Is there anything that I can do to prevent my premium from increasing? There are many actions with little or no cost that can be done. Tip 42 – Do you always follow procedures when dealing with staff issues? Running a business is time consuming enough so it might often be tempting to try and deal with staff issues in a quick fashion rather than the correct fashion. Tempting as it may be, there are procedures to be followed and it must be remembered that your employees have rights, so failing to deal with these appropriately can lead to claims which can be costly both in terms of time and money! The quick solution can consequently lead to a more time-consuming issue. Taking the time initially to ensure that your staff are furnished with employment contracts and that there are set procedures for dealing with disciplinary matters can ensure that you are in a stronger position should a situation arise. Failing to have these in place will put you on the back foot straight away, so their importance cannot be overstated. If you are fortunate enough to have one, calling upon your Legal Expenses Policy can also be very beneficial when you are facing disciplinary decisions. Part of this policy is a legal advice helpline and it is a vitally important part of your cover to ensure you get the right advice for dealing with any situation which arises, before you take an action which is contrary to employment legislation or your own procedures. Should an employment claim arise, it is also a very important condition of this policy that you seek and follow the advice from this legal advice helpline in order to get maximum benefit from your policy. Failure to do so could be a costly mistake, so our advice is to always contact us if you have any queries relating to an employee problem. We can then put you in touch with your legal expenses insurer. If you don’t have this cover please contact us and we can put it in place immediately at a very modest cost. Always remember – call us to discuss any/every incident. We will advise and guide you.