As a sales rep, you have to reconcile the fact that you’re trying to make as much money as possible with the fact that you can only make a finite amount of sales in a given quarter. The sky isn’t the limit — but however far the best of your abilities can take you is.

But in some cases, the money your company allows you to make stops short of your full potential. Some businesses impose a cap on commission — a strict limit on what you’re allowed to earn. Generally, that’s not the way to go. 

Here, we’ll learn about the benefits of uncapped commission, some insight into why some companies might not be interested in it, and the pitfalls of including the term in job listings.

A cap on commission might mean a cap on effort. That’s why uncapped commission can be a powerful incentive for sales reps to exceed expectations. If a sales rep’s commission is capped at $50,000 for $500,000 worth of sales in a quarter, what incentive do they have to try to go beyond that?

Many salespeople won’t be receptive to a pat on the back, and a trophy that doesn’t come with some sort of tangible incentive might not be enough to set your highest performing reps on the right track. A financial reward is often the most powerful motivator for reps — leaving commission uncapped can provide just that.

In many cases, uncapped commission is a given. Several — if not most — companies don’t put a lid on how much an exceptional rep can earn for going above and beyond. Businesses should want the most out of their reps, and you won’t get that by imposing hardline restrictions on compensation.

Why would a company want to cap commission?

It wants to avoid overpaying its reps.

That’s probably the bluntest, most obvious answer to that question. Companies often want to look out for what they believe to be their most immediate financial interests. In many cases, they want to be able to present definitive budgets and save money. But that strategy often backfires.

A sales rep who closes a massive deal only to find out they’re going to receive a fraction of the commission it warrants is going to be disappointed. They will be less interested in giving the necessary effort to bring in as much business as they can.

That loss of initiative often means less revenue from and lowered morale within a sales org, so it’s fair to say that capping commission is often counterintuitive and unproductive.

Why You Should Avoid “Uncapped Commission” in Job Descriptions

Job seekers should be wary of any job description that touts uncapped commission as a major selling point. In a lot of cases, that could very well be a big-time red flag. Uncapped commission is often an implied benefit for most sales positions — it’s almost always a given.

Advertising uncapped commission is like bragging about providing salespeople with a company computer and an office with Wifi access. Sure, it’s important to have, and a sales role would be tougher without it, but it doesn’t look particularly impressive to prospective candidates.

For businesses in the hiring process, putting “uncapped commission” on your job listing can make you look cheap and spammy. It might lead candidates to believe they’ll be underpaid — that you’re unwilling to state what a sales rep at your company can actually expect to earn.

Instead, your job descriptions should be straightforward and honest. Detail factors like the types of insurance your company can provide, the amount of PTO candidates can expect to see, other financial incentives like tuition reimbursements and commuter benefits, and any other meaningful incentives that you feel your potential hires should know about.

As far as mentioning compensation, be frank with candidates. Give them a picture of the pay structure you intend to offer them, like “base plus commission.” And consider giving them a picture of their on-target earnings — the average amount of money they can expect to earn from their base salary coupled with a realistic figure of their potential commission.

Capping commission can mean putting a lid on sales reps’ effort. In most cases, salespeople will be less inclined to pursue that extra deal or push themselves that much further if they know they won’t be appropriately paid for it. If you’re a sales leader interested in getting the most out of your reps, it’s in your best interest to leave commission uncapped.

Uncapped commission generally means uncapped effort. If you want that kind of commitment out of your team, don’t restrict that element of their compensation.

Original Source: blog.hubspot.com

In a world where technology is increasingly taking over mundane human tasks like capping toothpaste tubes, completing sentences, managing inventory and even driving, automation has played a huge role in the workplace economy by helping cut down human input on repetitive tasks.

It is estimated that office productivity loss due to employee time spent on administrative tasks (that can be easily automated) costs nearly $5 trillion annually, and roughly 69 workdays are spent doing such tasks. For gig economy workers and independent professionals who earn money based on the time they spend producing results-oriented work, this loss in productivity translates directly into decreased incomes.

