Benefits of Employment Law Extra

A recession increases both the likelihood of employment law-related claims against your company and the potential damage to your business should they succeed. That’s why getting your employment law issues right is a must.

• Handling all your employment law issues
  Employment Law Extra’s expert SME service can help you successfully handle all of these employment law issues, all at competitive prices. Our dedicated, practical online employment Advice Manual, legal helpline and optional insurance package gives you the best possible chance of defending your business from damage to your finances - and reputation - from claims around issues like:

• Redundancy
• Discrimination
• Absence/ Sickness
• Maternity/ Paternity
• Disciplinary Procedures
• Contracts of Employment
• Employment Tribunals
• Recruitment/ Selection
• Dismissal
• Working Hours
• Freelance/ Sub-Contractors/ Agency
• Migrant Workers

• Helping you manage in a recession
  Employment law is currently a top priority for businesses everywhere, and many SMEs are looking to change established working practices of employees in order to cut costs. This can, and unfortunately increasingly does, involve making redundancies.
  
  Your failure to handle complicated employment law issues like redundancy correctly can lead to costly tribunals, damaged reputations and decreased productivity just when you need to be steering a steady course for your business. That’s where Employment Law Extra can help.

At Employment Law Extra we want you to be free to concentrate on your business, not tied up in red-tape around your employment law issues.

Rightly or wrongly, SMEs are constantly being made the subject of ever more onerous employment law obligations. Already in 2009 we have seen the enactment of The Employment Act (2008) that has significant implications for your business and how it operates. Trying to keep on top of these latest legal developments in-house is an expensive, time-consuming and often futile exercise that distracts you from getting on with your real job. That’s why we’re here to help.

• Protecting your business, 24/7
  With Employment Law Extra you too can go to work confident that your business is fully protected 24/7. Your specialist online employment law Advice Manual is written by fully qualified, experienced and reputable employment lawyers, giving you practical advice you can trust. We’ve had our lawyers write everything in clear, easy-to-follow English - so there’s no need to worry about legal jargon either.
  
  Our legal helpline acts as a back-up to your comprehensive Advice Manual. So if you can’t find the answer you need in your Advice Manual and an employment law issue becomes a real emergency, you know there’s someone you can turn to.
  
  Should the worst happen, our optional insurance package protects your business against expensive legal costs and awards up to £100,000 per claim (subject to the policy’s Terms and Conditions).  

Employment law issues are potential legal flashpoints, governed by complex and ever-changing legislation. The Employment Act 2008, for instance, came into force on 6 April 2009, and has potentially significant implications for your business. At the same time a new ACAS Code has been introduced that rewrites how businesses must deal with grievance issues through its new “Three Step Process”.

• The challenge of keeping up-to-date
  Other recent developments, such as the April 2009 extension of statutory holiday entitlements under the Working Time Regulations, can also add to the legal confusion when renegotiating contracts or making redundancies. Legislation is constantly being re-interpreted through case law, making it difficult to keep up-to-date on the employment law issues most affecting your business.
• Why DIY employment law can be fatal
  Keeping up-to-date on your latest legal obligations as an SME is a difficult task. Trying to “do it yourself” on employment law significantly increases the exposure of your business to future attack, by introducing uncertainty and danger into key areas of your working activity. “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing” has never been truer than in the complicated, and fast-changing, area of employment law.
• Expert advice you can rely on
  Buy an Employment Law Extra product and these worries will disappear. You will be secure in the knowledge that you have eliminated significant avoidable risk to your business. Your detailed online employment law Advice Manual is written and regularly updated by specialist, qualified and regulated employment lawyers, so you can always rely on the advice you receive from us.
• Clear and concise advice (in plain English)
  Everything we do is written in clear, easy-to-follow English that cuts through the legal jargon to give you the facts and no-nonsense employment law information and guidance you need.
  
  And for those emergency situations when you really need to speak to someone, and you can’t find the information you need in our Advice Manual, our legal helpline is available 24/7.

We’ve designed the Employment Law Extra service especially for SMEs. Our easy-to-use, informative, legally authoritative and competitively priced products are an ideal way to enable small businesses to take the stress and hassle out of employment law regulation.

