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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.

Online advertising soars ahead of Black Friday

23 November 2021

A new study of business spending has revealed that companies have significantly increased their use of Facebook, Google, and LinkedIn advertising in 2021.

As Black Friday approaches, UK firms are expected to spend even more heavily than usual on digital advertising according to accounting platform Dext. Its analysis of business spending in 2021 has identified significant increases in the use of online advertising this year after a dip in 2020.

The findings show that advertising on Facebook has recovered after an 8% drop in year-on-year spending between October 2019 and October 2020. In 2021, the average Facebook spend by business advertisers went up by 13%, from £764 to £861 per transaction. There has also been a 25% increase in spending on Google advertising since October 2020.

However, the biggest change since the pandemic has been the 76% increase in average spend for digital advertising on LinkedIn, which fell from £484 to £387 last October and has now soared to £681.

Dext director Paul Ashfar said: "It is encouraging that investment has now surpassed pre-pandemic levels and that businesses are positioning themselves for growth. These trends acknowledge that businesses trust consumers to spend this November - a promising sign of better things to come."

Taken as a whole, business spending in 2021 has grown steadily since last year. According to Dext data, business spending in 2020 fell to a pandemic spending low of less than £2,000 a month but climbed to over £6,000 month in September 2021.

Black Friday

Also this week, a new survey of consumers by Quadient has focused on buying behaviour and parcel delivery expectations as shoppers get ready for Black Friday and Christmas. Its findings show that 50% of respondents will do most of their shopping for Black Friday and Christmas online this year compared to 21% who expect to mostly shop in-store.

For online shoppers, home delivery remains the most popular option, despite the fact that missed deliveries remain a significant problem. The results show that:

  • 45% of Brits surveyed said they missed a delivery to home or work in 2021 and required re-delivery attempts or depot collection;
  • 25% of respondents say they missed more than three deliveries;
  • 34% of Brits expect to miss a delivery to home/work in 2022;
  • 25% said they had experienced instances of lost or stolen parcel deliveries in 2021, up from 20% in 2020.

"With half of people intending to do their shopping online this holiday season … it's now more important than ever to get first time deliveries right," said Bren Standell, commercial director, parcel lockers division at Quadient.

Written by Rachel Miller.

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