This and many other reasons compelled Gaurav Tripathi, a graduate of IIT-Bombay, to set up Superpro.ai – a platform that helps independent professionals save time and earn more money by using artificial intelligence and automation to help perform time-consuming, yet simple tasks such as scheduling consultations, collecting payments, sending email reminders for follow-ups, generating invoices and sorting and collecting data, among others.

Gaurav says Superpro’s value proposition is that it substantially helps independent professionals increase their billable hours. It also gives them access to analytical tools that provide insights on how professionals can maximise their productivity, improve their performance and grow their business faster – stuff that was previously only available to big corporates.

“We combine nearly eight to nine tools that professionals would have required to offer their services, into one, and save them a lot of precious time which they can spend on billable tasks,” says Gaurav, in an interview with YourStory.

The platform, in addition to backend automation and analytics, allows professionals to create their own professional page that highlights their expertise and services – starting with a video message that it asks its users to shoot and upload. It gives businesses wanting to get in touch with professionals listed on Superpro several contact points within the platform, without ever revealing their personal information such as emails or phone numbers.

Most of the ‘solopreneurs’ on the platform use it to offer video-based services such as consultations, webinars, coaching, live courses, and training, among others.

An screengrab of Superpro.ai's platform

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COVID-19 accelerating the ‘future of work’

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant increase in the number of people coming online to look for work, and geographical boundaries have blurred between those offering services and those needing them.

Gaurav says he has seen an uptick in the number of professionals on Superpro over the last couple of months too – more than 1,000 people are now offering services ranging from music and dance lessons, to live cooking classes, on the platform.

“Where earlier professionals were able to sell their services only in their neighbourhood or their cities or towns, geographical boundaries have now expanded. We had someone recently sell piano lessons to learners in the US, so no longer do people have to stay confined to their geographical location,” he adds.

Users have to spend not more than two minutes to get set up on the platform, which comes pre-loaded with a host of software and applications that enable video calling, payment collection, email automation, etc.

“Professionals can start delivering without any investment – they don’t need to buy subscriptions, websites. Their only investment is their laptop or their mobile phones,” Gaurav quips.

The sign-up and the services are free for Superpro users – the startup only takes a small cut of the money they make, when they start making it.

“We get paid when you, a Superpro user, gets paid,” he says.

The startup, founded in August 2019 by Gaurav and his co-founders Vijay Goel, Vivek Kumar, and Sagar Ramteke, earns over Rs 5 lakh, annually. Superpro.ai, which has been incubated by SOSV is currently looking to raise $500,000 over the next one month.

Edited by Anju Narayanan

Original Source: yourstory.com

Launched in 2014, StoryBites is a weekly feature from YourStory, featuring notable quotable quotes in our recent articles. Share these gems and insights from the TechSparks speakers with your colleagues and networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights.

In Part IV of our special collection of quotes from YourStory’s TechSparks 2020 coverage, we present insights on the roles and responsibilities of founders (see Part II and Part III) as well). Check out our earlier quotes compilations from conference editions in 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014.

See also our compilation of quotes from the top Tech30 startup founders of 2020, and profiles of the Tech30 startups over the years: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, and 2011.

When you become the first to break the code, you also become the reference. – Chef Vikas Khanna

When you’re category-defining, you’ve to see if you’re helping shape an ecosystem. – Shailendra Singh, Sequoia Capital

We have to develop knowledge, and humility is absolutely essential for that. – Sridhar Vembu, Zoho

Clarity of thought is as important or even more important than performance today – and it has to be well articulated too. – Anu Hariharan, Y Combinator

A lot of tech entrepreneurs get so involved in algorithms and science…it is all very important, but we need to focus on what you present to the world. – Rajashree R, TCS

