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Setting up a business involves complying with a range of legal requirements. Find out which ones apply to you and your new enterprise.

Every business needs to be aware of its obligations under minimum wage and equal pay laws, as well as recent pensions auto-enrolment changes.

What particular regulations do specific types of business (such as a hotel, or a printer, or a taxi firm) need to follow? We explain some of the key legal issues to consider for 200 types of business.

While poor governance can bring serious legal consequences, the law can also protect business owners and managers and help to prevent conflict.

You must comply with legal restrictions on employees' working hours and time off, or risk claims, enforcement action and even prosecution.

The right employment policies are an essential part of effective staff management. Make sure any policy is clear and well communicated to employees.

Whether you want to raise finance, join forces with someone else, buy or sell a business, it pays to be aware of the legal implications.

While sick employees need to be treated fairly, you need to ensure that 'sickness' is not being used as cover for unauthorised absence.

Marketing matters. Marketing drives sales for businesses of all sizes by ensuring that customers think of their brand when they want to buy.

Most pregnant employees are entitled to maternity leave and maternity pay, while new fathers are entitled to paternity leave and paternity pay.

Commercial disputes can prove time-consuming, stressful and expensive, but having robust legal agreements can help to prevent them from occurring.

As well as undermining morale, illegal discrimination can lead to workplace grievances. Employee discrimination is covered by the Equality Act 2010.

Whether your business owns or rents premises, your legal liabilities can be substantial. Commercial property law is complex, but you can avoid common pitfalls.

Home, remote and lone workers are becoming increasingly commonplace. Key issues include communication and how to manage and motivate people remotely.

With information and sound advice, living up to your legal responsibilities to safeguard your employees, customers and visitors need not be difficult or costly.

The right approach to consulting with and providing information to your employees can improve employee motivation and performance.

As information technology continues to evolve, legislation must also change. It affects everything from data protection and online selling to internet policies for employees.

Disciplinary and grievance issues can be a major burden to employers. Putting in place and following the right procedures is essential.

Following the right dismissal and redundancy procedures helps protect your business and minimise the risk of a legal dispute at tribunal.

Intellectual property (IP) isn't solely relevant to larger businesses or those involved in developing innovative new products: all products have IP.

Employment tribunal claims are a worrying prospect for any employer. A tribunal case is a no-win situation – even if the claim is unjustified.

Knowing how and when you plan to sell or relinquish control of your business can help you to make better decisions and achieve the best possible outcome.

From bereavement, wills, inheritance, separation and divorce to selling a house, personal injury and traffic offences, learn more about your personal legal rights.

Job vacancies are up but applicants are in short supply

22 June 2021

The number of people applying for retail and logistics jobs has fallen dramatically as both Brexit and COVID-19 have had an impact on worker availability.

The latest data from job boards network Broadbean Technology has found that while the number of vacancies has soared as COVID restrictions have been gradually lifted, the number of applicants for some jobs has tumbled dramatically.

Broadbean Technology's data shows that:

  • The number of retail jobs increased by 55% from March to May while applications per vacancy (APV) fell by 52%;
  • In logistics and distribution, the number of jobs rose by 79% in May compared to pre-pandemic conditions in January 2020 but applications dropped by 76%.

"The optimism in the UK market is encouraging and is bouncing back to a degree that many might not have expected," said Alex Fourlis, managing director at Broadbean Technology. "However, we're experiencing a talent drought at the moment that is being impacted by multiple issues. An on-going reluctance to leave the security of current roles is certainly one factor that's hitting application numbers, but for industries like retail where job losses were reported during the height of the pandemic, the reality is many people have left for other, more secure, sectors.

"What we're also seeing is the impact of Brexit really playing out across those industries that have historically relied on international talent. The decline in applications for logistics, for example, will no doubt have been exacerbated by the UK's exit from the Bloc."

ParcelHero has warned that driver shortages could soon become critical, leading to delays, stock shortages and higher prices. It estimates that the UK has a shortfall of around 70,000 HGV drivers; the problem is so serious that there have been calls for the army to mobilise to protect the UK's food supplies.

David Jinks, ParcelHero's head of consumer research, said: "Home deliveries of food and goods are already being impacted by the driver shortage, with some stores also running low on stock. We could soon be facing shortages as bad as those at the start of the first lockdown, which could mean a return to the rationing of staple foods.

"The reason is all too obvious. Our analysis of government figures last October showed thousands of EU drivers and warehouse operatives fleeing the UK to avoid Brexit regulations. Many EU citizens didn't meet the government's proposed criteria for skilled work visas. This mass exodus was exacerbated by the impact of COVID-19, which brought the training of new lorry drivers to a standstill."

The Road Haulage Association (RHA), which represents freight transport companies, has called on the government to temporarily suspend drivers' working hours restrictions and place the role of delivery driver on the UK's Shortage Occupation list.

Written by Rachel Miller.

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