Business Strategy | Mike McRitchie | Resume and LinkedIn Profile Writer | Telecom Marketing Content Writer

6 Legal Issues Your Business Might Encounter

July 21, 2021 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

If you’re running a business, there’s a chance that you don’t know every single detail about the laws that you might be working within. It’s important that you’re educated or at least informed on what laws you need to follow in order to properly run your business. In many cases, you might also seek legal advice from an attorney, but that’s not always affordable – especially if you’re running a small business.

It’s important that you make sure you’re careful when it comes to these laws, however, even if no one is harmed due to your actions, you could face serious problems with your business. As the business owner, you’re responsible for what happens within the business – and you’re going to be the one who has to face these legal issues.

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Workplace accidents

Workplace accidents happen all of the time, but there are many problems that can follow them. If the accident is serious, you should first make sure that whoever is involved is okay, and then evaluate the situation. If what happened was a result of your own personal carelessness, then you are responsible for the accident. You’ll want to make sure that your employees are properly compensated for any accident that happens in the workplace, while also trying to make sure that it never happens again.

You should also consider the possibility of employees facing legal trouble due to factors within your business. For example, a truck owned by your company could be involved in a traffic accident, at which point you would need a truck accident lawyer. You’ll want to get involved especially if the accident was a result of the vehicle’s own faults. Not only are you protecting your business, but you should be sure that you’re always there to protect your employees.

Employee misconduct

As the owner of your business, everything that happens within the business will reflect on you. That means that if your employees are not acting within legal bounds while at work or while representing your business, you are the person who is going to be in the spotlight. You need to make sure that you handle those employees appropriately in order to ensure that there are no further legal issues within your business.

Discrimination

Discrimination can be hard to identify in the workplace, and it’s not always easily noticed. On top of that, employees who feel that they are being discriminated against may even be afraid to come forward, and that means it’s up to you to encourage support over these matters. It should be enforced not only in the workplace but in the core values of the business itself. If your reputation states that you would never allow discrimination in the workplace, you’re much more likely to deter that kind of behaviour. The same goes for how you handle these kinds of situations – as handling these matters with strict actions is an effective way to rid your workplace of discrimination.

Health and safety regulations

Health and safety regulations are put in place to ensure the safety of your employees and customers, and you should be sure that they are never broken. This means doing things like appropriately marking hazards, and ensuring that fire exits are never covered. If it’s found that these regulations haven’t been followed during an inspection, or a customer or employee has been injured as a result – you may face serious legal allegations due to negligence. You should be sure that health and safety regulations are consistently enforced no matter what.

Lack of licensing

When it comes to making sure your business has the proper licensing, you need to make sure that you’re working within those licenses. If you haven’t got the licensing to take on certain processes, or are acting without a license – you may find yourself facing fees or legal cases. When you run a small business, even if it’s too expensive for you to get a license, it’s better to avoid going beyond your licensing.

Customer lawsuits

There are often times where customers may even put your business in the spotlight of the law. You should be sure that if you are to face legal trouble due to customers, that you have acted completely within your legal bounds. If your customer was simply unsatisfied with the product or service that you have provided them, you’ll want to make sure that it was their own personal issue – rather than you making fraudulent promises. Businesses will often compensate the customer in order to avoid legal issues – and this is something that isn’t always avoidable.

6 Ways You Can Better Protect Your Employees

July 21, 2021 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

As a leader or a manager within a business, you need to know how you can help to move your business forward in terms of success. One of the most important things you need to keep an eye on is the safety of your employees. In all types of work, people will face different hazards all throughout the day, and as a person in a place of authority, it’s up to you to make sure there are no hazards that can harm your employees. A hazard can come in many different forms, and it can take a lot of work to ensure that no one is in danger.

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Workplace safety

One of the first places that you need to ensure is free of hazards is the workplace where your employees are spending all of their time. No matter what kind of workplace it is, there are likely going to be possible hazards that crop up from time to time, and you need to know how to deal with them. It doesn’t have to be a permanent solution every single time, but at the very least having hazard signs, as well as the tools to deal with the accident, are very important. a hazard sign can save lives, and it will even draw attention, preventing people from coming into contact with the said hazard.

