How did the January freeze affect your business? Almost 14% of the UK workforce stayed at home on 7th January at exceptional cost to the economy. We’ll come back to this.
Been out to a meeting lately? According to Business Travel Magazine, UK companies are reducing their business travel and trading meetings for web or video conferencing. A side effect of the recession so the magazine’s editor says, but it’s probably not just the costs involved that are the issue: what about your time?
Web conferencing is becoming the meeting, training and seminar method of choice amongst businesses with little time to spare for travel and is especially useful if you employ remote workers. Good news then last month’s announcement from Lord Peter Mandelson concerning the Next Generation Fund which will bring super-fast broadband internet to 90 per cent of the country; it’s going to be in serious demand if we are switching to online meetings.
And this brings us back to the big freeze and how it affected your business. If, say, we were not only meeting and training online, but we were all working online, then would it not be the case that we were no longer at the mercy of the weather? ‘Cloud computing’ allows staff members to work from wherever they are, as if they were in your office; so something to look into if you’d rather forget January ever happened. And on that subject, was staff absence a problem for you? How did you deal with it? Don’t forget our Employment Law library has ample guides and information to help you on subjects like these, and for tailored advice, don’t hesitate to call us. Neves NewsSimeon Clipstone, Head of our Commercial department, is pleased to announce the third instalment in a series of free seminars which Neves are hosting in conjunction with Keens Shay Keens accountants in Luton. For more information or to book your place click here. Neves is offering a new service in conjunction with Joanne Mullins of Vitality Therapy which might be of interest. Over the many years that members of the Family Department at Neves have provided legal representation to clients who are separating it has been evident that many clients have become embroiled in legal arguments which have substantially increased their legal costs and compounded the anxiety, bitterness and anger which they inevitably feel. This in turn has made it difficult to make rational and cost-effective decisions. Neves’ Harpenden Office is now able to introduce clients to Joanne Mullins, a Life Coach could help clients: Plan for the present and future; Deal with the pain and distress; and Focus on aspirations and change. For more information click here. We are sorry to be saying goodbye to Renata Shieff who leaves Neves on 26th February having completed her final seats with us in her training contract. All at Neves wish Renata the very best of luck in her future career as a solicitor. Green Paper - New Families and RelationshipsOn Wednesday the 20th January 2010 the government announced a major review into the Family Justice System as part of their Families and Relationship Green Paper. It proposes that Fathers and Grandparents will have greater access to children after separation. More information is on our website. Companies Act Changes - Purchase of Own SharesOur commercial department is seeing a rise in company restructuring using the ability of a company to purchase its own shares. However, the process requires precise steps to be taken in a very particular order and the consequences of getting it wrong can be quite severe. There is a useful article on our website this month providing information as to the ongoing responsibilities after the buy back has been concluded. Cash Flow is King There is a useful guide on our website this month that examines the common mistakes businesses make when focusing on surviving the recession. The guide centres on cash flow and warns when the economy is in ‘upswing’ phase this can be the most dangerous time for a business which is perhaps focusing on increasing profit rather than getting the cash through the door for work already done. Also covered is cutting the wrong costs, asset finance, borrowing from the ‘wrong’ people, overtrading and discounting. Well worth a read if you are looking for some sturdy tips on keeping your business buoyant whilst the economy recovers.
Internet Images are Copyright – Leave well alone! It is a common chain of thought that if an image or piece of writing is published on the internet, it is free for use by anyone. However, this is not the case as was demonstrated recently when a removals firm had to pay out £2,000 plus legal costs in an out of court settlement when they were challenged for using a picture from the Getty Images library without authorisation. The full story is on our website this month. If you have reasons to believe that any of your web based material – content or images – have been used without your permission, contact us for advice.
Confused by Ambiguous Wording in Insurance Questionnaires? Questions on insurance forms can be endless. Over the years, the courts have established that where questions are ambiguous, what they mean in law will be taken as being what a reasonable person would understand by the question. A case documented on our website this month involves an insured company answering ‘no’ to a question on whether any of the directors had been insolvent or made bankrupt. The fact that one of the directors was associated with companies in administrative receivership or which had been the subject of a creditor's voluntary liquidation, however, was not grounds enough for the insurance company to successfully contest the claim. The court ruled that the ‘no’ answer in the proposal was correct: the question was intended to deal only with the company plus its directors and partners and was not concerned with companies associated with a director.
Funny Bit at the End – Leadership Lessons from The Dancing Guy I came across this great video lesson on leadership via a post on Twitter. It’s a really great 3 minute lesson on leadership.
Grab a coffee, put your feet up and learn.
| 
