Yearly Archives: 2013

Every business will need certain legal documents. This is basically so the owner or those in charge can set out the operation of the business, along with having protection for it and its employees. So, with this in mind here are five legal documents that are generally essential for any company.

Employee contracts

These types of legal documents generally relate to the rights, responsibilities and duties of employees. Of course, there is nothing to say that these have to be in writing. However if you have verbal contracts and anything should happen, it can be hard to resolve issues. It pays to bear in mind that, legally, employees have a right to be provided with a written statement of the terms of their employment within two months of starting work. Therefore, having employment contracts to hand that can be tailored to your needs can be extremely useful.

The standard terms and conditions of the business

Standard terms and conditions templates are needed for any business as these will provide a basis of dealings with customers. A template form can help you to define the nature of work. This type of document may also be used for stating the limitation of liability of a company.

Terms of use for websites

These types of legal documents are needed by a company to make it clear what their website is and what it is not. These types of terms may come in handy even if you are not planning on selling anything on the website. There are numerous matters which may be covered.

Partnership or shareholders agreements

While you will not go into business with any intention of falling out with partners or shareholders, events cannot always be foreseen. If things turn sour, arguments can arise about what will happen to the business. If you have a partnership/shareholder agreement things are a little easier and there is peace of mind for everyone involved.

Commercial lease templates

Commercial lease templates can save you and your business a great deal of trouble, as property leases can be full of things that you didn’t notice. This could include pitfalls, commitments and exclusions. If you don’t know about these you may find yourself liable for large bills if repairs should be needed to the premises. Of course, it goes without saying that in business you should never sign a lease without first having looked over the terms and conditions, preferably with a solicitor.

The above are just five of the many different types of legal documents that you and your business may need. Legal documents are not the easiest thing to understand. However if you download templates that have been professionally designed to meet legal requirements, you can easily tailor them to meet the needs of your business.

When starting your own business, there are 101 things that you need to run it efficiently and within the law. One of these is access to various types of business documents and templates and one of the easiest ways to have access is through a website that offers them. It saves time and money if thousands of different document templates are available to download at the click of a button. So, what are the various templates that you might need?

Open access to a wide range of different categories

Typically, you can get access to a wide range of different categories of document templates, from standard corporate documents to templates for specific applications. You will have peace of mind knowing that all the templates you download will be up to date, are professionally drafted and fully editable, meaning that you can tailor them to your exact needs. After subscribing, you will be able to access document templates over the course of a year, as and when you need them. Business document templates are divided into many sub-categories, which make it easy when trying to find one which meets your requirements. Here are a couple of category examples:

Legal and business forms

These legal forms, along with business letters, can help you manage transactions on a daily basis, whether you are the buyer or the seller of goods. A data protection policy template can also help you when it comes to handling customer data.

Under this category you may find the following documents:

• Invoice templates
• Trade credit application forms
• Purchase order templates.

Sale and supply of goods templates

Your business may rely on the sale and supply of goods, and there are plenty of templates to download which can easily be edited and tailored for many different types of transactions. These kinds of documents can provide assurance that all parties to any business transactions will be aware of any rights and obligations. This will allow your transactions to proceed as smoothly and efficiently as possible. There are many types of business document templates in this category, including:

• Agreements for sale and supply of goods
• Agreements for sale or return of goods
• Terms of business for supplying goods
• Doorstep selling terms of business.

The above are just two examples of the categories of document templates available, along with the many different sub-categories of documents that you may need at some point, all of them customisable. Other categories include Service Agreements, Terms and Conditions, IT & software and Internet & E-commerce. Depending on the type of business, you may additionally need to download templates for terms and conditions for websites, IP and confidentiality agreements, debt recovery forms and commercial agreements. When subscribe you gain access to a range of templates to meet all your business needs.

