Three Benefits Of Hiring An Employment Lawyer For Your Business
Posted on: 14 October 2021
Running a business comes with its own set of responsibilities and challenges, especially in matters related to your employees. While aspects such as finding employees are fairly easy, other aspects such as determining the benefits you should provide for your employees and adhering to the employment laws can be challenging.
It is for such reasons that hiring an employment lawyer is advisable to help you. Employment lawyers are professional attorneys who specialize in the field of law pertaining to employment. Thus they are adequately suited to provide you with valuable advice and insights on employee rights and benefits.
With that said, here are three benefits of hiring an employment lawyer for your business.
Creation of Employment Contracts
Irrespective of whether you intend to hire an employee on a full-time or part-time basis, it is essential to ensure that both you and the employee sign a contract agreeing on the terms of the employment. It is also advisable to note that employment contracts are legally binding and thus should follow the stimulated employment laws.
As an employer, you may not be adequately versed in drafting contracts and employment laws. Thus, it is vital to hire an employment lawyer for the job because they are well-versed in these tasks that need to be adhered to when formulating the contracts.
Even if you have already drafted the employment contracts, it is advisable to have a lawyer review them to ensure that all the conditions of employment are covered per the law. For instance, a good employment contract should include:
- The full description of the job and duties the employee is expected to conduct
- Information regarding benefits and workman's compensation
- Leave policy
- Classification of the employee, i.e., full-time or part-time employment
- Duration of the contract
- Terms of termination
Complying With Government Regulation
Hiring employees involves more than just signing contracts. There are various requirements set forth by the government to follow when hiring and retaining employees. For instance, as an employer, you are required to:
- Provide your employees with a salary that is not lower than the national minimum wage
- Provide reports on your employees' wages and withheld taxes
Such regulations are not general knowledge, especially for a person who is setting up their first business. Nevertheless, whether you are aware of the regulations or not, if you fail to comply with the regulations, you could end up facing fines or a lawsuit.
Thus, to avoid such scenarios, it is advisable to hire an employment attorney to help you maintain compliance with employee government regulations.
Representation against Lawsuits
Quite often, employer-employee relationships turn sour, and in the aftermath, an employee can sue their employer on various grounds such as:
- Wrongful termination
- Discrimination
- Harassment
- Violation of employee rights
Suppose you had an employment lawyer draft employment contracts that encompass the legally mandated terms and conditions of employment. In that case, your employees should clearly understand what to expect while working for you. Thus, they may not opt to sue you because their employment contracts are legally binding.
However, if an employee or former employee decides to sue you for any of the above-listed reasons, you need an employment lawyer to help you navigate the lawsuit. In most cases, the lawyer will advise you on the best course of action based on the amount of evidence provided in the lawsuit against you.
For instance, if the odds of winning the lawsuit are stacked against you based on the evidence provided, an employment lawyer may recommend settling the matter out of court via negotiations with the disgruntled employee.
Contact an employment attorney, such as Allen D. Arnold Attorney at Law, to learn more.
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