Treat Your Business

132 Are You Compliant? Essential Employment Law Changes for Clinic Owners with Peninsular HR

• Katie Bell / Laura / Steve • Season 1 • Episode 132

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Welcome to the Treat Your Business Podcast. This episode is all about the urgent changes to employment status that every clinic owner needs to know. Whether your team is employed, self-employed, or a mix, this is essential listening.

📝 Episode Summary

The rules around employment status have changed. The line between employed and self-employed is shifting. On Wednesday the 26th June from 12 noon to 1:30pm, I am running a live webinar with HR specialists from Peninsula to help you get clear on the new employment reforms. We will cover the twenty-three new reforms being introduced with the Employment Rights Bill and what it means for your clinic. Get it wrong and you could face thousands in back pay, legal action or fines. I want you to be protected, compliant, and running a stress-free business.

This episode features Steve and Laura from Peninsula. They share their expertise on HR, and what clinic owners need to know. We discuss why clear contracts and policies are essential, the risks of getting employment status wrong, and how to set high standards in your business with confidence. Whether you are a brand new clinic owner or have a well-established team, there is something here for everyone.

✨ Key Takeaways

  • The line between employed and self-employed has changed. Make sure you are not caught out
  • Twenty-three new employment reforms are being introduced with the Employment Rights Bill
  • Why you need clear contracts, policies, and a company handbook tailored to your business
  • The risks of misclassifying your team and how to stay protected
  • It is never too late to get compliant and set your business up for success
  • Kindness is important, but clarity and fairness are essential
  • You do not need to do this alone. Get expert support and focus on your strengths

🔗 Resources and Links

Episode Sponsor
Sponsored by VBS Medical Ltd. Looking to set your clinic apart? VBS Medical is the exclusive distributor of K-Laser Therapy and Indiba Radiofrequency Therapy in the UK and Ireland. These non-invasive treatments help speed up recovery, improve clinical outcomes, and create new revenue streams for your practice. Visit www.vbsmedical.com to book your free trial today.

If you are a clinic owner, whether you hire, work with self-employed associates, or have a mix, you must be at this live event. It is not being recorded, so make sure you are there to get your questions answered and keep your business safe. Thank you for listening and for being part of o

Treat Your Business podcast is proudly sponsored by MBST, the groundbreaking technology revolutionising recovery and rehabilitation. Offering a non-invasive, drug-free solution for musculoskeletal conditions and nerve injuries, MBST works at a cellular level to stimulate regeneration. Expand your services and deliver long-term patient improvements without increasing your workload.

Learn more at mbstmedical.co.uk. 

[00:00:00] Katie Bell: I have an urgent message. Urgent. Is your team employed or are they self-employed? The rules have changed. I want to make sure that you are gonna get super clear. Or you could just not un risk getting caught out. Wednesday the 26th of June, 12 o'clock to one 30, I am running a live webinar with some HR specialists from Peninsula who are going to be helping us get really clear on, things that who even knew [00:00:30] 23 new employment reforms that have recently been introduced and being introduced with the new employment rights bill? And the line between employed and self-employed has shifted, and if you get it wrong, we could owe thousands in back pay, face legal actions or fines.

[00:00:45] Katie Bell: Find yourself in. Neck deep HR hell that you didn't see coming. And I know this feels really scary, and this is why I am hosting this free webinar for you guys on the podcast who listen to [00:01:00] this. So the webinar's gonna help you understand whether your team or your future hires should be classed as employed.

[00:01:05] Katie Bell: Are they self-employed or are they workers? You may have seen the recent big news in the in the news. About Uber. Uber, and they lost the they they lost the case because they actually knew that their employee they, the people were being classed as workers, they were not self-employed.

[00:01:22] Katie Bell: Even big firms like that are getting it wrong. We need to know exactly what the law says, not what you mate down the road told you. And I want you to stay compliant. I want you [00:01:30] to be protected. I want you to run a stress-free company, so no matter how your team is set up or is going to be set up in the future, make sure you are on this webinar, today's episode.