The narrative strikes a chord on the other side. It has to come from the heart and has to mix with the substance of your business plan effortlessly – so that it becomes a part of you. – Anup Jain, Orios Venture Partners

Good startup founders are good storytellers. Unless you have a good story, you won’t be able to pique any interests. – Saurabh Jain, Paytm

If you look at companies with the best culture in the world, they have a history of treating their employees the same way as their customers. – Anoop Suresh, Springworks

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Although the number of women-founded and co-founded startups are on the increase, investors are still sceptical about investing in women tech entrepreneurs. – Nikhil Rungta, Verizon Media

Success is common, but enduring success that can last for decades is rare. – Shailendra Singh, Sequoia Capital

Brand strategy IS business strategy because it involves purpose, company culture, brand behaviour, and experience design. – Mohit Jayal, Motherland Joint Ventures

You will doubt yourself, you will doubt your abilities, and you will doubt your decisions and actions. But it's important to persevere and not lose sight of your dreams. – Sonu Sood, actor and humanitarian

Be very brave. Do not compromise on vision. – PB Venugopal, Lexus India

You go through a lot of ups and downs and you really need someone who can be a friend, not just a business partner. – Vibhore Goyal, CoCubes

The more you chase a money goal, the more the goal post keeps shifting. You are always in an unsatisfied zone. – Nithin Kamath, Zerodha

Founders need to keep the board and investors aligned, and then be honest with themselves as this requires both short term and long term goals. – Shweta Bhatia, Eight Roads Ventures India

Be in the driver seat of your own life and not let anyone else drive the direction of your life. – Aaksha Meghawat, Apple

The last-mile human touch always helps. People giving their time, knowledge, and energy…passion matters. – Suniel Shetty

You can’t have strategy doing the work all the time. You've to let the odds and serendipity take over sometimes. – Shailendra Singh, Sequoia Capital

COVID-19 has been the mother of all wake-up calls. – Sarbvir Singh, PolicyBazaar

We are all not in the same boat, but we’re all in the same storm. – Suniel Shetty

The post-pandemic business environment will be one represented by growing geopolitical complexity, a more polarised society, and the chance for backlash if the popular sentiment is hurt. – Madan Bahal, Adfactors PR

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The most enduring companies gain dominance because of their unique understanding of market asymmetry or inflection point. – Pieter Kemps, Sequoia Capital India

High winds doesn’t make great sailors, light wind sailing makes great sailors…they equalise everything. – Ashish Hemrajani, BookMyShow

We need to slowly start changing complainers to entrepreneurs…because complainers will have problems and can be problem solvers. – Gururaj ‘Desh’ Deshpande

The best time to do something new is today. – FM Nirmala Sitharaman

The system makes it extremely hard for young entrepreneurs to succeed. If, as a country, we keep ridiculing risk-takers, we will always be a nation of job seekers. – Kunal Shah, CRED

The day you think there is no scope for improvement, the game is over. – Byju Raveendran

India has a valuable talent pool, and this is a very powerful mechanism to create opportunities within India and develop products of value for the world. – Karan Bajaj, WhiteHat Jr.

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Stressed your cup is half-empty not full? Remember you always need to stay grateful. – Tahira Kashyap Khurrana, ‘The 12 Commandments of Being a Woman’

You deal with the world the way it is, not the way you wish it was. This is where you develop character. – John Chambers, JC2

We must ask ourselves, can we make a difference? Can we be innovative and creative and not just look at the money value of what we've done but the contribution it has made to our humanity and our human population in India? – Ratan Tata

YourStory has also published the pocketbook ‘Proverbs and Quotes for Entrepreneurs: A World of Inspiration for Startups’ as a creative and motivational guide for innovators (downloadable as apps here: Apple, Android).

Edited by Suman Singh

Original Source: yourstory.com

Language
English

The “informal economy” is often seen as primarily daily-wage laborers, such as in the construction sector or housekeepers, but it also encompasses vast numbers of workers in short- term, usually contract jobs in the formal service sector such as hospitality, retail, and transport. It also includes those working in the new gig economy.