Finding the perfect job application form template is essential for any business that plans on offering positions in an effort to expand its workforce. Luckily, you can join up with a company such as Simply-Docs and gain access to a whole library of document templates to use, saving you both time and money. For a small fee, you can locate and download any business forms you want at any time of the day. Any business that is recruiting will need to ensure that all of the angles are covered, and employment forms can help you do this easily.

Advantages of having job candidates complete a form from a template

When you have a position open within your business, there are obvious advantages to having candidates fill in a job application form. However, designing your own form can be tedious. It is much easier to download a template and then tailor it to fit the needs of your business and the position that you are offering.

A template will have the information written on it as a standard format, which of course you are free to add to and change. Having each candidate fill out the form makes it easier for you and your team to assess each of them to ensure that you are making a fair comparison, and to look at them objectively based on description of the job. This means that you are more likely to find the most suitable candidate for the post.

Employment application forms and templates can make the task of searching through your applicants a great deal easier, and you can narrow them down quickly. This is essential if you have a lot of candidates applying for the same position. You will be able to focus on the most important questions that people have answered on the form.

Making sure that your job application form complies with employment legislation

One of the biggest advantages to downloading templates is that you can be sure the form will meet various rules of employment legislation.

The company which provides your templates should give you peace of mind that every stage of your recruitment process meets the Equality Act 2010 in any areas which involve documentation. Along with providing applicants with an application form, you may also wish to ensure that guidance notes accompany them.

In relation to job application forms, there are certain things that you have to be careful about asking. For instance, you will not want to demand the date of birth of any candidate. Personal details are one area where special attention has to be paid on job application forms; for example, there should be no request for any information which could lead to discriminating between candidates on the basis of their age, gender or sexual orientation. When downloading templates from a reputable provider, all of these factors will already have been taken into account, which again provides you with peace of mind that you are meeting the guidelines when it comes to the law.

If you are considering going into business or have just started then you may be pleased to know that you can download business related document templates online. There are many benefits to taking out membership with a company offering quality templates, and here we look at just some of them.

Gain access to virtually hundreds of business templates

It doesn’t matter if you are looking for templates for business contracts or just standard terms and conditions; you can get access to hundreds of templates online. Being able to get hold of all your business templates in one place makes life a great deal easier, as you don’t have to go searching around online for a template that you suddenly find that you need.

Tailoring online templates to meet the needs of your business exactly

One of the biggest benefits to online templates is that you are able to download pre-made document templates from many different categories and then tailor the form to meet your exact needs. Templates are typically very flexible and they are able to meet your requirements with very little alteration. You could download the template and then experiment with it until you get it to meet the needs of your business perfectly, without having to start from scratch trying to design your own and not knowing if you have included everything needed to make the form legitimate and legal.

Choosing a company who offers templates

There are many ways to get hold of templates associated with your business online. There are some templates that you can get for free. However bear in mind that these are perhaps not the best option. What may be better if you are relying on templates is to become a member of a company offering you the opportunity to pick and choose from hundreds of online examples in many different categories. When looking for such a company you may wish to consider the following:

Ease of use – you may wish to check how easy it is to use the website and download templates. If the website offers hundreds of templates you don’t want to have to spend a long time searching for the correct template. It would be easier if they stored them in different sections. These could be Business, Corporate and Health and Safety, for example.

One subscription, hundreds of templates – you may wish to check that with your yearly subscription you are able to gain access to download as many templates as you want during that year.

Professionally drafted templates – consider the quality of templates on offer. Make sure that the templates on offer are professionally drafted and that they are legal and easy to use and edit to meet your needs.

Access around the clock – make sure that you are not restricted when it comes to gaining access to the templates. You never know when you might need to find a certain template and you should be able to type in your username and password and be able to gain access at your convenience.