• Jargon-free expert advice
  Very few SMEs have the time, or specialist in-house legal resources, to ensure they are up-to-date on and fully compliant with, the latest employment law legislation. Employment Law Extra is here to do that for you, and to give you the straightforward, no-nonsense and jargon-free guidance you need.
• Written for the busy SME owner-manger
  Written with busy SME owner-manger in mind, your online Employment Law Extra Advice Manual is a comprehensive, practical source of employment law. It’s written in straightforward, easy-to-follow language and divided into clear and detailed sections. You can be confident that you can find the information 24/7, when and where you need it, and download the required documents for ongoing or future use.
• Emergency advice if you need it
  We are confident that the vast majority of your employment law questions can be quickly and easily answered by our online employment Advice Manual. But if that isn’t the case, you can always access our 24/7 legal helpline.
• Great value optional insurance
  We’ve made our great-value insurance package optional too. So if the worst does happen, your business is protected against expensive legal costs and awards up to £100,000 per claim (subject to the policy’s Terms and Conditions).
• Why we don’t tie you in for years (unlike the competition)
  Unlike many of our competitors, we don’t insist that you sign a long term agreement of three or five years with us, so you’re free to leave us if you’re not happy. Although we’re absolutely confident that our specialist, cost-effective employment law service is so good that you keep on using us. (and our customers certainly seem to agree.)

With Employment Law Extra, all your employment law needs are covered. And although the recession is making redundancy a top business priority, we can help you with a full range of employment law issues including:

• Discrimination
• Absence/ Sickness
• Maternity/ Paternity
• Disciplinary Procedures
• Contracts of Employment
• Employment Tribunals
• Recruitment/ Selection
• Dismissal
• Working Hours
• Freelance/ Sub-Contractors/ Agency
• Migrant Workers

• Comprehensive, practical advice from the experts
  Your online Employment Law Extra Advice Manual is a comprehensive, practical source of employment law, available 24/7. Written in straightforward, easy-to-follow language and divided into clear and detailed sections, you can be confident that you can find all the information you need 24/7, and download the required documents for ongoing or future use.
• Covering all your employment activity
  We’ve divided the Advice Manual into three sections that cover the full range of your employment activity:

• Pre-Employment
• Managing Employment
• Termination
  

• Within these three sections, our employment law experts give you the latest clear, practical and comprehensive advice and guidance on managing recruitment, managing staff to minimise your risks, and managing leavers.

• Someone to talk to in an emergency
  We’ve designed the online employment law Advice Manual to answer all your employment law questions. But if you really can’t find what you’re looking for, you can call our legal helpline 24/7.
• Total peace of mind with our optional insurance
  For total peace of mind if the worst does happen, our optional insurance package protects your business against legal costs and awards up to £100,000 per claim (subject to the policy’s Terms and Conditions).  
• How to show you mean business
  Having effective employment law protection in place ensures your business is aware of its responsibilities and legal obligations. Buying an Employment Law Extra product sends a clear message to employees that not only you are serious about your legal obligations towards them, but that you are in a strong position to defend malicious or speculative claims.
  
  Remember also that in many cases - especially to do with discrimination - you will be liable for the actions of your employees, whether you knew about their actions or not. Isn’t it best to be prepared?

At Employment Law Extra, our great value products won’t break the bank. The recession is hitting everyone, and small businesses are particularly feeling the pinch. Understandably, all costs are being monitored more closely than ever. That’s why Employment Law Extra products are such a smart purchase for SMEs. Our comprehensive, practical products - Smart 100 and Smart 200 - help protect your business against unwanted legal actions, and are highly cost-effective compared to our competitors.

• Comprehensive advice from the experts (in plain English)
  You get a fully comprehensive, regularly updated online employment law Advice Manual that’s available 24/7. Written by expert, qualified and regulated employment lawyers in straightforward, no-nonsense English, you get specialist, easy-to-follow advice on issues including:

• Redundancy
• Discrimination
• Absence/ Sickness
• Maternity/ Paternity
• Disciplinary Procedures
• Contracts of Employment
• Employment Tribunals
• Recruitment/ Selection
• Dismissal
• Working Hours
• Freelance/ Sub-Contractors/ Agency
• Migrant Workers

• Designed to cover all your employment activity
  Your Advice Manual is organised in three sections that cover your entire employment activity:

• Pre-employment
• Managing Employment
• Termination

• Under these three sections, you get the latest clear, practical and comprehensive advice and guidance on managing recruitment, managing staff to minimise your risks, and managing leavers.
• Emergency access to our experts, 24/7
  We’re confident that you’ll find the answer to nearly all your employment law issues with our comprehensive, easily searchable online employment law Advice Manual. But if you really can’t find what you’re looking for, you can always dial our 24/7 legal helpline.
• Fully cover yourself with our optional insurance
  And for total peace of mind, you can take out our great value optional insurance package. Should you ever get taken to a tribunal, this package protects your business against expensive legal costs and awards up to £100,000 per claim (subject to the policy’s Terms and Conditions).
• We don’t tie you in for years (unlike our competition)
  Employment Law Extra provides a high value product to SMEs at a low cost. Unlike many of our competitors, we don’t insist that you sign a long term agreement of three, four or five years with us, so you’re free to leave us if you’re not happy. But we’re absolutely confident that our specialist, cost-effective employment law service is so good that you’ll continue to use us.