Their work is often characterized by uncertainty, instability and insecurity. As opposed to those in business or government employment, they bear the risks of their work and receive limited social benefits and entitlements.

The Asia-Pacific region accounts for around 60% of the non-farm global workforce, higher than in Latin America and Eastern Europe, ranging from about 20% in Japan to over 80% in Myanmar and Cambodia. They are twice as likely as formal workers to belong to low-income households and often live hand-to-mouth. If they cannot work for extended periods, their family’s income is at risk.

The informal economy is not a relic of the past or a sign of backwardness. It is also not a consequence of the failure of modernization strategies. Today’s informal economy is an essential feature of global production networks. It operates in an environment marked by complex formal and informal economic links, global economic cycles, and domestic economic concerns.

For many in the informal economy, savings are either nonexistent or extremely limited. Typically, they lack employment security, healthcare benefits, sick leave, pensions, and severance packages. Only some of these low-income households are beneficiaries of social transfer programs or other formal insurance arrangements. And here also coverage and adequacy of benefits remain an issue. In short, informal workers earn their living without a safety net.

Without these protections, informal economy workers, especially the poor, face a wide range of occupational, safety, and health risks. They are disproportionally affected by natural hazards and human-made disasters. When affected, the poor tend to lose a larger fraction of their wealth, given their lower ability to cope and recover from disaster impacts. 

Even those whose employment is technically on the books, such as Uber drivers, face a raft of disadvantages. Being classified as independent contractors, many struggle to win unemployment benefits because their employers fail to pay insurance premiums or report wage data to state agencies.

Today, many at-risk informal workers are classified as “essential” to keep the economy going during the pandemic even though they lack basic labor protections.

The private insurance sector should see this as an opportunity to contribute to societal development by designing and offering fit-for-purpose healthcare provision, pensions, and insurance solutions for the missing middle. 

The extension of social protection or insurance to workers in the informal economy often concerns households already relying on informal support and risk-sharing. Insurers should gain insights from the interactions between pre-existing informal risk-sharing networks, social protection schemes, and formal insurance markets while designing new solutions. The design elements must reinforce rather than undermine the positive aspects of informal support mechanisms in risk management. 

Often the potential to build on community-based insurance like cooperatives and mutuals is overlooked. A thorough understanding of these mechanisms can help create positive synergies to manage the idiosyncratic risks. For covariate risks, financing the extension of risk protection needs to be done via risk transfer. 

Microinsurance provides a credible option to balance equity and sustainability. Post-disaster, microinsurance products can cover the cost of health care, deaths, and burials, loss of livestock or crops, or business assets. They can also support the business or income-generating enterprises while the overall system recovers. 

However, limited access to a range of risk management mechanisms and data prevents insurers from offering access to affordable insurance. A case in point is the challenge of developing business interruption products post-pandemic due to a lack of legal documents, proof of inventory and income, and insurance providers’ misperceptions about the client group. 

Today, many at-risk informal workers are classified as “essential” to keep the economy going during the pandemic even though they lack basic labor protections.

The COVID-19 outbreak and accompanying disasters due to natural hazards have exposed the challenges in protecting informal workers and vulnerable households in Asia.

In the new normal:

Mutuals and community-based insurance need strengthening through regulatory and supervisory oversight as they play a critical role in insuring the missing middle. In doing so, the women’s position as the households’ risk manager can be reinforced further and recognized at the community level. 
Governments should consider linking social protection programs with insurance to provide a safety net response. The use of digital technologies to target social protection programs towards households most at risk and targeting the female heads of families would be necessary. 
Subsidies do not automatically lead to high take-up, although evidence suggests that they expand coverage in different contexts. The role of smart subsidies needs to be further explored. And the same goes for smart technology.
The viability of insurance is a direct function of an insurer’s solvency of following a large-scale catastrophe or sequential disaster events. Well capitalized and regulated insurers can diversify their portfolios via reinsurance and help in growing this nascent market.
The design elements of new insurance products need to address the informal sector’s risks and the gig economy workers. They must also consider access to existing risk-pooling arrangements to offer optimal protection.
There is little awareness or understanding of the merits of insurance for managing large-scale disasters. More awareness-building is needed to instill trust and to involve women as change agents. Home is the best school, and the mother is the best teacher. In this manner, one can instill the value of insurance in an entire generation. At the same time, stringent action should be taken against those who are mis selling. 

