So – you’ve had an excellent idea for business and thought it might be a success? Well, congratulations. It’s an amazing experience owning a startup and seeing something grow from an idea to an actual business. However, there are a lot of things that can go wrong – unless you have the right protection in place.

Most business owners understand the importance of security – but you have to start sooner rather than later. In fact, ask any legal expert and they are likely to tell you to sort out your protection before you even write your business plan. In this guide, we’re going to reveal five simple legal tips for fledgeling startups. Take a look and make sure you have the right protection.

Consider your structure

Before you start work, you will need to register your business with HMRC. It’s advisable to register as a company, rather than a sole trader, as it gives you a little extra protection. You should have a chat with an accountant, too – they will tell you the type of company you should be to save on your tax bill.

Contract everything

From the second you start dealing with other people, make sure you have a contract. It could be a partnership or an employee – it can also be a supplier or investor. In short, anyone that has any contact with your business needs to be held in a contract. It outlines everyone’s responsibilities and expectations and holds both parties to account.

Intellectual property

Don’t forget that your ideas have value, too – and it’s essential you protect them. Trademark registration is a simple process, as is applying for patents or copyrights. Ensure you do this as early as possible. If you have a very good idea, you don’t want someone stealing it from you and making a fortune off the back of it. It’s happened many times before, and will continue to do so if you don’t have intellectual property protection.

Hire a business lawyer

Don’t underestimate how useful a business lawyer can be for your fledgeling startup. They can help you cover yourself in a legal sense, and highlight areas of potential improvements. If someone files a claim against you, they can react quicker as they already understand your business. Just like having an accountant, it will save you money in the long-term. The amount of legal help you might need will be enormous as you grow your company. It makes sound sense – financial and otherwise – to use the same person.

Get insurance

If the worst happens, you have to have insurance. No matter how safe you think you are operating, there is always the chance of something happening. A slip, trip, or fall on your premises can lead to an expensive lawsuit. An unhappy client could pursue you for damages – even if you think you have done nothing wrong. It all adds up to a large payout, which could blow your startup out of the water before you even get started. Insurance will give you the peace of mind you need to make your business success.

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For your business to carry on running smoothly and growing, it needs to have everyone pulling in the same direction. If this is not happening, then it will limit the success of the business and cause productivity to drop. Employee absenteeism is one of the biggest problems associated with this, and here’s what you should do about it.

Make the Policies Clear

Your business should have clear policies in place to deal with absenteeism. If you want people to follow the rules, they need to know exactly what those rules are. So, hold a team meeting and discuss the rules so that everyone understands what they are. You should also make it clear what happens if those rules are broken by any of the employees.

Allow Absent Employees to Give a Genuine Reason

Before you jump to any rash conclusions about why an employee has been absent, give them a chance to explain. It’s usually the case that people have a perfectly good reason for not turning up for work. It might be related to something that is happening in their private life, for example. You need to be understanding and listen to what they have to say before you take any further action.

Motivate Employees to Come to Work

If you don’t want people to be absent from work, then you should give them more reasons to come. It might be the case that your workplace is demoralised and depressed. This is not the kind of environment that people enjoy working in. So, motivate them or change the way the office functions to increase employees satisfaction. Satisfied employees are absent less than dissatisfied employees.

Investigate Persistent Absenteeism

When an employee is taking lots of time off work, you should investigate what is going on. If your requests for answers are not getting you anywhere, then it might be time to take things further. You could even hire a private detective to help you get to the bottom of the problem if you’re really concerned. This will help to find out what is happening and why it’s happening.

Show That This Has Consequences

After the investigation has been completed, you should act. That means disciplining the person who has been absent without a proper reason. You don’t necessarily have to fire them if this is their first offence. But you should make an example of them by giving them a written warning. And then, if they did the same thing again, they would either be sacked or given a final warning.

Lead by Example

One thing you should do is lead by example. If you are the kind of boss who turns up late and is rarely in the office, then this will encourage employees to try and get away with the same. Of course, you won’t be able to be there all the time, but it’s a good idea to make your presence felt. You can’t expect other people to want to spend time in your office if you don’t enjoy being there.

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