One thing we love about the UKBF community is how much useful advice and experience is shared by our members in the hope of helping out fellow small business owners.
With another year behind us, it’s time to take a look back at some of the highlights from 2022. So here it is, our annual round-up of the best advice from across the UKBF community, covering everything from unexplained employee absence to crafty craftsmen.
Lots of members offered advice on his initial post, so were thrilled to hear that he’s been successful. In fact, he was successful in having it thrown out by arguing that the claim was “vexatious, malicious and had no prospect of success”, despite several adjournments on the part of the employee and their lawyer.
Instabus explains that they self-represented throughout the whole process and, while it took up a lot of their time and caused stress, the tribunal is looking to cover their costs, which will “soften the blow sufficiently”.
“My reason for posting this is to give hope to other small business owners who genuinely believe they followed all the correct procedures from hiring to firing staff,” said Instabus.
Lots of members offered their thoughts but one comment received a very positive response. Karl Limpert from the Employment Law Clinic shared this advice:
“It’s not sick leave (no mention of being sick), but it’s not annual leave either (they haven’t followed procedures – normally requests should be made at least two days in advance), so put it down as an unauthorised absence, and don't pay them for the day.”
Karl goes on to explain that the employer should speak to the employee informally, unless there are already disciplinary procedures in place:
“Remind them that they are required to attend work every day, and if they cannot due to sickness, the procedure to notify you of this (which should always be a phone call), and the procedure for requesting annual leave.”
He suggests a slap on the wrist and a reminder of the rules will suffice but advises employers to keep a record, should you need to refer back to it in the future. Then if it happens again, which Karl suggests is likely, employers can deliver a warning and progress from there.
Pete explains a great way to make a bit of extra cash through the business of vinyl signs. He goes into great detail in his post, sharing a full overview of the different options, costs and where materials might be sourced.
Pete sees this as “a great opportunity to start a small venture, perhaps alongside other employment”. Having treated this “lifelong earner as a hobby”, he has found it “enjoyable” with a “clean environment” and has “great customers”. He also says it’s easy to do with a little practice.
He advises anyone interested to simply look up vinyl cutters and suppliers, and make sure they have a computer or laptop to run the software. His final thoughts? “Do a little research and start small - good luck!”
He explains how he’s been having problems with a carpenter who reached out to him for work during the pandemic, and was threatening to bankrupt him.
Lots of members offer support and advice, as well as asking further questions to ascertain the state of play. japancool asks all he sensible questions:
“This is the most important thing. Sort out your customers. Make your customers happy,” kulture said.
He also asks further questions such as whether Crone can place a true value on the work done, whether he’s overpaid and if he has lost confidence as a result or poor work. He closes his comments with this:
“There is a long way to go before he is anywhere near taking you to court, let alone bankruptcy.”
This particular thread was started by Chris Rain asking whether the director of a limited company can set up an almost identical company, trading in the same way but under a different classification. His previous co-director’s behaviour seemed questionable but he wasn’t sure of his legal position.
Plenty of members had thoughts on this, but The Resolver came to the rescue with a comprehensive answer including links to the relevant sections of the Companies Act.
Graham explained that this is “a clear breach of the statutory rights owed by the co-shareholder to the company [...] meaning you can sue him in the name of the company for all the losses incurred”.
He also delivered the good news that Chris’ claim was so strong that it would likely not even require court action.
We’re sure there’s plenty more advice that’s helped members of our community build, grow and manage their small businesses. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve seen on our forums this year? Let us know by joining the discussion at the top of this page.
With another year behind us, it’s time to take a look back at some of the highlights from 2022. So here it is, our annual round-up of the best advice from across the UKBF community, covering everything from unexplained employee absence to crafty craftsmen.
Self-representing at an employment tribunal
Back in 2020, UKBF member Instabus started this thread about self-representation at an employment tribunal. Two years on, he shared what he’d learned from the experience in another forum, celebrating an employment tribunal win.Lots of members offered advice on his initial post, so were thrilled to hear that he’s been successful. In fact, he was successful in having it thrown out by arguing that the claim was “vexatious, malicious and had no prospect of success”, despite several adjournments on the part of the employee and their lawyer.