To address the future of work, a shift in thinking is needed about private partnerships and putting the elderly, women, and youth at the center of loss prevention and building resilience for the households. This will be the most effective way forward for developing future protection solutions.

covid, covid-19, coronavirus, novel coronavirus, corona virus, covid-19 response, communicable diseases, infectious diseases, emergency response, health response, outbreak, pandemic, covid-19 prevention, insurance, informal workers, informal labor, social protections, health insurance, vendors, day laborers, contract workersArup Kumar ChatterjeeArticle

Original Source: blogs.adb.org

Starting a new business is a busy time for an entrepreneur. You’re developing a business plan, getting your financial plan in order, and possibly pitching to investors or seeking funding. One thing that can be overlooked but is incredibly vital, is ensuring all legal obligations are met. The failure to do so can result in fines or possibly even court proceedings.

This guide should help you tackle the legal aspects of starting a business in the UK, from choosing a name for your business right at the start all the way to employing staff later on. You can work the relevant legal points into your traditional business plan, or even draw up a separate legal plan or checklist to ensure you have covered everything. 

While the legal processes covered are specific to the UK, the general categories are likely applicable no matter where your business located. That being said, let’s dive in.

Naming your business

You need to choose a unique name for your business, that is not being used already, to avoid running

into problems. If the name is too similar to other businesses, it can suggest there is a connection between the companies and you could be seen as trying to pass your company off as theirs, taking business from them as a result. If they complain or file for trademark infringement, you could be required to change your business name, possibly pay damages, and spend extra time and money re-doing signs, stationery, advertising, etc.

You can easily check to see if your name idea has been taken yet using Made Simple and it’s also wise to verify if a similar trademark already exists.

Choosing the legal status of your business

The legal status you choose determines whether you need to register your business with Companies House, which is the UK’s registrar of companies. The legal status also affects the records and accounts that you have to keep, the amount of tax and National Insurance (NI) you will pay, and your financial liability if the business were to go under. 

It’s also worth noting that in the UK employees pay NI contributions to qualify for certain state benefits and a state pension when they retire. This total will vary based on the legal status of your business. Here are the most common types of legal business structures to choose from when setting up a new business.

Sole trader 

This is the easiest option if you are the only owner (you can still employ people). There is no business registration with Companies House required and keeping records and accounts is simple. Many businesses start off as sole traders and change their legal status later on.

You can benefit from full profit retention and you can complete your own self-assessment tax return online each year, or get an accountant to do it for you. There will be more about paying taxes in the next section. 

If you want to protect the name of your business, you will still need a trademark as no formal registration happens. You will need to weigh up the cost of this to see if it is worth doing.

The downside of being a sole trader is that you have unlimited liability, meaning you are liable for any debts the business has. You could risk your own personal assets, such as your house and savings if the business got into financial difficulty. Sole traders also find it harder to get the funding they need from banks, but it could be the right option for you if your business is low-risk and does not need finance. 

Some people prefer to deal with sole traders over limited companies as the business tends to feel more personal, particularly if the nature of the work is sensitive.

Partnership 

This is the easiest option when there is more than one business owner, and two or more people share the costs, risks, and responsibilities. You do not have to have equal shares and each person’s liability is proportionate to their share.

The downside is that like being a sole trader, partners are not protected financially. If the business goes under you could become liable for your partner’s share of the debt. To avoid this scenario, you can become a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) so that the LLP is then responsible for any debt and not the business owners.

