Monthly Archives: September 2013

In 2011, a survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers found that 1 in 3 workers in the UK had admitted to taking a so-called ‘sickie’.

For anyone who doesn’t know (or pleads ignorance), a ‘sickie’ is a fabricated excuse which an employee makes for not going into work. In general, these excuses involve reeling off a line of symptoms whilst throwing in a cough or two for good measure. This was clearly reflected in the 2011 survey as four out of ten workers admitted that they even went so far as spending a few days building up their fake symptoms at work before they called in their pre-emptied sickie!

The survey made for fascinating reading. Indeed, the various reasons/justifications employees gave for calling in sick included:

• Being bored at work
• Feeling depressed
• Having to deal with family issues
• Working too hard and ‘rewarding’ one’s self with time off

As well as the more obvious reasons for calling in sick (flu, food poisoning, ‘bug’), some employees also came up with a number of more elaborate excuses for taking time off work. These included: injury during sex, a dart in the back of the head, dementia found in gums after a trip to dentist, and limescale falling into eyes whilst having a shower.

And people say we have no creative talent in this country!

Of course, there is a far more serious side to workplace absenteeism.

Indeed, it is estimated that unnecessary absences cost UK businesses around £32 billion a year. And it’s not just in the pocket where sickies can have a negative affect. They can also damage staff morale as employees who do manage to turn up every day soon get fed up with having to do the work of those who can’t be bothered to get out of bed and do their fair share.

Fortunately, there is a relatively simple way for companies to deal with this problem – update their working practices.

Most people take sickies simply because they are unhappy with the monotony of their jobs. However, some jobs (especially office-based roles) lend themselves favourably to flexible working patterns, such as flexi-hours and working from home for part of the week. Introducing these kinds of practises can help to keep staff members more engaged in their work, thereby reducing their ‘need’ to take a sickie every so often.

Of course, any company that opts to change their working practices will need to make amendments to their staff handbooks as well individual workers’ employment contracts. Fortunately, all of the document templates needed to do this are available in our Employment sub-folder here on the Simply-docs website. Indeed, we have everything from full and part-time contracts of employment to staff handbook policy templates available to download at a moment’s notice, so any company that is keen to make changes to their working practices can rest assured they will be able to do so in no time at all.

Interested? Explore our pages further to find out more.

If you fancy a new start in 2013, it may be time to launch your own business. Whilst it is true that times are tough and that the economy is still in an uncertain state, there are plenty of people and resources just waiting to help you achieve your business dreams. Whether you need some legal documents or health & safety policy advice, the answers that you are looking for are just waiting to be found. Make no mistake about it, starting a new business is tough and requires plenty of hard work. However, the rewards can be tremendous and it is a fantastic feeling to be your own boss. Crimson Publishing has just released a new book called ‘Start Your Own Business 2013’. The book states that potential opportunities come from three main sources:

– Fundamental change in various industries, often driven by new digital potential, so a new company can do something today which was not possible or practical a few years ago.
– From consolidation at large companies, which are generally focusing on fewer and fewer larger brands or products – which leaves a number of niches poorly served. These niches are too small to interest very large suppliers, but can be great for smaller firms.
– Our changing world – populations in the developed world are getting older, leading to more “old people”, who consume very different things from young or middle-aged people; and as the so-called BRIC economies (Brazil, Russia, China and India) continue to grow, they create demand for all sorts of things, from very high-end luxury products to tourism – it’s a great time to start exporting to these growing economies. Another trend in the UK is that larger companies are increasingly replacing employees with outsourced work.

One of the reasons that 2013 is such a great time to start a new business is the fact that there are so many different types of opportunities around. What is more, you can now find funding from more sources than ever before. If you have an idea which you think is well worth investing in, you no longer have to go to the bank as your only source of receiving start-up funds. Online crowd funding is a new way of reaching potential customers directly and asking for their investment before a product is launched. Check out sites such as Kickstarter and IndieGoGo as a way of raising funds for your business.

