Around 180,000 people a year die intestate (without making a will). That is a shocking 56% of UK deaths. Dying without a will can cause significant problems for the people you leave behind, and should be avoided where at all possible. Read more: 5 Common Myths associated with Dying without a Will (Intestate) )
Why should you make a will?
To help convince those who are delaying or even having doubts about writing a will, we've listed 10 very good reasons why you should.
1. First and foremost, a will puts you in control. You choose who will benefit from your estate and what they are entitled to. You also decide who will administer your affairs after your death. 2. If you don’t make a will, the intestacy rules will decide who benefits from your estate and that can produce undesirable results. The law also sets a hierarchy of who is able to handle your financial affairs after death, and that can lead to problems if the person is not suitable because of age, health, geographical location, or for any other reason. More...
For many businesses, the introduction of settlement agreements has offered precious flexibility to their workforce and also protected them against the threat of potential future legal action. Likewise, for employees, it offers an opportunity to resign on their terms – with a severance payment that suits their situation. More...
Yesterday’s decision in the Supreme Court has demonstrated that the importance of agreeing a clean break is vital. landmark ruling made in the Supreme Court regarding an ex-wife’s bid to claim cash from her millionaire ex-husband, 20 years after they divorced.
Issues with Open Ended Finances
Richard Scott, a family law solicitor at Howells Solicitors said when commenting on the ruling, “Yesterday’s ruling underlines the importance of ensuring that the finances are not left open ended following a divorce and that a “clean break ” settlement which is approved by the court to make it legally binding is always advisable even when the parties think that there is nothing to divide. More...
Absenteeism in the workplace can be a difficult issue to negotiate. Treat it too lightly and you risk being taken advantage of, but putting undue pressure on an employee to return to work could result in a damaged working relationship or worse.
Whilst to your employees ‘pulling a sickie’ may seem harmless, the cumulative costs of absenteeism in the workplace is staggering. In fact, the estimated cost to the British economy of absenteeism is £14 billion a year, according to a recent joint report from Pfizer & the Confederation of British Industry.
Unfortunately, closer to home, it seems that workplace illness is a growing problem. Last week we heard that at Neath Port Talbot County Council, sickness targets are not being met. Head of Corporate Strategy and Democratic Services, Karen Jones, confirmed that levels of absenteeism at the Local Authority had increased by 1.2% over the past year.
What Can Be Done to Reduce the Negative Impact of Absenteeism?
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There are many myths surrounding employment law, some of them have firm backing to support the myth while others are simply not true and fall away as soon as it’s looked at in detail. One of the most common myths is that employees on long-term sick leave cannot be dismissed, but is this really true?
Can you be fairly dismissed on sick leave?
It’s a big worry for anyone who has been off work for a long time due to sickness, unless of course you believe the myth that you can’t be dismissed when off on sick. While there are many restrictions surrounding terminating an employee on long-term sick, there is nothing in place that completely prohibits this action from taking place.
Why would you be dismissed?
There are a handful of things that could result in you being dismissed during long-term sick leave. This includes: More...