It doesn’t really matter if you are providing services or you are obtaining them for business; there is no getting away from the fact that you have to keep up to date with the latest business documents.
Why terms of business are so important

A terms of business template can help you to set out rules about your services for any potential clients, and so these are essential before you can even get down to work with a client. Terms of business will ensure that everything is out there and above board and that nothing is going to come back to bite you, as the terms will be in black and white for both parties to see. Along with terms of business a service agreement will allow both the client and the provider know just what is expected from each other. This includes things such as obligations and rights under the contract and how transactions are to proceed. A terms and conditions template is another valuable document that you can tailor to your needs to suit your business. Of course, keeping up to date with documentation is essential.

Things to consider when looking for templates

By going with a company which allows you to download all the templates you want in a year, you will know that they update the forms to keep everything legal, and this provides you with peace of mind that you can stay on top when things change with the latest documents.

Not all standard service agreement templates might be suitable and you could struggle to change one to suit your particular business. In this case, service agreements that can be used in many broader situations would be ideal for you. Templates such as these could be changed easily so that you could use them for many different services. This would make this type of document more appealing and suitable for use with an even wider range of businesses and tasks. Bear in mind that there could be many different types of forms available to you.

For instance, you could be looking for:
• A standard service agreement that would work for business to business or business to consumer
• Service terms and conditions that clarify binding terms
• A service agreement that comes with project milestones. Such as template may be divided into milestones and payments may be made when one party has reached a certain milestone
• Service agreement with other services in a project. You could need this if the services are part of a bigger project and the person offering services needs to work with more than one contractor
As you can see when it comes to document templates relating to business there is a great deal to consider if you are to get things right and keep on top of new changes.

The type of business documents that your firm uses will be dependent on the type of sector in which you operate. However, there are some documents that most businesses will be able to use. Here we take a look at some of the many different types of documents that you may need for your business:

Business plans along with business goals

One of the first documents that you will come across when starting any venture is the business plan. This is a document you draw up which outlines your goals and objectives. The business plan will generally include a management plan, along with a budget and possibly marketing strategies. During the first few years, a business plan is essential as it provides a blueprint and has strategic goals for the business to meet.

Documents relating to accounting

Keeping your accounts up to date is essential when it comes to tax time. You may have a department that takes care of accounting, depending on the size of your business. If you are doing the accounting yourself you will need documents so that you can keep track of what is coming in and what is going out. Your company may also need to write financial reports for any investors and/or shareholders.

Customer services documentation

If your company is selling products or services you may have a customer service department. This service will typically also answer any questions that customers may have and/or deal with complaints. Documents that are common and which relate to clients and the customer service department include order forms, complaint forms and brochures or leaflets with the descriptions of the services and products your company offers.

Documents for the operation of your business

There may be many different types of document that you need for the running of your business. These could include meeting minutes for use during meetings and proposals for projects. Other documents may include terms and conditions, contracts, agreements or terms of business. For your firm to operate legally you may also need several types of legal documentation.
Documents you may need for employees

When taking on employees there are certain documents that you would need. Documents such as these may include a contract of employment. If your business requires this you can download a contract of employment template and base your document on this one and tailor it to meet your needs.

Keeping all employees up to date with health and safety is essential and you will want to have a health and safety document in place in case of accidents in the workplace. Accidents can be recorded on an accident sheet or a health and safety form. Again you can download templates, which you can then tailor to meet the needs of your particular business.

Purchasing ready-made legal templates can save a company a lot of time. There is no shortage of professional templates available online and they are generally offered for a wide range of business aspects; you can generally come across anything from service agreements to terms and conditions.

A cost effective solution – unlimited instant downloads each year

So what are the benefits of taking out membership with a website offering templates for a business? Typical benefits could include:

• Gaining access to hundreds of forms, legal contracts, letters and much more, for the price that it could cost for just purchasing one
• Membership that offers unrestricted access around the clock
• Having access to a portfolio of documents that is constantly being updated, meaning you always have the very latest version of the legal document you need
• Having access to a large range of legal documents and templates that is regularly being expanded, to ensure that you have the protection you need for your business
• Receiving alerts by email to remind you when documents have been updated to make sure that you always remain up to date
• Being made aware of other documents which relate to those that you have downloaded
• The option of seeing which documents you have downloaded and being able to access them at all times
• Receiving a monthly newsletter telling you about changes with legislation to ensure that you remain up to date with legal aspects

What types of documents are available?

