Newsflash: ACAS guide on settlement

ACAS has published further guidance, Settlement Agreements: A Guide, to help with settlement agreements, which were introduced on 29 July 2013. It has no legal force but does give practical and useful hints and tips.

The guidance, which is not short at 82 pages, expands upon the ACAS Code of Practice on Settlement Agreements (which we looked at in our latest July 2013 Newsletter Government Reforms: What’s new this month? (4) Settlement agreements and ACAS Code).

ACAS says that it is designed to help employers and employees understand when to use settlement agreements and how they can be negotiated. It includes checklists for employers and employees, a model agreement, template “offer” letters, and some examples of how settlement agreements might be used. It also includes examples of what could constitute improper behaviour by either an employer or employee when discussing and using settlement agreements.