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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.

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.

Making your business more green - checklist

Every business has an environmental impact. This checklist helps you assess the impact you have and the changes you can make to minimise that damage.

  • Assess the environmental impact of the materials and energy you use, the waste and emissions you produce, your transport operations and the products you supply.
  • Consider the potential risks of an accident; check whether you are insured against environmental risks.
  • Investigate the regulations which apply to your business, and any forthcoming changes. If required, seek help from a specialist environmental solicitor.
  • Find out what customers and employees expect, and how better environmental performance could improve your marketing and recruitment.
  • Decide whether you should implement a formal standard such as ISO 14001.
  • Ask key suppliers of materials, utilities and equipment how they can contribute to your environmental efforts.
  • Find out what help and advice - often free - is offered by organisations such as the Environment Agency, WRAP, your local authority and your trade association.
  • Design products to minimise waste, packaging and the use of environmentally unfriendly materials and production processes.
  • Store and dispose of waste safely; ensure your waste collector is registered to handle your form of waste, and does so properly.
  • Encourage employees to save energy; consider investing in energy-efficient equipment.
  • Ensure that any discharges and emissions, and other effects such as noise or dust from your business, are minimised or eliminated if possible.
  • Prepare an action plan to deal with any shortcomings.
  • Review the environmental impact before committing to new projects.
  • Communicate your environmental commitment to customers and others through your product labelling, PR and other promotional efforts.

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