There is typically a whole range of legal documents available for download. These will be put into virtual folders, which make it a great deal easier to find just what you are looking for quickly and easily. For instance you could have direct access to:

• Forms relating to identity trade credit risks, minimising trade credit risk, management of trade credit, late debt payments and taking legal action
• Forms relating to creditors and protection by way of problems with creditors, corporate insolvency or limiting exposure to creditors
• Sale management documents such as the legal principles of selling, international trade, network building and advertising and promotions
• Commercial property documentation by way of choice and acquisition, terms and conditions for commercial lease and the responsibilities of the occupier

Of course these are just a few of the numerous forms that you could gain access to and all for a single fee per year.

Wouldn’t life be a lot easier for you when it came to the legal aspect if you had a wide range of legal documentation to download when you needed it? For example you may need a business contract template urgently. What if you wanted a business agreement template? These are just two of the documents you could get your hands on 24/7 from the comfort of your computer. You would have them within minutes. Services offering templates know that your time can be of the essence to you in business. They also know how important it is for you to keep your business up to date when it comes to the law. Why risk falling foul of legislation when you can be kept up to date and have the latest copy of the template you need?

Starting a business can open up a whole new chapter in your life and it enables you to become the master of your own destiny. If your enterprise proves a success, you also stand to gain potentially significant financial rewards.

However, there are many hurdles to overcome en route and one of them is the raft of legislation that exists. Business and employment laws serve a very important purpose, but coping with them as a new company can be difficult.

Be shrewd

Rather than attempting to muddle through yourself, it can help to take advantage of the legal templates that are available. Here at Simply-docs we offer an array of document templates that should help you remain on the right side of the law with minimal hassle and expense.

By being shrewd and using these resources, you can reduce your stress levels and free up more of your time to get on with the other important tasks facing you.

Starting out

There’s so much to think about when your enterprise remains in embryonic form. For example, you’ll have to work out which legal structure is right for you and register your company. Of course, there’s also the vital issue of financing to consider and you may need to find a suitable premises and take on personnel.

All of this takes time and energy, and it’s crucial that you adhere to the law at all times. If you don’t, you’re storing up trouble for the future.

Here to help

By using our templates, you should find it easier to conform to the legislation and the great thing is, you don’t have to break the bank to take advantage of our documents.

Our portfolio of legal and business document templates is divided into five folders, namely business, corporate, employment, health and safety and property. Each of these folders contains a wide selection of contract templates, agreements, forms, policies, statements and letters for you to use. By subscribing to a folder, you’ll get unlimited access to download any and all documents from that folder for the duration of one year.

Easy to use

You should find it quick and easy to locate the relevant templates, whether you’re after health and safety policies, corporate documents or anything else. Meanwhile, once you’ve accessed them, you’ll find them simple to use and edit.

A savvy investment

Accessing these templates may require a little expenditure, but this should prove to be a savvy investment. After all, our documents are great value for money and they can help you to avoid potentially costly legal battles.

The last thing a fledgling business needs is to be dragged through the courts. Whether you accidentally contravene health and safety laws, employment legislation or anything else, this could have a disastrous impact on your finances and your emerging reputation.

With our help, you should find it easier to avoid these complications. To find out more about what we have to offer and to get the full low down on the documents we provide, just take a look around the rest of our website.

Business and employment regulations play a hugely important role in modern society and they have reformed the way in which people work. However, keeping up-to-date with all the legislation can be tricky and if you don’t have much experience or you lack the resources to devote too much time and money to this task, it can be a real struggle.

If you’re not careful, you can quickly end up on the wrong side of the law, and this can have hugely damaging consequences.

Come to us

However, there are ways of making your life easier. For example, here at Simply-docs we offer a whole array of business documents and by using these, you should find it much more straightforward to adhere to the legislation.

