# UK reward and HR policy guides

> Step-by-step UK guides on sick pay, family leave, holiday pay, pensions, bonuses, benefits, pay gap reporting and redundancy pay. Law as at September.

Source: https://lumihr.co.uk/guides
Author: David Whitfield (https://lumihr.co.uk/about/david-whitfield)

---
*Reflects UK law as at 20 September 2026 · By David Whitfield*

**Practical guides to the decisions UK reward teams make, with the legal position checked at source and benchmark figures showing what other employers do.** Every guide lists its sources and the date the law was checked, and sets out design choices as options rather than recommendations.

## Pay and reward processes

- **[How to publish salary ranges in job adverts](/guides/how-to-publish-salary-ranges-job-adverts)**
- **[How to prepare and publish your gender pay gap report](/guides/how-to-prepare-gender-pay-gap-report)**
- **[How to calculate and report your ethnicity pay gap](/guides/how-to-calculate-ethnicity-pay-gap)**
- **[How to run an annual pay review: process and governance](/guides/how-to-run-annual-pay-review)**
- **[How to design a bonus scheme: eligibility, measures, gatekeepers, malus and clawback](/guides/how-to-design-bonus-scheme)**
- **[How to set up an all-employee share plan: SAYE or SIP](/guides/how-to-set-up-all-employee-share-plan)**
- **[How to set up a long service award and recognition scheme within HMRC rules](/guides/how-to-set-up-long-service-recognition-scheme)**

## Leave and family policy

- **[How to calculate statutory sick pay under the 2026 rules](/guides/how-to-calculate-statutory-sick-pay)**
- **[How to write an enhanced maternity and adoption pay policy](/guides/how-to-write-enhanced-maternity-pay-policy)**
- **[How to update your paternity and parental leave policy for the 2026 changes](/guides/how-to-update-paternity-parental-leave-policy)**
- **[How to calculate holiday pay for irregular-hours and part-year workers](/guides/how-to-calculate-holiday-pay-irregular-hours)**
- **[How to write a carer's leave and compassionate leave policy](/guides/how-to-write-carers-compassionate-leave-policy)**
- **[How to write a gender equality and menopause action plan](/guides/how-to-write-menopause-action-plan)**
- **[How to handle a statutory flexible working request](/guides/how-to-handle-flexible-working-request)**

## Reviewing a scheme

- **[Occupational sick pay after the 2026 SSP reform](/guides/occupational-sick-pay-ssp-reform)**

## Pensions and savings

- **[How to set employer pension contributions above the auto-enrolment minimum](/guides/how-to-set-employer-pension-contributions)**
- **[How to prepare your pension salary sacrifice scheme for the 2029 NIC cap](/guides/how-to-prepare-salary-sacrifice-cap)**
- **[How to build a financial wellbeing programme](/guides/how-to-build-financial-wellbeing-programme)**

## Health and protection

- **[How to review your private medical insurance scheme](/guides/how-to-review-private-medical-insurance)**
- **[How to set up group income protection](/guides/how-to-set-up-group-income-protection)**

## Working patterns and exits

- **[How to design on-call and standby pay](/guides/how-to-design-on-call-standby-pay)**
- **[How to calculate statutory redundancy pay (2026/27)](/guides/how-to-calculate-statutory-redundancy-pay)**

## Policy templates

- **[Occupational sick pay policy template](/templates/occupational-sick-pay-policy)** — web version and Word download, with each decision point set out as options.

## The research behind the figures

The market figures in these guides come from the [lumi reward benchmark research](/research). See [how lumi works](/methodology) for the method.

*These guides are general information about UK employment law and practice. They are not legal advice.*

**Want to see how your policies compare with other UK employers?** [Book a call](https://lumihr.co.uk/demo)