Employers are crying out for change in the administration of rules and regulations.
This is something that we, who work closely with a number of businesses, have felt for a long time, all employers dont magically have a law degree or business degree which makes them capable of sifting through the miles or regulations to find out, firstly, what exactly relates to them and secondly, to find out how to apply them to their businesses.
So many of business clients only come to us once things have reached a certain point and usually when court proceedings or Employment Tribunals are involved, this, of course, isnt the best way to utilise all of the information and resources available, spending a little time and money at the beginning i.e. when you set up your business or at least in the very early stages, will certainly save time, stress and potentially a huge amount of money when things go wrong!
So how to go about circumventing the complex minefield of regulations and find how they apply to you?
Of course, we would always recommend that enlisting the help of your solicitor, right at the beginning – i.e. before you hire anyone, make any verbal agreements or sign any contracts, is the best way to go! With a solicitor, writing your company handbook, (not as expensive as you might think!) providing details of your responsibilities as an employer and the responsibilities of your employees (regarding things like sickness and disciplinary procedures as well as Health & Safety),issues like those mentioned in the above article link are completely avoidable: "when senior SME decision makers were asked to rank their top 3 regulatory challenges, employment regulations topped the list (37 per cent), followed by health and safety (28 per cent) and pensions (21 per cent)". The greatest issue here is, as described in our previous article here ignorance of your responsibilities in these matters does not protect you from prosecution, because the onus is on you as an employer to make yourself aware of the requirements of the law.
In an SME or new start up business, employees and their rights are always going to be a headache to the uninitiated, from holiday pay, personnel issues, maternity leave and termination of contract, the rules and regulations surrounding these areas is extremely complicated. Highlighted in the above article, "The concern with employment regulations is also reiterated by the fact almost one in five small businesses view employment tribunals & legal proceedings as a top business threat", but in most cases, the answer is very simple – make sure that your employee contract is up to date, regularly maintained and drawn up by a legal professional and then relax!
Of course, we all look forward to the day when Rules & Regulations are easier to administer and understand, were a business too after all, but with the right assistance, from the beginning whenever possible, perhaps youll be surprised by how easy we can make the process for you.
Hodders offers package deals for small and new businesses and an advice line that means when you have a query on any rule or regulation you can just give us a call and we can advise you on what needs to be done, there and then!
The Law is our Business, whats yours?
To speak to Sherine about any of the issues raised in this article, speak to Sherine on: 08442 250 004 (local rate) or email: sherine@hodders.co.uk today!
Hodders Law
http://www.hodders.co.uk
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