Instabus explains that they self-represented throughout the whole process and, while it took up a lot of their time and caused stress, the tribunal is looking to cover their costs, which will “soften the blow sufficiently”.
“My reason for posting this is to give hope to other small business owners who genuinely believe they followed all the correct procedures from hiring to firing staff,” said Instabus.
Recording unexplained employee absence
Another of the most popular bits of advice this year came from one of the most popular threads. samuel5 received a text message from an employee stating that they couldn’t come to work with no explanation. They wanted to know how to deal with it and whether it should be recorded as sick leave.Lots of members offered their thoughts but one comment received a very positive response. Karl Limpert from the Employment Law Clinic shared this advice:
“It’s not sick leave (no mention of being sick), but it’s not annual leave either (they haven’t followed procedures – normally requests should be made at least two days in advance), so put it down as an unauthorised absence, and don't pay them for the day.”
Karl goes on to explain that the employer should speak to the employee informally, unless there are already disciplinary procedures in place:
“Remind them that they are required to attend work every day, and if they cannot due to sickness, the procedure to notify you of this (which should always be a phone call), and the procedure for requesting annual leave.”
He suggests a slap on the wrist and a reminder of the rules will suffice but advises employers to keep a record, should you need to refer back to it in the future. Then if it happens again, which Karl suggests is likely, employers can deliver a warning and progress from there.
The power of a vinyl cutter
The beauty of the forum is that sometimes, members post for no reason other than wanting to share their knowledge and experience to help others. This post from Pete Roberts is the perfect example of this, and received a great response as a result.Pete explains a great way to make a bit of extra cash through the business of vinyl signs. He goes into great detail in his post, sharing a full overview of the different options, costs and where materials might be sourced.
Pete sees this as “a great opportunity to start a small venture, perhaps alongside other employment”. Having treated this “lifelong earner as a hobby”, he has found it “enjoyable” with a “clean environment” and has “great customers”. He also says it’s easy to do with a little practice.
He advises anyone interested to simply look up vinyl cutters and suppliers, and make sure they have a computer or laptop to run the software. His final thoughts? “Do a little research and start small - good luck!”
What to do if you think you’re being conned
In this thread, self-employed business owner Crome reached out to the UKBF community for advice regarding his small construction business.He explains how he’s been having problems with a carpenter who reached out to him for work during the pandemic, and was threatening to bankrupt him.
Lots of members offer support and advice, as well as asking further questions to ascertain the state of play. japancool asks all he sensible questions:
- What exactly is he threatening to do?
- Do you dispute the amount you owe him?
- If no contract has been agreed and nothing has been agreed about payments, on what basis are you paying him?
“This is the most important thing. Sort out your customers. Make your customers happy,” kulture said.
He also asks further questions such as whether Crone can place a true value on the work done, whether he’s overpaid and if he has lost confidence as a result or poor work. He closes his comments with this:
“There is a long way to go before he is anywhere near taking you to court, let alone bankruptcy.”
Defrauding startup shareholders
Our next best piece of advice comes from one of our most frequent problem solvers, aptly named, The Resolver. Most members of the UKBF community will have come across Graham’s pragmatic and helpful advice in our forums and this example is no different.This particular thread was started by Chris Rain asking whether the director of a limited company can set up an almost identical company, trading in the same way but under a different classification. His previous co-director’s behaviour seemed questionable but he wasn’t sure of his legal position.
Plenty of members had thoughts on this, but The Resolver came to the rescue with a comprehensive answer including links to the relevant sections of the Companies Act.
Graham explained that this is “a clear breach of the statutory rights owed by the co-shareholder to the company [...] meaning you can sue him in the name of the company for all the losses incurred”.
He also delivered the good news that Chris’ claim was so strong that it would likely not even require court action.
Thanks for all your advice this year
That’s just a snapshot of all the great advice that’s been shared across our forums in 2022. We’re proud to host such a diverse and supportive community of business owners at UKBF.We’re sure there’s plenty more advice that’s helped members of our community build, grow and manage their small businesses. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve seen on our forums this year? Let us know by joining the discussion at the top of this page.
