Running a business is a huge responsibility as a number of people are relying on you. There are so many issues that can arise when running a business due to various factors. The last thing that anyone wants to deal with when running a business is a lawsuit. These might have no basis but this still requires payment to an attorney. Most businesses should have an attorney on retainer just in case something like this happens. The following are tips to help reduce the likelihood of lawsuits by protecting your business.
Regular Safety Training
People getting hurt on the job is an awful feeling for everyone and can really drive down the morale of employees. Understanding and sending an employee to a place that understands occupational medicine guidelines is important like an urgent care facility. Reducing risks is not always possible as there are some roles that are inherently more dangerous than others. Regular safety training meetings need to be done for a variety of reasons as people can forget the safest ways to perform certain tasks. Reprimanding those that break safety rules is also extremely important.
Follow The Law When Terminating An Employee
Terminating a certain employee and how to do it legally differs depending on the state employment laws. There will be some people that don’t understand why they are fired even though they were written up a number of times. The right HR professional will understand the importance of documenting the process along with any issues an employee might have had.
Hiring freelancers is a great way to help reduce the likelihood of lawsuits. There are so many talented freelancers that can save a business money and can potentially offer higher-quality work than an employee in-house. The fact that you don’t have to provide benefits is another cost that can be saved by using freelancers. In-house employees can create a company culture and have less of a turnover than freelancers which is something to keep in mind.
Have Ironclad Contracts Written Up For Clients
There are going to be issues with some clients regardless of how good of a job is done for them. Some of these clients will only raise issues after work is complete and it comes time for them to pay. New clients should always have to pay something upfront due to reducing risk. Ironclad payment guidelines need to be outlined along with penalties for late payment. The right contract can protect a business in a court of law and make it very unbeneficial to delay payment. Dropping clients is something that can be done with a successful business and should be as some clients don’t understand how a mutually beneficial relationship works.
Reducing lawsuits that are filed will take a proactive approach. Regardless of how careful you are, there are likely to be a few lawsuits filed whether they have no basis or not. This likely will happen with employees that feel like they have been wrongfully terminated even though there is paperwork showing cause.