At Employment Law Extra, we’re available to help 24/7 with all your employment law needs. Created and managed by qualified experts, we act as a full employment law service that you can rely on before, during and after times of crisis.

• Clear concise advice and guidance from the experts
  Our detailed online employment law Advice Manual is available 24/7. We’ve had our expert employment lawyers write it in straightforward, easy-to-follow English to give you all the help you need on issues including:

• Redundancy
• Discrimination
• Absence/ Sickness
• Maternity/ Paternity
• Disciplinary Procedures
• Contracts of Employment
• Employment Tribunals
• Recruitment/ Selection
• Dismissal
• Working Hours
• Freelance/ Sub-Contractors/ Agency
• Migrant Workers

• All your employment law activity covered
  We’ve organised the Advice Manual into three clear sections that cover the entire spectrum of your employment activity:

• Pre-Employment
• Managing Employment
• Termination

• In these three sections, our employment law experts give you the latest clear, practical and comprehensive advice and guidance on managing recruitment, managing staff to minimise your risks, and managing leavers.

  We understand that employment law issues are emotive matters that can quickly get out of hand. Decisions made – and things said – in the heat of the moment can be extremely damaging and very difficult to undo. Without a proper employment law service in place, key members of staff can rush into making allegations, or taking actions, against employers or other employees before taking proper legal advice. This can make already difficult situations a lot worse, and expose you and your business to potentially devastating tribunals.

• Taking the steam out of things (and keeping you covered)
  Keep in mind that in many situations - particularly related to discrimination - you will be liable for the actions of your employees, whether you knew about their actions or not.
  
  By providing a 24/7 point of reference, Employment Law Extra products allow you to instantly defer to our experts, providing valuable “cooling off” time while you examine the validity of both sides’ arguments.
  
  And if you really can’t find the employment law answers you’re looking for in your Advice Manual, you can always dial our 24/7 legal helpline.

If you follow and implement the specialist employment law guidance we provide in our online employment law Advice Manual and through our legal helpline, you will significantly reduce your chances of ever getting to an employment tribunal in the first place.

But if the worst does happen, our optional insurance package protects your business against expensive legal costs and awards up to £100,000 per claim (subject to the policy’s Terms and Conditions).  

• Why being right isn’t always enough
  It is important to note that although you may feel you are clearly in the right on an employment law-related issue, this belief will not always protect you from being brought before a tribunal by a determined current or ex-employee. Even if you are ultimately exonerated, your business will still have to bear the significant financial costs of defending yourself if you do not have adequate insurance in place.
• What an employment tribunal could cost you
  The current maximum compensation that can be awarded in an unfair dismissal claim, for instance, is £66,200. And for discrimination claims, there are no limits to the awards that can be made. That’s on top of your legal costs.
  
  Overall, the average total costs for an employment tribunal can, and regularly do, run into thousands of pounds. The amount you will pay consists of the legal costs involved in defending a claim – which you may have to pay even if you are successful – and the amount of any award made against you.
  
  Proceedings usually take a minimum of six to eight months, presenting a very real financial drain on, and internal upset to, any business fighting them.
• How you can mitigate against disaster
  The potential dangers of tribunals is why our cost-effective optional insurance package is a worthwhile consideration. It can be seen as a valuable investment that provides peace of mind, and allows you to relax knowing your business won’t be crippled by any threat of actions by disgruntled employees.

With Employment Law Extra’s two products, Smart 100 and Smart 200 (coming soon), you get no-nonsense, easy-to-follow advice from experts that you can trust. Each of our customers knows that their comprehensive Employment Law Extra online Advice Manual is written by qualified, regulated and highly-regarded employment lawyers.

• Expert advice - all in plain English
  We’ve had our lawyers write everything in straightforward English so there are no worries about legal jargon. Their legal experience and specialist expertise means you can make rational, informed decisions on your employment law issues that will help protect your legal and financial position. 
• Keeping you fully updated on your legal obligations
  Knowing your latest legal obligations as an employer is vital if you want to avoid nagging doubt and potentially disastrous tribunals. To remove these problems, the Employment Law Extra online Advice Manual is regularly updated by our team of fully qualified, reputable employment lawyers.
  
  Employment law is a complicated and controversial area, and no business can afford to rely on second-hand advice, or internet searches, to prevent trouble or to provide adequate protection if things go wrong. Couldn’t your business do with one less thing to worry about?

We appreciate that not all small businesses have the same employment law needs, and our customers seem to value our highly flexible approach. If you are looking for timely advice both online and via our helpline, then Smart 100 is fantastic value. Alternatively if you would like to include with that, the protection of a legal expenses insurance policy which will cover your business’ costs in the event of a legal claim, then Smart 200 (coming soon) is an ideal option.