see.
UK GDPR Applies to Almost Every Business
If you hold customer, staff or supplier data, UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 apply, and the accountability principle means you must be able to show your compliance in writing. Our GDPR consultancy service covers the data protection policy, privacy notices, retention schedule and records of processing that make up that evidence.
Private Sector Policy and Procedure Writers
Policy Pros writes bespoke policies and procedures for UK private sector businesses, scaled to where you are now rather than a template written for someone else.
- Bespoke documents written around your business, sector and headcount
- A fixed-price quote before any work starts
- Review rounds included, so the final documents say what you need them to say
- Documents delivered on professionally branded templates, ready for staff, clients or auditors
Tell us your size, sector and what has prompted the work, whether that is growth, a client questionnaire or a new legal duty, and we will scope exactly what you need. Get a quote or call 020 3951 2875.
Frequently Asked Questions
What policies does a private sector company legally need?
The legal core is a written statement of employment particulars from day one of employment, a written health and safety policy once you have 5 or more employees, and data protection documentation under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Commercial organisations with turnover of £36 million or more must also publish an annual modern slavery statement.
Beyond that, documents like anti-bribery policies and fraud prevention procedures are the defence to corporate criminal offences, so most established businesses treat them as essential even where no statute names them.
Does the failure to prevent fraud offence apply to my business?
The offence, in force since 1 September 2025, applies to large organisations meeting at least two of three thresholds: more than 250 employees, turnover over £36 million, or total assets over £18 million. If a person associated with a large organisation commits fraud for its benefit, the organisation is liable unless it had reasonable fraud prevention procedures.
Smaller companies are outside the offence itself, but large customers increasingly push fraud prevention expectations down their supply chains, so the documentation is worth having before a contract demands it.
Do we need a modern slavery statement if our turnover is below £36 million?
Not by law. Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 only requires an annual statement from commercial organisations with turnover of £36 million or more.
In practice, many smaller businesses publish one anyway because large customers and public sector tenders ask for it during due diligence. A short, honest statement backed by a modern slavery policy is usually enough at that level.
Can you write policies for both small businesses and larger corporates?
Yes. The duties that apply to a sole trader taking on their first employee are different from those facing a group with hundreds of staff, and the documents should reflect that. We scope what actually applies to your size and sector before quoting.
Every engagement gets a fixed price before work starts, with review rounds included, whether that is a single policy or a full documentation suite.
