On 24.12.20 the UK concluded a Trade Deal with the EU. Whilst this is good news for some businesses, the situation impacts the insurance sector as financial services are not included in the deal and there is no ‘equivalence regime’. Please find attached a brief summary of some changes you might need to consider. MOTOR…
How are businesses adapting to the new normal? As businesses across the country begin to reopen, a myriad of new problems have presented themselves. How do you ensure customers and employees adhere to social distancing measures? Are you able to ensure the safety of anyone that enters your place of business? How do you approach…
The 6 Ways To Improve Your Business Zoom Meetings This time last year, could you have imagined running your businesses from the sofa at home? Well, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, that is the situation a great deal of us find ourselves in. There have been many apps and technologies we’ve used to cope with…
Like many business owners in the UK, you might be gearing up to start bringing your employees back into the workplace. We’ve written this blog to help streamline this process for you, because there are a lot of things you need to consider and complete beforehand. The Three Tests Before we even get into the…
There are so many technicalities and legal issues to consider when running a business that it’s understandable to feel overwhelmed. Using our Small Businesses Legal Checklist will help to protect your business and maximise success. Right Structure There are different structures available depending on the type of business you’re setting up. Use the below…
As a business owner, you’re faced with certain responsibilities when you decide to bring on new staff. An employment contract between you and your employee is one of these and is in fact a legal requirement. The contract serves as a mechanism designed to protect both you and your employee. It does so by ensuring…
Debt recovery is one of the most common reasons members get in touch with our legal team and while it may seem like a daunting process, it’s a problem easily solved by putting in place various monitoring and invoicing systems. Having robust credit control policies and procedures in place will help to decrease the percentage…
As auto enrolment slowly but surely becomes the norm among employers, it seems the transition has been relatively smooth so far. However, auto enrolment doesn’t just affect employers, many employees are keen to know their rights and responsibilities within this new pension scheme. So while the transition seems smooth at this point, that’s not to…
Similar to all other tax-related issues, tax avoidance vs evasion is relatively complex. The line between them can easily be blurred and is incredibly slight. Should you have any concerns regarding tax issues, it’s always best to seek advice from a professional as mistakes can be costly and in some cases, irreversible. There is nothing…
This week sees Mental Health Awareness Week take place, and in light of this we would like to give you some tips when it comes to managing stress in the workplace. Managing work-related stress is very important, primarily for the employee’s wellbeing but also as a business, as lost time means lost revenue. The Health…
This week sees Mental Health Awareness Week take place, and in light of this we would like to give you some tips when it comes to managing stress in the workplace. Managing work-related stress is very important, primarily for the employee’s wellbeing but also as a business, as lost time means lost revenue. The Health…
Calculating holiday / holiday pay can be a daunting task for employers. Throw ‘term time only’ employees in to the mix and you have a recipe for disaster! Over the last decade annual leave has gone through some significant changes starting with the Stringer case back in 2009 which ruled that employees on sick leave were entitled…
The expense of recruiting can make quite a dent in the budget when trying to recruit the right person for a vacancy, as Suffolk county council recently found out to their cost. It is reported* that not only did they spend £32,000 looking for a new chief executive but as no-one met the exceptionally high…
The Importance of Consistent Performance Management Performance management is not a one-off occurrence but instead an all year-round process – managers need to reconsider their methods of appraising their team members and ensuring that this is an ongoing process rather than an annual ‘tick box’ activity. Organisations should be continually reviewing their performance management process to…
Gas Safety Week Gas safety week is coming up starting 17th September, so now is an ideal time to ask: When were your gas appliances last serviced? Legally, if you are a landlord or responsible for a business – the gas system including boilers and flues and any gas appliances must be serviced annually by a…
A recent case by Kenneth Ball (B) v First Essex Buses (2018) has highlighted some important points employers must consider during disciplinary procedures. B tested positive for cocaine in a randomised saliva drug test conducted by his employer. The court found that the decision to dismiss B for failing a drug test was procedurally and fundamentally…
Quite often HR Advisors at Quest get the above query coming up especially where the employee has moved on to work for a competitor. The starting point is quite simple, where employees have signed their employment contracts, they are bound by its terms even if they do not bother to read it (subject to misrepresentation…
When it comes to a list of concerns in running businesses, employment law issues may come top of the list for many Employers as it is extremely complex with continual changing provisions and can be extremely costly when an organization get it wrong therefore to assist our members, we have picked out key areas which…
Since the UK Supreme Court abolished tribunal fees in July 2017 employment tribunal (ET) claims have continued to increase quarter on quarter. The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) have recently published the latest figures for the quarter October 2018 to December 2018. There has been an increase of 23% (9,811) of single ET claims when compared with the…
What role can a business membership organisation play in helping your business? In particular, how could a business support structure play a part in your company’s success? Michael Osborne, of Business First Network, explained this and much more during an insightful ProfileTree Business Leaders interview. Michael began by explaining how he came to be Director…
