(Akiit.com) If you are ready to start your own business, it is important that you focus on the foundation of your venture and lay the ground rules. If you will employ people, you will need to make it clear for them what you are expecting of them, so they can adjust their practices. From employment contracts to behavior and contractor law, there are several things to take care of if you would like to protect the business you are building. If you are new to the world of entrepreneurship, you should make sure that you are ticking all the below boxes and putting clearly worded policies in place.
Employee Contracts
It is important that you have legally binding contracts in place. From the salary and bonuses to disciplinary procedures, vacation days, and health care, there are plenty of things you should cover to avoid misunderstanding. Just imagine that if you went for the same job you would want to know exactly what is expected of you, and know how much you can potentially earn. You would also want to know how secure your job is and which perks come with the role. It is also crucial that you set up a training and development plan and policy to motivate your staff to do their best.
Behavior Policy
No matter if your staff is dealing with customers all day or they sit in the office doing paperwork, you will need to set clear standards for their workplace behavior. If you meet and greet customers outside 
of the office, you don’t want your employees to hang out doing nothing or worse: smoking. You should also set clear guidelines on how to deal with complaints and difficult clients, and provide extensive training for your employees.
Trade Secrets and Non-disclosure
Companies planning on developing their own software, work processes, or technologies will also need to make sure that their inventions are not going to leave the company when their employees move on. Apart from the general contract terms, you should also create a non-disclosure document and make sure that your employees don’t end up selling you out to the competition when they leave.
Customer Service
It is also important that you set clear standards for customer services for your employees. It doesn’t matter that you are employing people with customer facing role experience, you need to train them to adjust their methods and communication to your company’s mission, vision, and values. If you are not happy with their skills, you can get them enrolled in an advanced online customer service training so you can improve the standards within your company.
Health and Safety
It doesn’t matter if you are only employing a few people in the office, or operate a huge warehouse; you will need to make health and safety your priority. From workstation assessments and adjustments to manual handling courses and first aid, there are several things you will have to take care of if you would like to avoid accidents and injuries in the workplace. Carry out regular risk assessments and get an initial check to make sure you are keeping your workers safe. If you are struggling with creating an effective health and safety policy and want to avoid accident claims, get in touch with an attorney referral service for expert advice and guidance.
Public Liability
It is crucial that you act responsibly when dealing with the public or carrying out your work in communities. You need to put measures in place to prevent damage to people’s property and public places. As an example, if you are taking drone surveys, you will have to make sure that there are policies and guidelines in place to avoid accidents and drones crashing into people’s property. If you do and find yourself in legal hot water, you will need to rely on corporate legal services and your public liability insurance.
Sustainability
Whether you are looking to reduce waste, paper use at the office, or recycle some of the products, you will need a corporate sustainability policy. You can improve your brand image and save money, while getting the public, the government, and your customers on your side. You are more likely to get large tenders if you do have a sustainability policy in place.
When starting any business, you will have to lay the foundations carefully, so you can avoid legal troubles and losing your company over disagreements or misunderstandings. Put these guidelines in place and you can start planning your success.
Staff Writer; Jerry Parker