What the check covers
The HR Risk Score asks 15 questions across the four areas where small businesses most often get caught out. You answer Yes, Partly or No for each, and the tool weights the questions that carry the biggest financial risk.
Contracts and paperwork: whether everyone has a written, signed employment contract; whether contracts have been reviewed in the last two years; whether new starters get their documents on or before day one; and whether you could produce every signed contract, right-to-work check and training record at short notice.
Policies and handbook: whether your staff handbook has been updated in the last 12 months; whether your disciplinary and grievance procedures follow the ACAS Code; whether you have taken active steps to prevent sexual harassment at work (a positive legal duty, not just a policy on a shelf); and whether you have a clear sickness absence policy.
Pay and compliance: whether everyone is paid at or above the correct National Minimum Wage after each April increase; whether you hold a recorded right-to-work check for every employee (the civil penalty is up to £60,000 per worker); and whether holiday pay is calculated correctly for part-time and variable-hours staff.
Managing people: whether managers keep written records of performance and conduct conversations; whether you follow a proper process before dismissing anyone (from 1st January 2027 the Employment Rights Act cuts the unfair dismissal qualifying period from two years to six months); whether you handle flexible working requests within the statutory process; and whether you take professional advice before significant action like a dismissal or redundancy.
Scores fall into three bands: green means low risk, amber means exposed, and red means high risk. The full report you can request at the end goes through all 15 answers and tells you what to fix first.