Limited company 

Most limited companies in the UK are limited by shares. Setting the business up as a limited company means it is a separate legal entity that protects you financially, as the company finances are separate from your own personal finances.

It is more complicated than becoming a sole trader as you need to register the business with Companies House, submit accounts and annual returns to them, and adhere to their record-keeping requirements.

There can be financial advantages in terms of paying tax by becoming a limited company, and it can also be easier to obtain financing. It is best to discuss these specific benefits with an accountant before registering your business.

Paying tax and National Insurance

All businesses must be registered with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) as soon as you start trading so that you can pay income tax on your profit and Class 2 and 4 national insurance (NI).

This can be done online and the HMRC will set up an account for you to do your self-assessment. Once complete, they will contact you with a ten-digit Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) and send a letter in 2-3 weeks giving you an activation code to access the account.

In order to complete your self-assessment properly, you will need to keep records of your business sales and expenses. To help me stay organized, I have a separate business account that I use to buy the things I need for business operations.

Accepting payment by cash makes keeping track of earnings a bit trickier, and may require keeping and uploading receipts. You can also manage this with your accounting software and add the information to your business financial statements on a monthly basis.

If you are moving to the UK to start a business, you will need to apply for an NI number and can give this number a ring to apply: 0800-141-2075.

Value Added Tax (VAT)

Value Added Tax (VAT) is a tax added to most goods and services. You only need to register for VAT if your VAT taxable turnover is going to exceed the current limit in any rolling 12-month period. The limit is currently is £85,000, and you do not need to include any values from sales that are VAT exempt.

For example, VAT is not added to most food and children’s clothes. Additionally, a lower rate of 5% applies to certain goods and services such as home energy and children’s car seats. The standard VAT rate is 20%.

If you need to register for VAT, there is further information available via www.gov.uk/vat-registration.

Insurance

Some insurance policies are legally required, whereas others are available if you want to protect your business against certain risks. Parts of the business that you can insure include your vehicle, equipment, premises, employees, your products and services, your business idea, and even yourself.

Motor insurance 

Insuring vehicles is always required by law. If you are going to be using your vehicle for work, you will need to make sure you have insured the vehicle for the correct class of use. Any claims would be rejected if you use the vehicle for business purposes without amending your policy to reflect this.

There are other motor insurances available to cover things like tools in a van, that would require Goods in Transit cover. You can compare the costs of these policies via www.confused.com/van-insurance/goods-in-transit.

Professional indemnity 

This insurance is required for certain professions such as accountants and financial advisors. This protects them against claims for losses suffered by customers as a result of mistakes or negligence. Often other professional advisors decide to take this cover out for their own peace of mind in case their customers want to sue them.

Employer’s Liability Insurance

This is mandatory for all businesses with employees. This is to protect you from any claims an employee could make following an accident or illness suffered as a result of working for you.

Additional insurance coverage to consider

Here are some other insurance policies you may want to explore depending on the nature of your business:

Buildings and contentsBusiness Interruption —These policies typically cover any instance where you are unable to operate due to external factors such as inclement weather. The extent of policy coverage fully depends on limitations laid out in your insurance contract. Cyber cover — If you have access to information that would be valuable to fraudsters, this will help manage the cost of the incident and deal with enforcement against you from industry regulators.Employment ProtectionKeyman insuranceMoney in transitProduct LiabilityPublic LiabilityShop insuranceTheft

It is worth remembering that all business insurances are tax-deductible expenses.

As there are so many insurances to think about, it is helpful to go and speak to a local insurance broker to check you have the cover you need. The Association of British Insurers (ABI) website contains a section to help you choose the right insurance for your business.

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Acquire industry-specific licensing

Certain businesses require a license from the local authority to be allowed to trade legally. Some examples include hotels, hairdressers, street traders, boarding kennels, and food outlets.

