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Running a Business

Businesses are regulated by a large body of law which company owners need to keep on top of.

Our legal questions and answers give legal help for a range of issues which those running a business may face.

Nearby business trading under same company name

Another company within a 5 mile radius is trading under the same name. Both mine and the third party business are in the same field. The third party business logo is also very similar to my business. Do you have any advice on the action I can take?

Need contract for new employee checked

I have drafted a contract for one of my employees but I want it proof checked to ensure that I haven’t made any clumsy mistakes. What can do?

Need more information for hearing but employee is absent

An employee lost her temper after having her holiday request denied and became rude and aggressive. The employee is known to have medical issues. I arranged an informal hearing but she did not attend as she signed off sick. I then rearranged the hearing and gave the usual option warning that the hearing would take place in absence if she failed to turn up. Her husband came to work the next day issuing me with a letter with a sick note and confirming that the employee would not attend because she was at her grandmother’s funeral. The informal hearing was held and the officer decided that more information was needed to decide whether to proceed. I would like to know what options I have to move forward with this.

Need to avoid liability for people using advice on my website

A company has given me permission to use information from their website but I need to edit the information so that anyone can understand it. I therefore have to paraphrase some of the sentences and information to do this. Is there any way that I can refuse liability if somebody takes this advice from my website and it contains misinformation or mistakes?

Need to ensure chef is not diseased

My employee has been off sick whilst on holiday abroad; he works as a banqueting sous chef. I received an email from my employee’s wife saying that my employee is now out of hospital and recovering at home. I have spoken to health and safety who said that my employee is required to see a tropical diseases doctor and not just a usual GP, as I would need to ensure that my employee is not carrying any disease and will be safe to prepare food. There is a local hospital that provides this procedure. I would like to check whether I can have access to my employees’ medical report in addition to this.