[00:01:43] Katie Bell: I have done a little bit of a teaser for you to give you some. It's great, even just this, it's gonna offer you loads of value, give you a bit of a teaser into what we're gonna be talking about at the live webinar, why you need to be on it. But even if you don't do anything, just listen to this episode.

[00:01:58] Katie Bell: Enjoy all of the [00:02:00] content that we talk about and it's just gonna get your brain thinking about where you may not be compliant, but there's no judgment. I just need you to make sure you take the right action as a result of it. Buckle up. You are in for the ride. Listen to the next 20, 25 minutes and I promise you it will deliver high value and it will encourage you all to sign up to the live webinar on June the 26th.

[00:02:22] Katie Bell: Link will be in the show notes below this podcast to get get your place registered now. And it's a live only event. It's not gonna be [00:02:30] recorded. So cancel clients like. Christ your wedding. Whatever you need to be at this event, I need you to be there because it's gonna be packed full of high value.

[00:02:40] Katie Bell: Enjoy this episode.

[00:02:42] Katie Bell: Welcome to the Treat Your Business Podcast with Katie Bell. I'm Katie, and this is the place where clinic owners like you learn the strategies, tools, and mindset shifts needed to transform your clinic into a thriving business. One that gives you more time, more money, [00:03:00]and more freedom. Born from a passion to challenge the idea that average is normal.

[00:03:05] Katie Bell: We empower clinic owners to create extraordinary businesses, incomes, and lives through our world class coaching programs. We help you step out of overwhelm and into confidence, turning your clinic into a business that fuels your lifestyle, not drain it, it. So are you ready? Let's dive in.

[00:03:24] Katie Bell: This week's episode of The Treat Your Business Podcast is sponsored by VBS Medical [00:03:30] Limited. Looking to set your clinic apart. VBS Medical is the exclusive distributor of K laser therapy and INBA radio frequency therapy in the UK and Ireland. These noninvasive treatments help speed up recovery, improve clinical outcomes, and create new revenue streams for your practice.

[00:03:50] Katie Bell: Both K Laser and Indiba are fully approved medical devices backed by scientific research and trusted by clinics worldwide. They're designed [00:04:00] to compliment your standard care and broaden your treatment options. Curious to see the results for yourself. Visit www.vbsmedical.com to book your free trial today.

[00:04:11] Katie Bell: Hello Steve. Hi Laura 

[00:04:13] Steve: Good afternoon. 

[00:04:15] Katie Bell: Hi there. H Good afternoon. Welcome to the Treat Your Business podcast. I am really excited to have you both here. And I just wanna start by saying a massive thank you for giving up some of your time to be on here and advising. [00:04:30] Our clinic owners on the world of HR and health and safety, which feels massive to all of us.

[00:04:35] Katie Bell: I'm sure it doesn't to you guys 'cause you're the experts. 

[00:04:38] Steve: Oh, it does, it feels massive for all of us. Don't worry. 

[00:04:41] Katie Bell: Good. Steve, you and me are running a webinar in June June the 26th, 26th 

[00:04:49] Katie Bell: One of the biggest challenges that I hear in Thrive all the time when working with our clinic owners, whether they are new starters in their clinic, whether they have a small team, [00:05:00] whether they have a team of self-employed or a team of self-employed associates and employed, or they're running a big clinic.

[00:05:07] Katie Bell: Staff challenges, oh my word. They, I feel like they take up 95% of our conversations. And our energy. And our bandwidth. Yeah. And it's okay advising from a point of I've been a clinic owner for 10 years, myself, I've navigated these challenges. This is the things that we've put in place in the past.

[00:05:25] Katie Bell: I think it's so important at every level of business that you have. Experts [00:05:30] that are available to advise you because employment laws are changing so much, aren't they? And so often I can't keep a drift at all. So we need people like you to be able to help us navigate those challenges. 

[00:05:44] Steve: Yeah, absolutely.

[00:05:46] Steve: And see that's the part. I've, my little preparation for this, I've had to listen to some of your different podcasts and from now, whether it's delegation, whether it's around just focusing what your time is and [00:06:00] being a CEO. Now, For me the fundamental, what I learned from listening to different things.

