Employee Information and Consultation Templates
These Employee Information and Consultation templates help UK employers create a clear, structured framework for sharing business information with staff and consulting them on significant workplace changes. They are designed to support compliance with the Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations 2004, strengthen employee engagement and reduce the risk of disputes and legal challenges.
This section brings together:
Information and Consultation of Employees Policy
This policy template is an internal staff handbook policy explaining how the organisation will keep employees informed and, where appropriate, consult them through elected employee representatives.
Typical Use:
Any employer wanting a clear, non-contractual framework for communication and consultation with staff.
Information and Consultation of Employees Agreement (Works Council Agreement)
This agreement template is a formal ICE Agreement establishing a Works Council, representative elections and consultation processes, aligned with the Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations 2004.
Typical Use:
Employers responding to a valid employee request, voluntarily adopting an ICE agreement or formalising an existing consultation body.
Employers can use the Policy as a staff handbook statement of approach, and the Agreement to establish a formal, legally robust information and consultation structure (such as a Works Council).
The Policy and Agreement together help demonstrate genuine employee involvement in decisions affecting them, support compliance with UK information and consultation law, and strengthen trust and communication across the organisation. This combined approach gives UK businesses a clear, scalable framework for information and consultation
Align other HR and employment policies
Cross-refer to grievance procedures, disciplinary policy, redundancy policy, and health & safety policies so that individual and statutory consultation processes remain clearly separated from collective information and consultation under these templates.
For full details of these policies and to download please click on the below links:
Employee Information and Consultation Templates is part of Employment. Just £38.50 + VAT provides unlimited downloads from Employment for 1 year.
Frequently Asked Questions
My business employs 50 or more people. Do I have to set up a formal information and consultation arrangement? +
Not automatically. A formal duty arises only once a valid written request is made by at least 2% of the workforce (minimum 15 employees) since 6 April 2020, or you initiate the process voluntarily. The Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations 2004 apply to undertakings with 50 or more employees (averaged over the previous 12 months), but without a request or voluntary notice no statutory duty to consult arises. Putting a clear policy in place is good practice, for which the Simply-Docs Information and Consultation of Employees Policy is designed.
We have fewer than 50 employees. Can we still use these templates to set up a staff consultation framework? +
Yes. The statutory ICE regime under the Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations 2004 applies only to undertakings with 50 or more employees, so employees in smaller organisations cannot compel a statutory consultation arrangement. However, any employer can choose to adopt a voluntary consultation framework regardless of size. The Simply-Docs Information and Consultation of Employees Policy is suitable for any employer wanting a non-contractual staff handbook statement on how the organisation will share information and consult staff, and it works as a standalone document without requiring the formal ICE Agreement.
Some of our staff have requested a formal information and consultation body. What do we need to put in place? +
Once at least 2% of your workforce (minimum 15 employees) makes a valid request, the Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations 2004 are triggered and you must begin negotiations within three months of receipt. The aim is a written, signed ICE agreement setting out how employees will be informed and consulted, through elected representatives or directly. If negotiations do not produce a valid agreement, statutory standard provisions apply automatically. The Simply-Docs Information and Consultation of Employees Agreement (Works Council Agreement) provides a formal template aligned with the Regulations.
What is the difference between the Information and Consultation Policy and the Information and Consultation Agreement in this section, and which one does my business need? +
The Policy is a non-contractual handbook statement; the Agreement is a formal legal document for a Works Council. The Information and Consultation of Employees Policy explains your organisation's general approach to keeping employees informed and consulting them through elected representatives, and any employer can use it whatever their size. The Information and Consultation of Employees Agreement (Works Council Agreement) establishes a Works Council, setting out representative elections and consultation processes in line with the Regulations 2004; it suits employers responding to a valid employee request, voluntarily adopting a statutory-style arrangement or formalising an existing body. Many employers use both.
We already have a staff consultation arrangement. Do we need to do anything if employees request a new ICE agreement? +
Whether you must act depends on the level of support. A valid pre-existing agreement (in writing, covering all employees and approved by them) may be relied on. If at least 40% of the workforce backs a new agreement, you must negotiate. If support is 2% to 40%, you can ballot the workforce: 40% support plus a majority of those voting means you must negotiate. If thresholds are not met, the existing arrangement stands and no further request can be made for three years. Take legal advice before responding to a formal request.
Does having a Works Council or ICE agreement mean employees can block our business decisions? +
No, a Works Council or ICE agreement does not give employees a veto over business decisions. Under the Information and Consultation of Employees Regulations 2004 the obligation is to inform and, where the agreement requires, consult with a view to reaching agreement: engaging genuinely and giving representatives enough time and information to form a view. The final decision remains with management. Employees can raise concerns and the employer must consider their views, but can proceed even if representatives disagree. A clear ICE policy and agreement reduces the risk of disputes, grievances and legal challenges by demonstrating a structured, transparent consultation process.
How do these information and consultation templates fit alongside our grievance, disciplinary and redundancy policies? +
The ICE templates govern collective information and consultation: sharing business information and consulting staff as a whole through representatives on matters such as employment prospects and structural changes. They sit separately from individual HR processes. Grievance and disciplinary procedures deal with individual disputes and conduct, while collective redundancy consultation is a distinct statutory obligation triggered by proposed redundancies of 20 or more employees within 90 days. Cross-refer all these policies in your staff handbook so individual and statutory processes remain clearly separated from collective consultation under the ICE templates.
