Do you ever worry about the law when running your business? Perhaps you should because there are lots of ways that the Law and legal issues can play a part in whether or not your business has a successful future. As a business owner, you need to be aware of these issues and know exactly how to handle them. It’s true to say that a legal issue for a small business could still cost thousands in both payments and damages. At that point, your business will struggle to continue generating high levels of profit. In short, it will be a painful and long road to recovery. The good news is that if you can get ahead of the situation, most legal issues for businesses are easy to remedy.
However, there are times when you’ll need a little more help to get out of a sticky situation. Here is our advice on how to handle matters like these.
The Arrest Of An Employee
If one of your employees has been arrested, there are a number of different routes to take and questions to ask. Was your employee arrested due to an issue outside of your business? If the arrest was because of a personal issue, you might not want to jump to immediate dismissal. You should think of it in the mindset of innocent until proven guilty. If you make a rash decision, firing an innocent employee they may sue you for unfair dismissal. You also have to consider whether you need that employee back as soon as possible for the welfare of your business. If they play a crucial part in your company, you might consider bailing them out of the arrest. Afford-A-Bail bonds are easy to obtain and simple to process. Within a few hours, you will be in the position to get your employee out of jail, if you require.
But you also need to think about your business reputation. If the employee was arrested for a socially unacceptable crime, then it could damage the reputation of your company if you support them. Some crimes will be seen more negatively by the public than others. Even if the employee has not yet been charged. Sometimes even an inquiry can be enough to get people talking.
Finally, you should think about what happens if the arrest was related to action taking working for your business. If it was, it might be time to speak to your own legal counsel. It’s difficult to tell how liable you will be found in this type of situation.
A Personal Injury Claim
You will be pleased to hear that personal injury claims very rarely find their way into a courtroom. More often than not skilled attorneys on both sides can get their clients to settle. However, even a settlement could cost your business a fortune. It’s not uncommon for personal injury lawsuits to reach damages of up to five hundred thousand. That’s the bad news. The good news is that PI claims can easily be prevented.
Your first step should be to arrange insurance for your business. With insurance, you won’t have to worry about a PI claim growing out of control. As long as your insurance company provides it, you will be able to give the employee workers compensation. This stops them being eligible to put forward a legal claim. Even in more serious situations, your insurance company will cover the costs. However, you still want to avoid personal injuries in the office. Every time an employee makes a claim the premium you are paying will rise.
To avoid personal injuries in the office, it’s important that you know how to handle hazards. First, you should make sure that people in your office know how to deal with hazards themselves. They should be aware that a noticed hazard needs to be dealt with before the continue with their work. It’s important that they do not leave the hazard unattended. As a business owner, you need to realise that a hazard could be anything. It could be a loose wire on the floor on a spilled liquid. You need to watch out for these around the office and deal with them as quickly as possible. Don’t forget, ignorance will not be accepted as a form of defense.
Emotional Distress And Inhospitable Environments
Again, let’s start with the good news. The good news is that both these legal claims are incredibly difficult to prove in a court of law. The claimant will need a skilled lawyer for it even to be considered. That said, you just not leave yourself open to the claim in the hope that it will be dismissed. You need to take the responsibility of running a business and looking after employees seriously. For instance, you should not allow bullying to thrive in your office. We have long passed the days when an employer could use bullying tactics to root out weak workers. If you do find a case of bullying in your office, it must be handled quickly and effectively. We strongly advise you adopt a non-tolerance policy in this scenario. As soon as you see a case of bullying show them the door.
You may rightly assume that by immediately firing someone you could be open to a wrongful dismissal claim. While this is a possibility, it is highly unlikely that someone responsible for this will attempt to sue. By doing this, they will be putting a permanent black mark on their resume.
Extra Advice
Lastly, we’d like to offer a little piece of extra advice unrelated to a specific legal issue. As a business owner, you will find yourself experiencing trouble with the law. This does not automatically infer that you have been involved in any form of wrongdoing yourself. It just means that you have been affected by a legal issue within your business. At that point, it’s advisable that you have a legal defense ready for action. But, most business owners cannot afford to hire legal aid full time. Instead, you should hire an outsourcing service. That way, you will have a defense without the massive cost of a full-time in-house legal team.
