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As a small business, you’ve worked incredibly hard to build your enterprise from the ground up. What was once a simple idea, has now turned into a business machine with multiple moving parts, and you now have employees, multiple departments, targets and revenue to consider. While the average working day of any business owner means juggling multiple responsibilities, and as many business owners simply learn on the job when something as serious as an employment tribunal is brought to your attention, it’s enough to bring your entire enterprise to a standstill.
It’s a nightmare scenario, but for many small business owners, it’s a difficult reality. And rather than educating themselves about employment law and putting policies and procedures in place at the outset, they’ll be spending time finding employment tribunal lawyers instead. If you’re a growing small business, then understanding how to protect your enterprise from employment tribunals is essential knowledge that shouldn’t be dismissed. Read on to find out more.
Obtain Good Employer Advice
Having the guidance, advice and assistance of a strong legal team when you need it most, can help steer your small business away from the edge of the parapet. Having a reputable legal team or advisor ready and waiting to take your call can make a real difference to how you handle employee disputes and challenges, ensuring that you take the right approach from the very beginning.
Don’t Bury Your Head In The Sand
The last thing you want as a small business is to find yourself faced with an employment tribunal. Or perhaps things have gotten out of control and escalated so quickly that you felt you had no control over the dispute. As a business owner, it’s important that you take action from the outset and never bury your head in the sand over internal matters, no matter how trivial they might appear. Taking the steps to protect yourself means creating a paper trail, seeking legal advice and keeping abreast of all legislative changes and legal requirements.
Keep Full and Accurate Records
As a small business owner, it’s easy to dismiss the need to keep consistent and thorough records of everything – after all, you’re a growing enterprise, not (yet) an industry leader. However, the importance of keeping full and accurate records should never be overlooked. The more you record relevant information such as return to work emails, lateness discussions and disciplinary or performance warnings etc, means that if anything does go-ahead to a tribunal, you and your growing business are completely covered and more likely to win.
Have The Right Policies In Place
The moment you begin employing other people, you need to have legal and robust policies in place that not only protects them but your business. You’ll also have to provide employees with copies of these policies which should include:
- Absence and sickness policies
- Health and safety
- Disciplinary procedures and grievances
- Dismissal policies
In conclusion, whether you’re an industry expert or a fledgling entrepreneur, the moment you begin hiring others you need to put policies and practices in place to safeguard your business.
