Employers should now be updating their contracts of employment and employee handbooks to take into account the imminent changes to the statutory disciplinary and dismissal procedures due to come into force in April. Employers who fail to do this and then fail to comply with their own policies will be at risk of breach of contract claims, even though they may be satisfying the new procedures.

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In tough times, training budgets for businesses come under pressure. It is a story being repeated in every sector across the UK. Organisations are making dramatic changes to their training and development budgets in the wake of the Government's admission that we are now in a recession.

Yet staff development is essential in order for businesses to retain, motivate and improve the performance of their staff. Forgetting about staff development for a year or two simply isn't an option, especially as many employees are now being asked to cover new and expanded roles following major reorganisations.

Click here to read our ideas to help continue to develop your staff.

In the current climate, many businesses will be looking to save costs by using self-employed workers rather than employees. This is an area for dispute with HMRC. The Special Commissioner’s decision in a recent case provides a timely review and highlights that there is still a significant degree of uncertainty in this area.

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On 1 February 2009 the maximum limit on a week’s pay, which is used when calculating statutory redundancy payments, was increased from £330 to £350. In light of the current economic climate, unions and some MPs are lobbying the Government to make a one-off increase to the maximum week’s pay to £500. However, employers are arguing that increasing payments at a time when they are trying to keep costs down could lead to even more job cuts and business closures.

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With the downturn due to continue throughout 2009 we are now offering a health check without obligation, to:

• help you assess your current situation,

• identify possible future issues to keep you one step ahead of the game.

As employment lawyers, we are best placed to advise businesses on how to cut back on costs effectively, whilst avoiding any future expensive repercussions such as employment tribunal claims. To take advantage of our new health check please click here to complete the contact form and submit it to us. A member of our team will then be in touch by telephone or email.