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Practical employment law information to support your business, from Clover HR

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Establishing a successful recruitment process and clear written employment contracts for new employees can have a major impact on your business.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Online retail surges in the North of England

29 May 2015

Online retail surges in the North of EnglandWhen it comes to online retailing, the UK is outpacing the rest of Europe and the North of England is overtaking the rest of the country according to new research.

A new report by eBay's Public Policy Lab shows that Greater Manchester has a greater concentration of small online businesses than anywhere else in the UK. The report's authors say this bucks the popular perception that clusters of digital businesses only exist in London.

The researchers calculated "digital densities" based on the volume of small online retail businesses operating in a region and their sales, as a proportion of the local population.

The findings highlight the emergence of a "Northern powerhouse" of ecommerce firms, with Manchester leading the digital density rankings, followed by Lancashire and West Yorkshire.

The top ten UK regions with the highest concentration of small online retail businesses are: Greater Manchester; Lancashire; West Yorkshire; Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire; Essex; Cheshire; West Midlands; Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire; Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire; and Shropshire and Staffordshire.

Inner London, which includes Shoreditch and Tech City, is in 26th place.

The report, based on newly released eBay data independently analysed by Sidley Austin LLP, also shows that the UK is the most advanced market in Europe for global exports.

Just over half (52%) of small online retail businesses in the UK export to four or more continents, more than any other European country.

The number of small British online retailers exporting to 15 or more countries has grown by 33% since 2010. Now, 91% of all online small businesses on eBay in the UK export goods abroad – compared to 28% of traditional offline small businesses.

Sarah Calcott, director of operations at eBay UK, said: "Our research shows that technology is opening up tremendous opportunities for small businesses across the UK. At eBay we're working hard to ignite the entrepreneurial spirit of small online businesses, providing them with the tools and the flexibility to export millions of British goods abroad."

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