When setting up a new business it is important to ensure that you cover yourself on a legal basis. There is no need to shell out on expensive lawyers who cost the earth when it comes to drawing up documents for things such as employment contracts. With our services you can buy multiple document templates for the price of one! Work out what type of legal documents your business is going to require, and make a list of everything that you have to cover before you open for trade. 2013 should be the year you start your business!

It will be the case that many businesses will be looking to expand their operations in 2013. This will inevitably involve the hiring of extra staff and employees to help deal with the extra demand in workload. Unfortunately, this means that you will have to go through the potentially highly stressful process of placing a job advert and interviewing candidates. Hiring the right employees can make or break a business so it is important to make well informed decisions when it comes to hiring staff. The fact is that hiring staff will take up a lot of your time as you will have to review CVs and create document templates for the potential new contracts that you will have to sign. Here are some tips on how to hire the perfect candidate.

First of all, be specific in the job advert. There is no point in wasting someone’s time by not pointing out all the important elements of what the job will entail. If the person will be expected to work unusual hours then you should say so in the advert so that people who need a regular 9 ‘til 5 will know not to apply. Another trick when it comes to writing job adverts is to ask potential candidates to respond to the advert in a specific way. This will help test their attention to detail and exclude anyone who doesn’t follow the process set out in the advert. There is no point in employing someone who doesn’t take notice of instructions.

Once you have drawn up a list of potential interview candidates, it is time to start arranging interviews. It may well be that you have received applications from people all over the country. If that is the case then it may be more time and cost effective to have an initial chat via the video conference program Skype. This means that the candidates don’t have to shell out on expensive travel costs, and you can work out whether your potential applicants are comfortable working with computers or not. Skype is a very simple program to use so everybody should be able to work it no matter what their age or background.

It will then be time to narrow down the field of candidates again. At this point you really should have a contract of employment template available for the candidates to look at if they so ask. The fact is that there are some things that you can only learn about a candidate when you meet them in person. It is important to know whether a person has the right character and personality to fit in with the other employees working for your business. Listen to your gut feeling and choose the candidate that appears to offer the most to the company. When it comes to offering the job you will need a contract template to protect the rights of both the candidate and your company. You will hopefully hire the right people to move your business forward.

When you run a small business the last thing that you need to happen is to get sued by a disgruntled supplier, customer, or employee. That is why it is super important to ensure that you have the necessary legal structure in place to support you if such an awful situation arises. If you are starting up a new business you will no doubt have a number of different issues which are all clambering to take up your time. But if you don’t have professional legal contracts you could end up in a very sticky situation when things go wrong.

One of the major ways of avoiding getting sued when starting out as a business is to ensure that your products or services do not fall foul of any types of patents or copyright trademarks. You cannot simply copy somebody else’s idea if they have already taken out the proper legal documents to protect their idea. If you have invented a new product it is well worth checking the patent databases to ensure that you won’t fall foul of any pre-existing product laws. If you do breach copyright you could be subjected to tremendous fines or even a prison sentence.

When you are starting your company you may think that everything is fairly simple in regards to contracts and legal forms. However, it is essential that you ensure that all your legal documents are worded as clearly as possible. If your contracts are hastily written on scrap paper you could be leaving yourself open to serious problems. Standard terms and conditions should be clear and comprehensive thus leaving no room for potential misinterpretations. Although all your employees may be happy to begin with, it only takes one disagreement for certain types of people to see whether they would be able to claim compensation in court. It is always beneficial to explicitly account for every possibility and eventuality in a contract.
Another thing to consider is the prospect of paying for business insurance. Insurance is essential if you want to be protected against any potential legal setbacks or disasters. The fact is that without insurance you may be unable to pay for your legal costs if you do find your business being sued. In such scenarios you will almost certainly lose the business, and possibly some of your home assets, so it is incredibly important to get the right business insurance cover.

