Owning and operating a business comes with a lot of responsibilities. When it comes to your rights and obligations as an employer, understanding those can be immensely confusing. That is what employment lawyers are there for.
When it comes to better understanding employer rights and obligations, pay structure, termination rules, benefit packages, and more, working with a professional can help illuminate what was once unclear. Here are the five reasons why you as a business owner should be hiring an employment lawyer.
1. Understanding Your Rights and Obligations
Perhaps the most important thing that you could gain from working with an employment lawyer is learning what your legal rights and obligations are. It means having a legal advocate protecting those rights in any documents that govern the employment relationship.
Having a lawyer can be hugely beneficial should a dispute arise later on down the line. You can stay informed while the lawyer handles all the minutiae of the process. With all of the complications that have been brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is even more imperative to know what rights and obligations there are as an employer.
2. They Will Fight for You
In the event that you are facing a wrongful termination suit, having an employment lawyer on your side can mean someone there to fight for you on your behalf. It means having a skilled professional who will do the negotiating on your behalf.
That means less stress, time, and effort that employers have to endure, all of which means putting focus on other important matters. Should litigation become necessary, then you have your team in place. While that is never ideal, having the right legal backing can make a huge difference in the outcome of the case.
3. Wrongful Termination Suits
One of the most important things that employment lawyers like Levitt LLP can do is educate business owners on their obligations where it relates to benefit packages, pay structure and termination rules. This is especially relevant in the event of a wrongful termination lawsuit.
Your lawyers can educate you on what obligations you have to fulfil as the business owner in these circumstances so that you can avoid any violations or entanglements. This could be otherwise complicated without the right help in your corner.
4. Setting up Employment Policies
Another important reason to retain an employment lawyer is to have them help when it comes to the development of employment policies. This generally happens before hiring any regular employees, although changes could be amended afterwards.
This can include things such as drafting contracts and providing advice to the employer on practices and policies that they should have in place. It can even mean implementing an employee handbook to inform employees of the different policies and any other essential information that may need to be distributed. If you have already created policies, hiring an employment lawyer to review them is a sound idea.
5. Collective Bargaining
When it comes to dealing with unions and employee organizations, an employment lawyer can be invaluable. During collective bargaining agreements, they can provide legal representation during the meetings and ensure that your business is complying with current laws and regulations.
Most importantly, they are there to represent and advocate for your best interests during the negotiations. Given how important these collective bargaining agreements can be for the overall structure of the business, having a qualified professional there for the negotiations can make all the difference in the world. Without proper representation, your business could be in violation and face severe penalties and fines.