4 Legal Considerations When Setting Up Your Business
There are some legal requirements when it comes to starting a business. It can seem quite intimidating, but of course, due to their nature, they aren’t things that you can ignore. If you fail to comply with some legal aspects of creating a business, it can lead to hefty fines, damage to the reputation of the business, and other problems. There is no excuse for claiming that you didn’t know what to do.
A lot of the regulations that are involved will depend on the business itself, as some will have more ‘red tape’ than others, such as childcare, for example. However, one thing that is important to remember is that when you do comply legally, it can be an added protection for your business, especially if there are some illegal acts taken by employees, suppliers, customers, or suppliers. Whether there is a criminal defense attorney or not, you will be protected if you have done your due diligence beforehand and have everything above board.
So with all of that in mind, here are some things to consider when it comes to setting up your business.
Employment
If you are going to be employing staff, then you will need to make sure that all aspects of employment law are covered. From a staff handbook, to training, contracts, and checking someone’s right to work in the country, you need to take these steps legally. If you are completely new to this then you could outsource to a HR firm or consultant, but it is worth checking on this regularly as employment law does change all the time.
Insurance
Some companies will not have any insurance that is mandatory, but there are other insurances that are a must, such as getting Employer’s Liability Insurance. If you hire others and work with others, then insurance will be needed, the same for any business that looks after people or creates products. There are a lot of business insurance companies out there so it is definitely worth looking at to see what you need and to assess what level it is needed too.
Health and safety
If you have employees on a site, whether it is in an office or in a warehouse, you need to make sure that the space they have to work in is clean and safe for them to be in. If the heating is broken in winter then you can’t expect them to be able to work there until it is fixed. If lights are flickering, that will need to be fixed immediately, as it can be a trigger for any staff with epilepsy. These are all legal things to consider to make sure that you are providing a safe environment for them to be in.
Data protection
The recent GDPR and the Data Protection Act show all companies what they need to be doing to keep any customer and employee information safe, and how it should be stored and retrieved. Understanding these regulations is important, especially when you have personal details from customers.