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View full libraryUse this contract harmonisation plan to review existing employment contracts, develop a consistent contract framework and manage proposed changes fairly, lawfully and effectively.
Use this template to:
If you are changing employee terms and conditions, the toolkit brings together practical HR templates covering proposals, consultation, agreement, communication and documentation.
Organisation: __________________________________________
Project sponsor: ________________________________________
Project lead: ___________________________________________
Date prepared: _________________________________________
Target completion date: _________________________________
Version: __________________________________________________
Project overview
Purpose
To review the organisation's employment contracts and related terms and establish a consistent, legally compliant and operationally appropriate contract framework, while protecting existing contractual rights and managing proposed changes through the appropriate process.
Business rationale
Describe why the project is required, the problems it is intended to resolve and the expected benefits.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Project objectives
Project scope
| Area | Included / excluded | Notes |
| Permanent employees | ||
| Fixed-term employees | ||
| Part-time and variable-hours employees | ||
| Senior management and specialist roles | ||
| Collective agreements and negotiated terms | ||
| Policies and contractual benefits | ||
| Employees potentially affected by TUPE |
Project governance and responsibilities
| Role | Name | Responsibility |
| Project sponsor | Approves objectives, resources and significant decisions. | |
| Project lead | Coordinates the project, milestones, reporting and risks. | |
| HR representative | Audits contracts, coordinates consultation and maintains records. | |
| Legal adviser | Reviews complex legal issues and proposed changes where required. | |
| Finance / Payroll | Assesses the financial and |
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A contract harmonisation plan helps an organisation review and align its employment contract framework in a structured and controlled way. Differences often develop over time through recruitment, business growth, acquisitions, organisational restructuring and changes in legislation. These differences can make HR administration more complex and create uncertainty about the terms that apply to individual employees.
The first stage is to establish what contracts and contractual arrangements are currently in place. This includes reviewing written contracts, written statements of employment particulars, relevant collective agreements, contractual policies and any terms that may have arisen through custom and practice. The review should identify inconsistencies in areas such as working hours, holiday entitlement, notice periods, benefits, overtime and contractual sick pay.
A harmonised framework should provide a reliable standard for future recruitment and contract administration without assuming that every employee must have identical terms. A core contract can be supported by appropriate schedules, role-specific clauses and clearly defined options for different working patterns or employee groups. Each proposed standard term should be checked for legal compliance, operational suitability and its effect on existing employees.
Introducing a new contract template does not automatically authorise an employer to replace existing contractual terms. Where changes are proposed, the employer should explain the business reasons, consult meaningfully with affected employees and relevant representatives, consider alternatives and obtain agreement where required. Additional safeguards may apply where collective agreements or TUPE are relevant. Dismissal and re-engagement should not be treated as a routine method of harmonisation.
A controlled implementation plan assigns responsibility for approvals, employee communication, individual agreements, contract issue and secure record keeping. Progress should be monitored against agreed milestones, with outstanding disagreements and legal risks escalated appropriately. A post-implementation review should assess whether the new framework is being used consistently, whether records are accurate and whether any unintended employee relations or operational issues have arisen.
Related HR resources and workflow
Explore the HR resources that may be relevant before and / or after using the Contract harmonisation plan, helping you understand the wider process, maintain appropriate documentation and follow a consistent approach.
This Contract Variation Agreement Letter provides a clear written record of an agreed change to an employee's terms and conditions of employment.
Use these best practice actions, recommended timescales and process stages to understand when and how the Contract harmonisation plan should be used, helping ensure each step is handled consistently and appropriately documented.
Understand the common mistakes to avoid when using this HR template, helping you reduce risk, prevent unnecessary costs and ensure the process is handled correctly.
Contract harmonisation is the process of reviewing employment contracts and related terms to create a more consistent, clear and manageable framework. It may involve standardising contract wording and administrative processes while retaining legitimate differences between employee groups or individual employees.
No. A standard contract framework can include different schedules or clauses for different roles, working patterns and benefits. Existing contractual rights must be considered individually, and differences should be reviewed for legal compliance, fairness and operational justification.
An employer cannot generally change agreed contractual terms simply by issuing a new contract. Proposed changes should be explained, consulted on and agreed where required, unless a valid contractual provision or other lawful basis permits the change. The employer should document the outcome and obtain specialist advice where the position is uncertain.
TUPE can protect employees' existing contractual terms following a qualifying business transfer. Changes connected with the transfer may be restricted or void unless a relevant legal exception applies. Harmonising terms solely to make transferred and existing employees alike is not, by itself, a safe legal justification. Obtain specialist advice before proposing changes.
A straightforward project may take around three to six months, consistent with the indicative timescale on this template's HRDocBox page. A larger project involving complex benefits, employee consultation, collective agreements or TUPE may take longer. The timetable should allow sufficient time for audit, drafting, consultation, agreement, implementation and follow-up.
HRDocBox provides practical, customisable HR templates designed for UK employers, including small and medium-sized businesses. This plan offers a structured starting point for reviewing contracts, assigning responsibilities, managing consultation and tracking implementation, helping HR teams organise the project without starting from scratch.
AI can help explore options and draft wording, but a structured HRDocBox template provides a practical project framework, implementation stages and prompts for the key decisions that need to be made. You can adapt it to your organisation and use it alongside current legal guidance and specialist advice. Neither a template nor AI replaces an assessment of individual contractual rights or the legal requirements that apply to your circumstances.
How this content is developed and reviewed
The Contract harmonisation plan template is developed using a practical HR methodology that considers current UK employment legislation, ACAS guidance, CIPD good practice and the real-world HR process it supports. Templates and supporting information are regularly reviewed and updated, with additional reviews triggered by significant changes to legislation, guidance or established HR practice, helping ensure each document remains practical, relevant and suitable for UK employers.
Darryl Horn, Chartered HR Director
Darryl is a Chartered HR professional with over 25 years' experience in senior HR and employee relations roles.
He has extensive practical experience of managing terms and conditions HR processes and founded hrdocbox to provide businesses with practical, professionally developed HR resources grounded in UK employment law and best practice.
HRDocBox has been creating practical UK HR documents since 2009.
"Darryl provides support and advice with excellent judgement, and has a strong understanding of people, policies and UK employment legislation."
"He is someone I trust; consistent, dependable, and committed to doing things properly."
Whether you employ 5 people or 50, hrdocbox gives you the structure, documents and expertise needed to manage employees professionally and legally.
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