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Sweeping changes to staff consultation procedures during large scale redundancies are now being considered by the Government. Under the current rules, companies must consult with their employees for 90 days if there are likely to be large scale redundancies involving more than 100 employees. Employment Relations Minister Norman Lamb wants to shorten this consultation period
Do you have an elderly relative living in care or receiving care in the home? Does their main or primary need for care relate to their health? If so, they may be entitled to NHS Continuing Healthcare, a package of care funded solely by the NHS. Where a person qualifies for this type of funding,
The growing problem of late payment is threatening the survival of many SMEs, according to new research. The credit reference agency Graydon UK, working in conjunction with the Forum of Private Business, surveyed 500 small firms across the UK. The responses showed that 16% had almost been put out of business as a result of
Improving the employment tribunal system and setting up a new Competition and Markets Authority are two of the main points of the new Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill. It will also tackle directors’ pay and the burden of red tape. The Government says the Bill is a central element in its drive to deliver strong
Businesses need to take great care when taking over a lease on commercial property from another firm. They may find that they don’t automatically inherit all the entitlements that were granted to the original leaseholder. The issue arose recently in a case involving a company called Gemini Press Ltd. It took over a lease which
Employers need to be careful what they say to staff during informal meetings, as one firm found to its cost recently. The firm, which carried out services for a large banking group, was about to be taken over. During an informal meeting with staff broadcast over the internet, it announced that a “guaranteed” minimum bonus
Handing over a family business to the next generation may seem straightforward but it can create unforeseen problems. In fact, succession plans involving family members may contain more risks than handovers involving complete strangers. With strangers, people tend to be cautious and get legal advice; with family they often rely on goodwill and a muddle
It is vital to get the balance right when trying to protect your business by subjecting employees to restrictive covenants. If the conditions are not strict enough, they may not prevent the employee setting up a rival enterprise or helping a rival firm; if they are too strict, they may not be enforceable, as in
Government departments have identified enough publicly owned land to build more than 102,000 homes. This puts them well ahead of the Prime Minister’s target of releasing suitable land for 100,000 homes by 2015. The surplus public land includes empty offices and unused storage space at sites across the country. The Homes and Communities Agency must