However, one of the easiest and most obvious ways to avoid getting sued is by making sure that you do not break the law! Engage in shady practices and the chances are that you will get caught eventually. Remember that ignorance of the law is never a valid excuse for breaking it. As long as your treat your customers and suppliers well there shouldn’t ever be any threats of legal action. If a minor problem does arise make sure that you deal with it as quickly as possible before it becomes a far bigger and escalated business issue.

It is well known that all companies are required to use business documents if they want to stay in legal operation. After all, if you don’t protect your business against false claims you probably aren’t fit to be running a company in the first place. However, there is confusion about the many different types of business documents templates which are available to be used today. We believe that you shouldn’t have to pay the earth for over the top fees charged by law firms and solicitors when drawing up legal documents, which is why we offer a wide selection of templates to cover all of your business needs. Here is a quick look at some of the most widely used documents that we offer.

Business Documents
Our business documents consist of a massive range of professionally drafted and fully editable documents which are designed to help companies communicate and draw up contracts with their clients and suppliers in a legally acceptable fashion. When it comes to providing business services it is important that your company has a written service agreement which informs clients of their rights and obligations when they decide to invest in your products. It is also important for the majority of companies to have a Terms and Conditions document which informs people of their consumer rights.

Corporate Documents
Corporate Documents are designed to deal with legal issues such as drawing up partnership agreements or appointing company directors. You will need corporate documents in order to protect the business if things start to turn sour. For example, if a company director is refusing to do their job properly you will find it far easier to get rid of them if you can prove that they have broken the contract and agreement that they signed up for in the first place.

Employment Documents
When it comes to employees it is always better to be safe rather than sorry. Make sure that your company possesses a valid health and safety policy statement so that you are potentially covered in the event of a work place accident. You will also need to write employee contracts which protect the rights of both the individual and the business. The last thing that you want to happen as a business owner is for one of your ex-employees to sue you for compensation, so it is well worth investing in the proper legal templates.

Property Documents
No matter what type of business you run, the chances are that you will need an office or workshop to operate from in the first place. The majority of people choose to have dedicated business addresses rather than working from home, in which case you will need to make sure that you are covered by professional lease agreements. If you let out or rent a property it is essential to read through property agreement documents properly to ensure that you are happy with the terms and conditions. All our templates can be customised to meet your business needs.

If you are considering whether to start a new business in 2013, it can be slightly overwhelming when you realise all the things that you have to think about. The British Chamber of Commerce website has highlighted a larger than expected rise of new businesses in the last 18 months. Running your own business requires a lot of hard work and dedication, but with a little bit of luck and an awful lot of elbow grease you could make 2013 the year when you finally leave the rat race. Here are some of the most important things that you have to consider when starting a business.

First of all you need to decide what type of service of product you are going to provide. Research your intended market thoroughly and work out what type of niche you are likely to want to fill. There is no point in providing exactly the same services as another company – you have to find a unique selling point. What can your company offer which others can’t? It may be cheaper prices, better quality products, or an entirely new service. Whatever it is, make sure that people know about it!

Once you have decided on the type of business that you are going to run it is time to draw up a business plan. There are plenty of guides and legal templates available on the Internet which will help you through the process of writing your plan. A business plan should prepare for both success and failure. Nobody starts a business with the intention of failing, but it is important to be aware of the challenges that you may face on the road to success. You will also have to decide on where you are going to base the business. Wherever you choose to work you will need a health and safety statement to cover the workplace environment.

It is also important to choose the right type of name to represent your business and appeal to your potential customer base. One of the major considerations when choosing a name nowadays should be whether there is a related domain name available on the Internet. Many people use the Internet as their first port of call when checking out a company, so it is important to have a strong online presence. Once you have decided upon your company name you can start building a brand and marketing strategy around it to help attract as much new business and customers as possible.

Business contracts are part and parcel of any successful company and you will need to learn how to deal with them if you want your business to succeed. Always stay on the right hand side of the law and fulfill all your legal duties. The Tax Office will need to be informed of your new businesses within 3 months of it starting up or else you may face possible fines and benefit cuts. Use contracts as a way of protecting you, your business, and your employees and suppliers.