Getting an AI-drafted staff handbook checked

A staff handbook produced with an AI drafting tool contains many policies and, in most tools, a mixture of English, US and generic content: a health and safety policy that meets the statutory requirement next to a policy on US federal leave, a disciplinary procedure that does not follow the ACAS Code, and family leave entitlements stated at the wrong rates. A handbook is also either contractual or not, and a draft that does not say which can make every policy a term of employment. I review the handbook against the policies the law requires and the rights it describes, and return it marked up with tracked changes, a clean copy and a written explanation of the changes, for a fixed fee of £495 in three working days.

Who this is for

Employers in England and Wales that have drafted a staff handbook or a set of HR policies using an AI tool, for a growing team or to replace an outdated handbook, and want it checked and corrected before it is issued. The review is of the client's own document; the employment contract is a separate document the handbook should sit alongside.

What the review checks in an AI-drafted staff handbook

The policies the law requires and the ones that discharge a duty

An employer with five or more employees must have a written health and safety policy under section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; the written statement must refer to the disciplinary and grievance procedures under section 3 of the Employment Rights Act 1996; an employer's duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment under section 40A of the Equality Act 2010 is discharged in practice through a policy, training and reporting; and the ICO expects a data protection policy and privacy information for staff. The review separates the policies the law requires from the optional ones, and checks that the required ones say what the law requires.

Contractual or non-contractual: what the handbook says about itself

A handbook that is expressed to form part of the contract of employment makes every policy a contractual term, changeable only by agreement and enforceable by the employee; one that is expressed to be non-contractual can be updated by the employer and gives guidance rather than rights. AI drafts often say nothing, or say both. The review states the status, keeps the terms that should be contractual, such as notice and pay, in the employment contract, and drafts the handbook as non-contractual guidance with the employer's right to update it, save for any policy the employer wants to bind it.

Disciplinary and grievance procedures and the ACAS Code

A tribunal can adjust an award by up to 25% for an unreasonable failure to follow the ACAS Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures under section 207A of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, so the procedures should follow the Code: investigation, written notice of the allegations, a meeting with the right to be accompanied, a decision in writing and a right of appeal. An AI draft may set out a US progressive discipline model or a procedure with no appeal. The review rewrites the procedures to the Code and checks that they are non-contractual so that a departure is not itself a breach of contract.

Family leave, flexible working and the entitlements stated at the wrong rate

Handbooks state maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental and parental leave entitlements and the pay for each, and an AI draft may state US or generic figures or rates that have changed. The review checks each policy against the statutory scheme, states pay by reference to the statutory rate rather than a figure that will date, and checks the flexible working policy against the right to request under section 80F of the Employment Rights Act 1996, which applies from the first day of employment, and against the changes to family leave that the Employment Rights Act 2025 is introducing as it is phased in.

Harassment, equality, whistleblowing and the disclosures the handbook must protect

The equality and anti-harassment policy should reflect the employer's liability for its employees' acts under the Equality Act 2010 and the reasonable steps duty for sexual harassment, and the whistleblowing policy should reflect the protection for workers who make protected disclosures under Part IVA of the Employment Rights Act 1996, with the confidentiality provisions of the handbook carving those disclosures out. The review checks each, removes US concepts such as at-will references and federal complaint routes, and adds the reporting routes and the training commitment that make the policies evidence of reasonable steps.

Data, monitoring, IT use, expenses and the rest

The IT, social media and monitoring policies must be consistent with the employer's obligations under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and monitoring of email, internet use or vehicles must be explained to staff in privacy information and be proportionate. The review checks those policies, the working time policy against the Working Time Regulations 1998 including the opt-out, the sickness absence policy against statutory sick pay, the expenses policy, and the policies that an AI draft includes for a business the employer is not: US drug testing, jury duty on US terms, or firearms policies, which the review removes.

What it costs

Review of an AI-drafted contract, £495. One contract, returned as a marked-up Word document with my amendments as tracked changes, a clean version with the changes accepted, and a written explanation of the changes. Three working days from payment.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the review of an ai-drafted contract page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• Your own Word document returned with every amendment I consider necessary shown as a tracked change, so you can see exactly what I changed and accept or reject each one
• A clean version with every change accepted, ready to send
• Corrections to anything that is wrong as a matter of English law, unenforceable as drafted, or internally inconsistent
• Missing provisions added where the document has left a gap that matters: usually liability, termination, payment, intellectual property or data
• Comments in the margin where a clause is a commercial choice rather than a legal one, so the decision stays yours
• A written explanation of what I have changed and why, by email or as an attachment if it is lengthy, with anything you should think about before sending it out
• Follow-up questions on the mark-up answered by email, included

What is not included

• A full rewrite. This is a review and amendment of your document, not a replacement for it. If the draft is structurally unsuitable for the deal, I will say so and quote separately for drafting it properly
• A second round of amendments after you have changed the document again, which I can quote for
• Negotiating with the other side
• Advice on the law of any jurisdiction other than England and Wales
• Tax, accounting or regulatory advice
• Reviewing a document the other side drafted, which is the contract review service, at the same price

Questions I am often asked

Our AI-drafted handbook says it forms part of every employee's contract. Is that a problem?

It makes every policy a contractual term, changeable only by agreement and enforceable by the employee, including policies you intended as guidance. The review states the handbook to be non-contractual, with the employer's right to update it, and keeps contractual terms in the employment contract.

The disciplinary procedure has no appeal stage. Does that matter?

It does: the ACAS Code requires a right of appeal, and a tribunal can increase an award by up to 25% for an unreasonable failure to follow the Code. The review rewrites the procedure to the Code.

Which policies do we have to have?

A written health and safety policy with five or more employees, disciplinary and grievance procedures referred to in the written statement, and in practice an anti-harassment policy to discharge the duty to prevent sexual harassment and a data protection policy for staff data. The review separates those from the optional policies and checks each against the law.

Related guidance and services

• Review of an AI-drafted contract, £495, the service this page describes
• Employment contracts and handbooks, £595
• Getting an AI-drafted employment contract checked
• NDA for employees and interns

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.