Contact your local authority and ask to speak to Local Planning or the Building Control Office to find out if you need to register or obtain a license, as failure to do so may qualify as a criminal offense.

Local authorities also have Trading Standards departments who help you understand how to be legally compliant in your business area. You will need to know who the regulator of your industry is and then find a way to keep your knowledge up to date to remain compliant.

Do I need planning permission?

While you investigate whether there is a need for a license from the local authority, also ask them if you need planning permission. Working from home or changing the use of a building can both require planning consent, even if you are not changing the physical building.

You can be fined if you set up a business at home without permission. If your work leads to extra foot traffic and a lack of parking, excess noise, etc. your neighbors may end up reporting you.

Ask the Local Planning or Building Control Office about the plans for your business as soon as you can. Planning consent can take time if it is needed and may cost some money, so it is good to have this figured out early on. 

Employing staff

If you’re going to take on staff you will need to ensure that you comply with certain pieces of employment legislation. Here’s what you need to establish.

Carry out applicant checks 

As an employer, it’s your legal responsibility to make sure you check that any staff has the right to work in the UK. Depending on which sector you work in you may also need to undertake a criminal records check known as a DBS check. Failure to do so can lead to you and your business being liable for a civil penalty.

Register with the HMRC as an employer 

You usually need to register with HMRC within 4-weeks of taking on your first employee. You’ll be responsible for deducting any tax and National Insurance contributions from your staff’s pay. You’ll also be responsible for paying any remaining employee or business taxes at the end of the year if you do not plan accordingly.

National minimum wage 

You must make sure that all staff is paid at least the current national minimum wage per hour for all the hours that they work. The rate does depend on each employees’ age and if they’re an acting apprentice.

Pensions auto-enrolment 

As an employer, you must enroll all eligible staff into a workplace pension scheme. There are different pension types that either require you or the government to add a specific matching dollar value to each employee pension. In most automatic enrollment schemes, employees will make contributions based on total earnings, including:

salary or wagesbonuses and commissionovertimestatutory sick paystatutory maternity, paternity, or adoption pay

Statement of employment 

You will need to issue all staff, who will be with you for more than a month, with a written statement of employment. This document sets out the conditions of their employment, such as hours and pay, and must be given to staff within 8-weeks of their start date. In addition, staff should be given a contract (which can be incorporated with the statement of employment).

The contract sets out details of their rights, responsibilities, and working conditions. Make sure the contract is clear on which terms are contractual and which are not, as this will affect how you can make any changes in the future.

Employers liability insurance 

We mentioned this before, but if you employ staff other than direct family members then you need to take out employers liability insurance. This type of insurance will cover will protect you from claims made by employees if they are injured or fall ill at the workplace.

Health and safety 

All employers are required to provide a safe working environment for their staff. If you have more than 5 staff you will need to have a formal written Health & Safety policy. This includes a safe place to work, safe access to work, safe systems of work, safe equipment procedures, safe interactions between workers, and protection from risks of injury.

Legislation that may affect your business

Legislations are rules and regulations that you must adhere to whilst running your business. I have not listed all of them as not all will apply to every business, but you will need to identify the ones that apply to you. We will touch on the more common ones, but to explore more legislation please visit www.legislation.gov.uk.

Employment law

Employment law is there to protect the rights of employees and their health and safety. We will touch on the main laws to consider for those employing staff.

Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974

Premises and machinery must be safe and not affect the health of workers. If you employ 5 or more staff you need to have a written health and safety policy and conduct risk assessments which need to be documented and communicated to the employees.

Equal Pay Act of 1970 

Employees must be paid equally to those who do work of the same value regardless of their sex.

Sex Discrimination Act of 1975 

Employees cannot be discriminated at any stage of recruitment, training, or employment.

Race Relations Act of 1976

It is illegal to discriminate against a person because of their color, race, or ethnic group.

