HR for trades and construction
For builders, electricians, plumbers and other trades with 1 to 49 staff. Your extra rules are about who can go on site and who works for you: cards, testing, subcontractors and drivers. We keep track of each one and do the rest of your HR.
- Extra rules we handle
- CSCS cards, testing, subcontractors, drivers
- Health and safety add-on
- Follows later
- Who it’s for
- 1 to 49 staff in England, Scotland and Wales
The health and safety add-on starts in summer 2027 with offices, shops, salons and clinics, and trades follow later. When you reserve, you can ask to be told when it’s ready for your business, and you won’t be charged.
The extra rules in your industry
Each one switches on from what you tell us when you join, and goes into the same contracts, policies and records as the rest of your HR.
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The rule
CSCS cards: not the law, but sites expect them
What it means for youA CSCS card shows a worker has the training and qualifications for their job on a construction site. No law says they must hold one, but most principal contractors and major house builders won’t let workers on site without a valid card.
What we doThe starter checklist records each worker’s card, and we remind you before it expires. Staff upload a photo of their card in the app.
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The rule
Drug and alcohol testing needs consent
What it means for youStaff must consent to a test, and can’t be made to take one. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says testing should be part of your health and safety policy, and that there may be a case for it in certain jobs, such as driving or operating machinery.
What we doIf you want to test, your handbook gets a drug and alcohol policy. Any decision to test someone goes to your HR expert first.
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The rule
Right-to-work checks for subcontractors
What it means for youSince 1 October 2026, right-to-work checks cover individual subcontractors, not just employees. Check before they start and keep a copy. The fine is up to £60,000 for each illegal worker.
What we doYou list your subcontractors in the app. We record each check, keep the records, and remind you to check again before anyone’s time-limited permission to work runs out.
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The rule
Employee or self-employed
What it means for youWho counts as an employee depends on how someone works in practice. A subcontractor who works like an employee may be owed holiday pay and other employment rights.
What we doYour HR expert checks the status of each self-employed person before any agreement goes out, then we write their contractor agreement.
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The rule
Licence checks for staff who drive
What it means for youTo check a driver’s licence, you need their permission, the last 8 characters of their licence number and a check code they get from GOV.UK. The code lasts 21 days and works once. The check shows the vehicles they can drive and any penalty points or disqualifications.
What we doWe record each driver’s consent and every check, at hire and as often as you choose after that, and your handbook gets a driving-for-work policy.
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The rule
Gas work needs Gas Safe registration
What it means for youA business doing gas work must be on the Gas Safe Register, and its registered engineers carry a Gas Safe ID card with an expiry date.
What we doWe keep each engineer’s Gas Safe registration in your certificates register, with a reminder before their card expires.
What we ask when you join
A short form about your business and your staff picks your contracts, policies and the trades sections. Founding members fill it in during December, and you can type your staff in or upload a spreadsheet.
- Each person’s role, and the cards or registrations it needs, such as a CSCS card, Gas Safe registration or a first aid certificate.
- Whether you use self-employed subcontractors, and who they are.
- Whether anyone drives for work, and how often you want their licence checked.
- Whether you want drug and alcohol testing.
- How pay works, and a date of birth for everyone, so the rules for apprentices and under-18s apply.
What changes in your documents
- Your dress policy covers the safety wear you require.
- Your training policy lists the courses each role needs, and who pays for them.
- Self-employed subcontractors get a contractor agreement, after your HR expert’s status check.
- Drivers get the driving-for-work policy, and testing comes with its own written policy.
- Apprentices get an apprenticeship agreement, with pay at least the apprentice rate.
The rest of your HR
Everything else works the way it does for any other business.
- Starters and leaversOne link for each new starter, with the right-to-work check, the contract and their cards, and final pay worked out for leavers.Included
- Contracts and documentsContracts for every employee, your handbook and policies, and contractor agreements, kept up to date with the law.Included
- Right-to-work checksWho to check since 1 October 2026, when, and what happens if you don’t.In force
- Health and safety add-onOptional. It starts with offices, shops, salons and clinics in summer 2027, and trades follow later.Later
Questions
Can I make someone take a drug test?
No. Staff can’t be made to take a test, and testing needs their consent. If you have good grounds to test and they refuse, they may face disciplinary action. We run that process step by step, and your HR expert signs off the letters.
Can I get training costs back if someone leaves?
Yes, if they sign a repayment agreement before the course starts, saying how much they repay if they leave within each period. Repayments for training you require can’t take their pay below the minimum wage.
Do you cover haulage?
Not yet. Drivers of goods vehicles must follow the drivers’ hours rules, which we’re still building in, so haulage firms should book a call first. Licence checks and a driving-for-work policy are included for staff who drive for work in any of the six industries we cover.
Your HR team, from January 2027.
Start with the free checklist. Reserve your founding price, and we set you up in January. It’s refundable until launch.
Not ready yet? Get the free 1 January 2027 checklist.