Lodders launches fixed cost employment advice service
WARWICKSHIRE law firm Lodders has launched Empline, a fixed annual cost employment advice service.
The service is aimed to provide peace of mind to SMEs who are concerned about the unpredictable nature of employment disputes and their costs in time and money.
Kim Klahn, a solicitor in Lodders’ Business Group, said: “Few small businesses can afford to employ a full time HR professional, but it is vital to comply with current employment law.”
She pointed out that one in five small firms have been threatened with an employment tribunal in the last three years.
“Dismissal or procedural errors are costly – for instance, the average award for race discrimination in 2011-12 was £102,258.”
She said that Lodders had established Empline to support legal compliance on everyday HR tasks.
“Every month there are employment issues to consider. Has your business considered the impact of the Agency Workers Regulations, the abolition of the default retirement age, pensions auto-enrolment, extra paternity leave, two year qualifying period for unfair dismissal, increased statutory pay rates and new income tax thresholds? And that’s just a sample of the issues that business owners have to be aware of and consider,” she said.
Klahn is also offering employment training for managers.