Legal trouble

If your business works with vehicles, there are many more potential hazards that your employees might come into contact with, and one of these is on the road. If your employee should get into legal trouble while trying to do their job, you’ll want to make sure you’ve got the number of a top truck accident attorney to help them deal with the situation. Not just for your employees, but for your business. It could be due to faults within the vehicle, an accident made by the driver, or something else – in any case, you should be ready to handle these legal issues for the sake of your business.

Security measures

Even if you’re running a small team, you’ll want to make sure that your business has standard security measures at the very least. Not every business is going to need a security team keeping the place secure, but having alarms and locks on doors can be simple but effective ways to ensure their safety. If you want to take it a step further, cameras can also be very helpful. Not only do cameras do a great job of recording everything that happens, but they can also be an effective deterrent to anyone with ill intentions. Knowing that if they do something wrong, it will be caught on camera, they’re likely to change their minds.

Equipment checkups

To make sure your workplace is safe, you need to make sure that the equipment that your employees are using is safe. Even if it was safe when you bought it, that can change for many reasons. You might find that it’s gotten faulty over time, and now using it is potentially risky for the employee. This can happen with any kind of electrical equipment, and it would be best to make sure that it’s routine checked to ensure that your employees are safe at all times while working under you.

If it turned out that the equipment was faulty and risked malfunction, you should ensure that it’s either repaired or replaced immediately to further reduce the risk of any injury in the workplace.

Proper work practices

It’s not just the equipment that you need to be able to rely on, but your employees too. How they act in the workplace can play a role in their safety too. It’s important that you make sure to enforce proper practices in the workplace to ensure that no one is going to put themselves in harm’s way. This could be something like a safety routine before the usage of dangerous equipment, or behaviour rules in specific situations. Sometimes scenarios call for a more serious approach, and a relaxed environment just isn’t acceptable.

Ensure correct training

Just like with the proper workplace practices, you need to be able to rely on your employees to act appropriately to their environment. If your employees are not qualified to work with the equipment that they need for the job, it can be very dangerous for them. There’s a reason that a certain amount of training has to be undergone before you can work with certain machinery, and it’s important that you enforce those rules within your own business.

The Best Reasons You Don’t Need a Traditional Office to Run Your Business

July 21, 2021 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

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Do you need an office to run your business? The short answer is no. You can do everything from a coffee shop, home office, or even on the go. Here are some reasons why you don’t need a traditional office for your business and how it may be hurting you!

Virtual Workspace Business Centers

Virtual workspace business centers offer many benefits that you would get from a traditional office, such as meeting rooms and conference calls. However, all offices come with these amenities at an additional cost to your company. The difference is that virtual offices are only taking up physical real estate on the internet; it’s just a website!

Many people don’t know this, but most modern phones have free voice over IP (VOIP) programs, so you can make phone conferences through them instead of paying for expensive landlines or international rates if needed.

Efficiency

If you own a business, you must value efficiency in industry, especially when trying to grow a small company into something more. It is an important aspect when evaluating your performance. You don’t need a traditional office to be efficient because you can do everything on the move.

Flexibility

When it comes to small businesses, flexibility is critical. If your business needs change or if you’re going through tough times, then having an office will only put more financial burden on your company and make things worse. With virtual workspace centers, like the Executive Workspace, there are no leases and contracts. So, when you have less money coming in, then it will be the perfect solution.

No Distractions

When you work from home or a traditional office, the distractions are endless. With virtual workspace centers, there is nothing to distract your mind that’s not related to business, and it will only help you get more done in less time.

Dedicated Support

The most important reason you don’t need an office is dedicated support; with these services, you can answer all your needs without interruption, so you can stay focused on what matters.

Cost Efficiency

If you’re trying to save money for your business, then a virtual workspace will be perfect! You don’t need any more employees as they are all freelance which means no payroll taxes or benefits packages to take care of when things get tight.

You won’t have any equipment expenses either because everything is online, so there’s nothing else needed. Plus, those working from home can avoid spending their gas money on driving back and forth every day – substantial cost savings if your employee has a long commute each way (and most people do).

Accessible Online Business Tools

One of the best things about virtual workspace centers is that you can access all your business tools online, including accounting software and invoicing. It cuts down on travel time to these services and saves money when you don’t have to pay for office supplies because you can do everything digitally.

Online Business Shift

The most important reason you don’t need a traditional office for your business is the online shift. More people are starting to work remotely than ever before, which means that it’s becoming increasingly difficult for companies to get any space in an urban area.

It also affects the leasing and rental prices in different regions.

Many people think they need their own office because it symbolises their status; it isn’t necessary for most businesses in today’s world, especially if there are no physical products involved, such as with service-based companies.

It will only put more strain on your company when money gets tight. Instead, you can save money by working from home and avoid wasting hours per day driving back and forth to the office, all while being more efficient and getting more work done in less time.

Accommodating Online Business Strategies

One of the best things about virtual workspace centers is that they accommodate all kinds of business strategies. Whether you have a traditional office or not, if you need more office spaces, then Executive Workspace will find one for your location and provide it at an affordable rate – there are no waiting lists!

The virtual workspace centers provide all your marketing, delivery and engagement needs. There’s no need to spend money on a big office when you can get everything done from home with just an internet connection.

Online Communities

One of the most important reasons you don’t need a traditional office is online communities. It’s always possible to find people from all over the world through message boards and social media that have your same business interests, so there’s no reason at all to waste time on networking events when you can do it digitally.

Technology

One of the best reasons you don’t need a traditional office is that technology has come so far in recent years that it’s not required for most businesses any more. You’ll be able to do anything from anywhere; it includes accounting software and invoicing, which will cut down on travel time and costs while saving money on business expenses too.

No one primarily recommends traditional office spaces for most businesses because of the many benefits that come with virtual workspace centers. The ease in using these virtual workspaces will not only save you money but propel your business technology and networking to greater levels.

Downside

It’s impossible to have face-to-face meetings with clients or employees, which can be a downside, but for most companies, this isn’t an issue at all, and the upside of saving money outweighs any negatives.

It may also be challenging when you need hands-on pieces of training. It decreases the efficiency in such situations. It is also not suitable for service-related industries and businesses as you cannot have virtual services offered. Therefore, you can only expand your business within certain lines and companies.

Some clients also believe in having a physical store. It may be an archaic thought, but it certainly comes in handy when you cannot convince your client. However, with the significant steps taken in technology, more people are getting on the bandwagon.

Possible Changes:

The only changes that most companies need are to update their office emails and phone numbers with the information provided by the virtual workspace center, but you can do this quickly in a matter of minutes.

The following steps should help you choose which company best suits your needs:

Send an email or call them to see if they offer what you’re looking for; never sign anything without reading it carefully first!

If they don’t have what you need, ask if they offer other services, such as marketing, delivery, and engagement. It’s essential to find one that delivers everything, so everyone on staff will know how each service works together while being able to share tips too

It’s essential to ask about the long-term costs of running a business with their services and determine what would happen if you had more employees in the future. You want one that will grow with your company, so it doesn’t limit how successful you can be. It will also help you plan efficiently on how you can accommodate any expansion plans in the program

Conclusion

Deciding on a virtual workspace service will save you money and time while still giving you all the tools needed to run your business successfully from anywhere. So why don’t you jump on the opportunity to run your business online? Use this blog post as your guide to help you decide which service is best for your company.

How To Take Better Care Of Your Employees

July 20, 2021 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

Whatever kind of business you run, the people who work for you are a very important part of the process. In fact, they are one of the most essential aspects to your business and you need to make sure that they are being taken care of as best as you can. This is something that most employers aim to do, but whether or not you really achieve it will depend on a range of factors that you need to be aware of.

Source – CCO Licence

In this post, we are going to look at what those factors might be, or at least some of the most important ones. As long as you have considered the following, you should find that you are going to take better care of your employees, and therefore get a lot more out of them and your business will duly improve in so many ways.

Regular Catch-Ups

One of the simplest and most important things you can do for your employees is to have regular one-on-one catch-ups with them. These are a great opportunity for each employee to discuss with you anything that they feel they need to discuss, as well as for you to bring up whatever you think they might need to be aware of as well. Ideally, you will carry these out at least once a month, and at the same time you don’t want to make them too often, as people will start to enjoy them less and less. But doing them regularly shows that you care, and this is something that your people will really appreciate in a big way.

Health & Safety

At all times, you also need to make sure that you are looking after the necessary health and safety protocols, as without doing this you are going to be in a much worse position in general. That means that you need to train your employees when they join the company and at regular intervals thereafter. It also means equipping them with whatever they might need to do their job safely, whether in terms of clothing or other safety equipment they might need to use.

Source – CCO Licence

You will find that you get a lot more out of them, and that you have fewer safety issues in the workplace, if you take health and safety as seriously as possible. Bear in mind that the nature of your business will also have an impact on all this. Some industries are just going to be more dangerous, and therefore have more safety procedures to be aware of. For instance, if you are in the mining business, you’ll need to keep those trusted mining accident injury lawyers on side and do all you can to follow all the legal protections there are for miners.

Ultimately, looking after the health and safety of your employees is necessary in both legal ways and moral ones. Make sure that you don’t skimp on this, and that you are doing all you can to keep your people safe while they are working.

Recognise & Reward

Everybody appreciates it when they are recognised for their good work. As an employer, you are going to be taking much better care of employees, and you’ll find they are much more on board with you and your company, if you make a point of regularly and clearly recognising and rewarding good actions and behaviour. Doing this is actually quite simple and basic, but the results of doing so can be profound, so you should definitely make sure you are doing it. If nothing else, it shows people that you really do appreciate and respect them, and that in itself is a huge thing to have.

Source – CCO Licence

Be Personal

All of your employees will appreciate you if you are being personal with them as much as possible. Just doing this is something that can help to keep the relationships between all of you much stronger, and that in itself is something that is going to really make a profound difference to how the business operates. Speak to people like people, not like robot-workers, and make sure that you are always appreciating the little human touches in the workplace. These kinds of things are really important for morale, for the wellbeing of your employees, and to show that you are not merely a faceless manager looking after your profits.

These are just some of the most important ways to take better care of your employees. Take these things on board, and people will be happier – and you’ll get a lot more out of them.

Why You Need to Invest in Your Business

July 20, 2021 by Contributed Post Leave a Comment

Any business owner who wants to thrive in the world will need to invest in their business. All successful business owners know to do that, but with all the free resources available online it can be tempting to skip out on paying for things. Business expenses can get expensive, but if you want to level up your business then you need to invest, or else you may just be hurting your business instead.

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Free shouldn’t be your limit

Many businesses starting will just try to utilize all the free tools that they can. While this is fine for getting a feel and ideas for certain tools, you shouldn’t always stick to free. You’ll eventually begin limiting yourself, not allowing yourself to fully invest in a website, services, employees, tools, marketing, or even the product or service you’re selling. Free tools were meant to be used temporarily, free marketing (such as social media) can limit your business if you’re not willing to pay for ads. You can only get so far with free before you need to invest to thrive as a business owner.

Your business will grow

Each time you invest in your business, whether it be time or money, you’ll get to reap the rewards. Your business can only grow if you’re willing to invest. This can be spending money on tools, getting a physical location, hiring a business developer, or even outsourcing some of the tasks.

You can’t expect to manage all of this yourself, and time is money. You will also save yourself a lot of stress as well if you take off tasks that you don’t want to do. You can try to fund your business expenses by selling the items you no longer use, selling investments, or even looking into Texas coin dealers if you have a coin collection.

Your business will be taken seriously

You and others will begin taking your business seriously once you begin truly investing. This doesn’t mean that you weren’t already taking it seriously beforehand, but now it’s on a whole new level. Spending your hard-earned money on a product, service, or outsourcing to a freelancer, you’ll want to check to make sure that it’s worth it. You don’t want to waste money, or your time, so if you think smarter, rather than work harder, you’ll get great results in no time.

You can focus on what you’re good at

Hiring an employee, a service, or a freelancer can greatly help you reduce your stress. Small tasks can be time-wasters when you have a whole business to manage yourself. It’s important to focus on what you’re good at so your business can thrive. While these all vary per person and business, figuring out what tasks you’re good at and what will make the biggest impact on the business should be the focus of you. Your workday should be filled with productivity, not stress.

You’ll earn more credibilityOnce you begin investing in yourself and your business, you’ll begin getting noticed. This will develop in networks, clients, and even a community. This can only happen if you invest in your website, your product/ service, and how you market yourself. Promoting your business with marketing is one expense that small business owners try to afford to pay for because they believe only SEO and social media can get them far. But that simply isn’t true, which is why investing in marketing is so important because this is how people can find you.