Business Advice Services News

Often thought of as a morbid topic for discussion, the issue of life insurance is however, an important one. The sudden loss of a spouse or parent can not only cause emotional damage but can wreak financial havoc on dependents, due to funeral costs, the sudden loss of household income and the possible need for extra help and support especially there are young children that need to be looked after. So what should you look out for when weighing up life insurance options? (more…)

This last month or so has been a depressing and very worrying time for most businesses due to the massive uncertainty caused by the banks financial instability and forecasts of a recession. But there may be light at the end of the tunnel.

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In todays economic climate, redundancy is a harsh reality for employees and employers. Employees fear losing their jobs and employers fear that if they don’t cut costs their companies will not survive.  In this article we discuss the key areas that employees and employers should consider if faced with redundancy. (more…)

When things are not going well with your business, as is the case with a lot of businesses at the moment, it is difficult to see the wood from the trees.  It is therefore important to recognise the warning signs and seek advice early.  Most Business Recovery specialists or Insolvency Practitioners (IPs) offer a free “Business Health Check” or initial consultation.
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HMRC has issued in excess of 800,000 fines to construction related companies since the CIS TAX came into being in April last year. (more…)

The use of parts of residential properties for business purposes is growing and becoming more and more popular, particularly for small businesses. However, many business are not taking advantage of the mortgage interest relief on offer.
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If you employ more than 50 people, you should be complying with the ICE Directive (The Information and Consulting Regulations) which came into force on 6^th April 2008. As a result, you will be legally bound to inform and consult with your workforce in permanent collective representative structures, i.e. European Works Councils (EWCs). This came into effect for larger companies employing 150 plus people in April 2005 and has now been extended to smaller companies of 50 employees or more.

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We recently got a call from an employer in Buckinghamshire who had a serious problem with an applicant for a position they had advertised.

The applicant, who was deaf, contacted the company to ask why he had not received the opportunity of an interview. Unfortunately, the wrong person took the call, informing the applicant that the company did not have any sign language facilities within the organisation.

The applicant sued the company under the DDA and at a subsequent tribunal was awarded £11,000 compensation.
fightyourcorner.com was contacted by the employer with a view to an appeal but, due to the circumstances, our Employment Law team advised the employer “not to throw good money after bad”. There was very little chance of the appeal being successful.

In addition to non compliance with DDA, the other lesson to be learned here is to make sure that whoever is dealing with employment issues is fully conversant with the latest employment law and DDA legislation. This is virtually impossible for most employers, who simply do not have sufficient time to keep up to date with all the complex constantly changing legislation being introduced.

This is one of the main reasons why fightyourcorner.com was set up 18 months ago. We are here to help employers, through our UK wide team of advisers, when problems arise and also in addition to being reactive, we help in a proactive way with advice on employment law strategy to help employers avoid the very serious problems, as illustrated here.

For further information and assistance with a confidential free initial consultation, call 0800 130 0473 or email: mailbox@fightyourcorner.com

A new Statutory Instrument, 2008 No 1276, was introduced on 26th May entitled “The Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008” which should be taken into account when preparing the content of adverts, web pages and brochures.

It prohibits misleading advertising and sets out conditions for comparative advertising. Breach of it is a criminal offence and will lead to investigation by the Office of Fair Trading and/or The Weights and Measures Authorities.

Emphasis is placed on being fair with advertising to trade and consumers alike.

For more information click here.

For further information and assistance, call 0800 130 0473 or email:

mailbox@fightyourcorner.com or visit: www.fightyourcorner.com

Good debt management should protect companies affected by sudden changes in contract terms.

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