Iain Mackintosh

Contracts of employment come in all shapes and sizes, but if you??™re in full time employment and not a freelancer there are certain guarantees you should be entitled to If your contract doesn??™t contain these things, your employer is breaking the lawy ??“ and if you??™re the employer, well ??“ you could be leaving yourself open to costly legal battles should your employees feel litigious

It sounds like an obvious clich?© to say it, but like many clich?©s there??™s truth in it: happy employees are more productive And yet it??™s amazing how often you hear of companies suffering from massive turnover, instability and a failure to live up to their full potential by ignoring this

Employment contracts are some of the most important UK business documents you will ever sign in your working life, and yet they are written in a deliberately convoluted and confusing manner, which often makes it difficult to get the clear points of what you??™re signing up for Take your time, and read and re-read every contract, but pay special attention to the clauses, to ensure you understand them

What is an equality policy An equality policy is a business document that outlines a company??™s position on equality in the workplace

If you??™ve been self-employed for a while, you may wonder what the next step on the path to becoming the next Coca Cola or Nike is Although that stage is a long way off (and will remain so for most businesses), the next step to becoming a respectable household name is to form a limited company

It makes for depressing reading for the government, that Britain is losing ??100 billion per year on sick days, but small business owners should be even more concerned if they see a ???sick leave culture??™ forming in their own office While the government can deal with such losses better, small businesses could see their own profits slipping down the plughole, and a good sickness and absence policy could make all the difference between a thriving company and one that ends up going under