Is a Corporate Law Firm Necessary for Vetting HR Policies? Seeking Guidance and Recommendations

Hi Team, I work as an HR Manager for an ITES company with a staff of 500 employees, based out of Bangalore. I was formulating the Employee Handbook with all the HR Policies, and there arose the need for vetting the policies.

1) Is it mandatory to have a corporate law firm vet the policies?

2) If so, could you please suggest a few legal statutory compliance (corporate law firms) that could assist me with the same?

3) Alternatively, could you guide me on the procedure?

Thanks in advance.

Regards, Shwetha

There are two sets of HR policies. The first one is derived from labor laws applicable, especially those arising from the Karnataka Shops and Establishment Rules, 1963. The second one is for the internal administration of the company. Before delving into the first set, may I inquire whether you have framed standing orders? With 500 employees working in your company, it is crucial to have standing orders in place.

Designing Standing Orders

When designing standing orders, you may consider hiring the services of a lawyer who specializes in labor laws. Alternatively, a labor consultant could also serve the purpose. Though labor consultants may not necessarily be lawyers, they frequently visit labor offices and have a good understanding of the psychology of labor officers.

Engaging HR Consultants

For the other set of policies, you may engage the services of an HR Consultant. If you require labor consulting services, please feel free to approach me, and I will provide you with the contact details.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar