‘Employment Law’. Just mentioning these two words can make franchisors and general business owners shiver with fear……unfair dismissal, discrimination, breach of contract, employment tribunals, red tape and regulations, lawyers with huge charge-out rates and employees demonstrating an ever-increasing awareness of their rights as the UK develops an ever more litigious attitude.
A franchisor will only succeed if its franchisees succeed. And for both franchisees and the franchisor, employment law can hit where it hurts the most - the bottom line. Increasingly, too many employers are obtaining general and often misguiding information from the internet and placing misguided reliance on it only to find out they should have sought specific and professional advice.
Many franchisees will be running a business for the first time and lack the knowledge or experience to enable them to successfully negotiate round the employment minefield.
We are seeing a good number of franchisors accepting that their business formats may, if the franchisees require employees, have to incorporate into their model mechanics for handling employment law. This should mean, at the very least, providing core compulsory employment documents like contracts and disciplinary/grievance procedures and allowing for updates on alarmingly frequent law changes and backup when the Franchisee needs specific employment advice.
TaxAssist Accountants has implemented an employment law support service called Employmentor. Employmentor is a uniquely practical and extremely cost effective management tool, which enables any employer to put in place and maintain up-to-date systems for recruiting and managing their employees, whilst complying fully with their legal requirements.
Employmentor combines online access to an array of templates, precedents, model letters and general procedural guidance on each stage of the employment procedure at www.employmentor.co.uk, together with unlimited access to a telephone and email helpline staffed by qualified employment lawyers who benefit from their day to day experiences as active employment solicitors with the added bonus being that they are familiar with the unique world of franchising.
The TaxAssist Accountants network is experiencing the benefits that Employmentor offers, not just to themselves as employers but more importantly to their business. TaxAssist Accountants also value the ability to recommend a reputable employment law service to their clients as a welcome enhancement to the service/package they offer.
If you are interested in becoming a TaxAssist Accountant please call 0800 0188297 or visit www.taxassist.net
For further information about Employmentor, please visit www.employmentor.co.uk
About TaxAssist
TaxAssist Accountants was founded in 1995, specifically to serve the tax and accountancy needs of small business in the UK. Its Support Centre is in Norwich, and currently TaxAssist Accountants has a network of offices with over 160 accountants and tax specialists around the country.
Business Development Director – Sarah Robertson MSc, Dip M, Chartered Marketer, MCIM FIDM
Sarah founded a successful Brand Agency ‘The Point’ in 1994 with three other Directors. ‘The Point’ became one of the foremost marketing communications agencies in the Eastern region with billings in excess of £4.5m. Sarah has a total of 20 years experience in the marketing and advertising industry, working with a broad range of national and regional brands such as the British Red Cross, Norwich Union, Oracle, Del Monte, the Imperial Cancer Research Fund and Swinton Insurance. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a Fellow of the Institute of Direct Marketing. Sarah joined the TaxAssist Accountants Board on 1st September 2004. Sarah is responsible for marketing strategy, brand development, shop fronts, practice management and business development strategies for franchisees.
Chief Executive - Karl Sandall FCIB
Karl spent 26 years at a senior level with a major clearing bank before joining TaxAssist Accountants on 1st January 2000 as Operations Director – taking on the role of Chief Executive in 2002. A 'fellow' of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, a School Governor and a member of the Financial Industry Group and of the Committee of the IFS School of Finance for the East of England, Karl oversees the running of the company and the whole network on a day to day basis and ensures the company continues to expand rapidly.
Employmentor™ - About Us
Employmentor is a division of Leathes Prior Solicitors see www.leathesprior.co.uk who provide a complete range of legal services to businesses and private individuals.
Leathes Prior have practised since 1876 and are regularly rated by all the independent guides to the legal profession as a leading law firm.
The Employment Team, which houses Employmentor, is headed by Dan Chapman whose profile is below.
Dan Chapman
Partner
Dan graduated in Law from the University of Keele in 1999 and completed his studies at Nottingham Law School in 2000, before joining Leathes Prior as a trainee solicitor in September 2000.
Dan qualified as a solicitor in 2002 and was appointed as a Partner of the firm in May 2005 and specialises solely in Employment Law. He acts for employers nationwide of all sizes and regularly appears as an advocate before the Employment Tribunals.
Dan was rated as a leader in Employment Law in the East Anglia region by the 2006 Legal 500 publication. It reported that Dan is praised by clients, who “express every confidence” in his abilities and say that he “exceeds expectations” , making “employment law appear understandable”. The 2007 Legal 500 publication again rated Dan as a leader in the region, praising his “employment law experience and advocacy skills” and singling out his “quick response times and kindly advice”.
The 2006 edition of the Chambers and Partners guide emphasises Dan’s “concise and dynamic approach and ability to cut to the heart of the issue” and praises his mediation skills.
The Legal Experts (2007) publication recommends only four employment solicitors in Norwich, of whom Dan is one.
Dan is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association.
dchapman@leathesprior.co.uk
Dan's Employmentor team also consists of a number of other qualified lawyers who specialise in employment law and who have been trained to provide employers with dynamic, commercial and pro- active advice.
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Please contact Hannah Westgarth Recruitment Officer on 01603 447402.
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