Our templates cover all aspects of enterprise, from corporate to property, health and safety and employment.

More info

Of course, before you spend any money on these resources, you’ll want to know exactly what you’ll get in return. If you subscribe to our unique service, you’ll benefit from one year’s downloads from the document folder(s) or packs to which you subscribe. You’ll also have the opportunity to register to receive monthly newsletters to help keep you up-to-date with any legislation and regulatory changes.

Meanwhile, our services are affordable. We enable you to benefit from hundreds of legal contracts, agreements, forms and letters for the price of one. In addition, downloads are unlimited. You can access the documents 24-7. Simply help yourself whenever you need another template.

Updates

The fact is, documents aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on unless they’re bang up-to-date. You can rest assured that all our templates are because we constantly update them to ensure our clients have the latest versions.

We even send alerts when your documents have been updated and these include an explanation as to why the changes have been made.

Furthermore, we regularly add to our selection and range of documents, helping to provide even greater protection for your business.

Some stats

You might also like to note that our business documents folder contains a total of 584 business document templates, while our employment folder comes with 424 documents, our health and safety folder contains 307 templates and our property folder has 146 documents for you to peruse.

If you’d like a more comprehensive selection of documents, it’s worth checking out our Premium Pack, which has 2,108 documents, and our Premium Plus Pack, which contains 2,254 templates.

Peace of mind

Let’s face it, running a business isn’t easy. There are so many different tasks to attend to and often you may feel as though there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to complete them all. The last thing you need is the added pressure of worrying about legal issues.

By taking advantage of our business documents templates and other documents, you can make your life easier and boost your peace of mind at the same time. To find out more, just take a look around the rest of our website.

Taking on new staff members can be an exciting process. After all, getting more personnel on board can help to reinvigorate your enterprise and it also indicates that your firm is doing well.

However, as with virtually all aspects of business, there are complications. To help ensure that the rights of both workers and employers are protected, there are a series of laws in place and it is vital you adhere to these at all times. This means filling in the necessary documentation.

Don’t panic

If you have little or no experience in this matter, or haven’t taken on new members of staff for a long time, you might feel your blood pressure start to rise at the thought of filling out this paperwork. After all, where to start?

However, there is an easy way to approach this potential problem. By being savvy and taking advantage of our services here at Simply-docs you can access all the legal documents you need quickly, simply and inexpensively.

You’re not alone

One thing’s for sure, you’re not alone in hiring new employees. Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that the labour market continued to rise in the final three months of last year, with employment increasing and the jobless rate falling.

According to the organisation, the number of individuals in work rose by 154,000 between September and December, swelling the workforce to 29.73 million. Meanwhile, the number of unemployed people declined by 14,000 quarter-on-quarter, bringing the unemployment rate down to 7.8 per cent.

More stats

The ONS also noted that the number of individuals in full-time positions went up by 197,000 over the three-month period, while the number of people in part-time work dropped by 43,000.

There was also a fall in the number of workers who said they were in part-time employment because they couldn’t find a full-time position.

Continues to astound

Responding to the figures, which coincided with a contraction in UK GDP, director of the Jobs Economist John Philpott said: “The UK jobs market continues to astound. We are in a middle of both a jobs boom and a pay slump as jobseekers struggle to gain or retain employment in a stagnant economy by pricing themselves into work.

“This is unlike anything seen in this country since the Second World War, with the economy using more and more people at falling real rates of pay to produce a static level of output.”

See for yourself

If you’re intrigued by the legal documents we have to offer, just take a look around the relevant section of our website. Our employment documents folder provides a complete range of options, including employment application forms templates, employment contracts, policies and letter templates, to help you recruit and manage personnel from recruitment through to redundancy and dismissal.

With our documents at your disposal, you should find managing your workforce easier and you can help ensure you don’t end up on the wrong side of the law. You may also be pleasantly surprised by the low cost of our templates.