Employment Protection Act of 1978

Employers must provide employees with a written contract of employment. This is to protect them from unfair dismissal and gives them the right to redundancy pay should their job no longer be required after 2-years.

Consumer Protection

Consumer Protection rights are there to protect customers from unfair business practices.

Sale and Supply of Goods Act 

Goods must be of a decent standard. This applies to any goods that are identified and agreed to be purchased by consumers.

Trade Descriptions Act 

Goods and services must be as advertised and you must not give misleading information.

Distance Selling Act 

Some selling methods, such as online shopping, require you to allow a ‘cooling-off’ period, during which time a customer can change their mind about a purchase and obtain a refund. 

Data Protection Act/GDPR

This will apply to anyone that needs to take any customer details, so it will apply to the majority of businesses. You’ll want to make sure you fully understand the extent of these protections and can check the Information Commissioner’s Office for specifics.

Develop internal legal documents

Developing internal legal documents helps to instill confidence in your business for the benefit of everyone — your customers, employees, and potential investors.

Privacy policy

A privacy policy is a statement that tells your customers how their data will be collected, used, stored, and protected. It should also detail if there may be a need to share any personal information.

Company handbook

Your company handbook is something you will probably change and add to as your business grows. In short, it is really a book to summarise how you do things in your business. It needs to be made available to staff at all times — you could either give everyone a copy or make it otherwise easily available for reference. Here’s what to include.

Your company mission statement

Your employees want to know the goals and reasons for your company’s existence. This is where your mission statement comes into play. Generally, it should include the history of your company, the vision, and the goals you want to achieve.

Your company’s policies 

Your company policies are typically extensions of required legal stipulations along with any additional company-specific policies. This can be anything that is important such as having a clear desk policy outside of office hours to help protect data or even just the way you want staff to answer the phone.

Human resources and legal information related to employment

If you don’t have an HR department to help you outline every policy, you’ll need to address the following:

Joining the company Employee benefitsWorking hours Annual Leave and sickness absenceAbsence management –policy for managing short and long-term absence and requirements for reportingBribery, confidentiality, whistleblowing, and data protectionEqual opportunities and bullying and harassment policiesIT rules (including areas such as social media use both inside and outside of work)Your Health and Safety policy including how you intend for you and your staff to implement this Disciplinary/Grievance proceduresFlexible family-friendly legislation policiesCapability and performance management targets and proceduresTermination of employment including retirement and redundancy

It is a good idea not to make any company policies contractual for staff so you can amend the staff policies in the employee handbook at any time.

Retaining legal counsel

It is useful to have a solicitor on retainer so that you can get advice whenever you need it. When starting and operating a small business you probably won’t need a solicitor often, but having phone support available for when you do will be beneficial.

There are large national organizations that offer this service such as Peninsula Group Limited, but you may prefer to ask a local solicitor or a more friendly and personal service.

Why develop a legal action plan?

Incorporating a legal action plan into your larger business plan may be necessary when pitching to investors or applying for funding. It’s also valuable to incorporate specific legal steps into your milestones to better use as a management tool.

Now, this guide has covered a lot of different legal components, so you may find it easier to write a separate legal action plan. Since Employment Law is such a large part of legal planning, if you do not plan to hire any staff and will operate by yourself, you might just need a simple legal checklist.

In any case, be sure that you have some sort of plan in place to be sure you address everything.

Don’t get overwhelmed by legal requirements

This all may seem daunting as there is so much to think about, but I hope that this guide helps you to plan and meet your legal obligations. It is best to start off small but keep the big picture in mind. Keep referring back to your traditional business plan so as not to lose sight of what you dreamed of.

If you ever have questions or concerns about specific legal requirements, check the official UK government website or reach out directly to a legal expert for assistance. Best of luck with your new venture!

Editors’ Note: This article is purely informational and should not be taken as legal advice. If you have questions regarding specific laws, licensing or protections contact your preferred legal counsel. 

Original Source: articles.bplans.com