Employment Issues for Small and Medium Sized Businesses
"Many a costly employment claim could be avoided by some simple advance planning!"
Human Resources Departments are a luxury to most small businesses where, all too frequently, relations between an employer and his staff are based on trust. But what happens when that trust breaks down? It may well be grounds for a claim of Constructive Unfair Dismissal. At Eastleys, we regularly come across situations where a disgruntled employee wants to sue an employer for a reason that could have been avoided, if only the correct procedure had been put in place. In the majority of cases the Employer is too busy running their business to bother with anything but the most cursory of rules for their employees.
It would appear that each day a new piece of legislation is being enacted or changed. With changes to the one, two, three step disciplinary process and the implementation of the discrimination laws affecting equality law, sex, age, disability, maternity, paternity, etc …. recruitment has become a nightmare.
We are often contacted by employers who have not considered the following:
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What to put in the Contract?
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Are they able to dismiss an employee and on what grounds?
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What to do with an employee who is on long-term sick leave on full pay?
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What to do with the employee who keeps going off sick?
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What do you do when business drops off, should you make someone redundant and if so, how?
In large organisations, all these concerns are dealt with by a Human Resources Department. In smaller business, they tend to be dealt with at an Employment Tribunal. What is the difference? The former have all got systems in place to deal with such problems before they arise, the latter usually have to resort to costly legal advice only after a situation has arisen.
At Eastleys, we have the Employment Advice Team to bridge this gap. We provide Employment Solutions to avoid problems at the outset. A Specialist Human Resources Adviser, Mike Homer, is on hand to guide you through and put in place the systems you need to avoid costly problems in the future. This advice can help with recruitment, disciplinary and grievance procedures and redundancy. Mike can also accompany you through a redundancy process or act as an independent arbitrator at a Disciplinary hearing.
Angela Shropshall-Clark is in charge of the legal team that can draft bespoke contracts of employment, which are vital for any business, and help in other legal issues that may arise.
Both Mike and Angela have many years of expert experience in their respective fields and can provide a first class service ranging from a one off employment health check to more long term or specific issues. They can also make on site visits.
Call today and ask for Angela Shropshall-Clark or Mike Homer on 01803 559257
or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