[00:06:06] Steve: Obviously you are there to try and support people and give them guidance and help, but no one can become an expert, absolutely everything. And you've got to really be careful of what you spend your time doing and just basically make sure that you're focusing your efforts on what your strengths are as an individual.

[00:06:25] Steve: Generally what we find because, 'cause I'm coming at this, we've been at Peninsula [00:06:30] 25 years, so I've met thousands of business owners over the years that you coming at this, that very much that you don't try and become an expert at everything. Yeah, because the amount of people I meet that are. That have had a sleepless night, they're struggling that they're Googling a way, they're trying to find answers to a certain situation where it's really difficult to get the answers you need.

[00:06:51] Steve: Yeah, now it's dead easy for employees because the statutory rights are sat there on their side. So if you wanna know what your maternity [00:07:00] rights. Are or what your your holiday entitlements are, or what, how long service you need before you can request a flexible working request or, all these various different angles to, to employment law.

[00:07:12] Steve: You can Google them, but from an employer's angle. It's not as easy. Yeah. So for me you start in place with employment law you've got to, because obviously it goes without saying. Like you say, if you've got employees working for you, that's your model of clinic where you're employing [00:07:30] people and you want them, you want a nice positive work environment.

[00:07:33] Steve: You want people to be happy. You want to get your recruitment right. You want all these things and employ the right people. Even heard you're talking about don't accept average on one of your previous podcasts as well, so there's all these various things around getting the right people to work for you.

[00:07:50] Steve: And you generally, when you're starting a business, you've got all these positive. Thoughts around your marketing, around your premises, the building that you buy, all these things that come in and [00:08:00] you don't be glass half empty around employing people and things not being quite right, but the reality of when you employ people, things happen, they will be late.

[00:08:08] Steve: They will be sick, they'll do things that they shouldn't do. That's just the nature of people, isn't it? Yeah. And that's just the reality of it. So it's so important to set your standards out of what your expectations of your staff are, and make sure they're aware of your expectations, but the most important angle of that.

[00:08:29] Steve: [00:08:30] Is making them aware what the repercussions are if they don't meet them, right? So these are three key words I talk about consistently with day in, day, out of standards, expectations, repercussions. Because again when I see my day-to-day job, we'll be going to see employers as I've talked about, and it might be they have a current staffing issue.

[00:08:51] Steve: It might be that they just want me to look at their current handbook and employee contracts. And the feedback I'm always looking at [00:09:00] giving is you, let's say mobile phone uses as a pure example. So you might say. If I look at the policy and it says, you can't use your mobile phone in here. I'm gonna give advice and tips around, no, it is got to be worded.

[00:09:15] Steve: Rather than saying you can't do something, you've got to write a policy around what will happen if you do use it. So I need to know what your standards are. So can I use my mobile? Or it can be how many times? Is acceptable for me been [00:09:30] being late or we being sick before it becomes a problem?

[00:09:33] Steve: So your policies have always gotta be reflected around what are the repercussions. Because the basics of employment law is, it's all there, it's in the for employees. So there's over a hundred statutory rights that employees have that, that are phased over the first two years of employment.

[00:09:55] Steve: Now, where you're talking about our event on the 26th of June, [00:10:00] we are gonna touch on, because there's gonna, there's a huge amount of. Change upcoming with the employment rights bill. Now there's a huge amount of things that, for want of a better term, the moving things closer to the front of the bus.

[00:10:14] Steve: So where you currently need two year service to lodge an unfair dismissal claim, that's gonna become a day one, right? Just as a pure, headline. Now there's solutions to this and you're gonna have to join the event on the 26th away. Some of the solutions, [00:10:30] but we just. Talking a little bit as a general overview at this stage, but just making, having them contracts and handbooks are so important to counter, if counteracts the right word, but to set them standards and expectations and repercussions out.

[00:10:46] Steve: 'cause as an employer you say staff have got over a hundred, you are starting with zero. Yeah. So if you don't put together an employment contract, setting out the relationship. If you don't [00:11:00] put policies and procedures that we generally call a company handbook together, setting out your standards and expectations and repercussions, you are there.

[00:11:09] Steve: And I'm visualizing this now, staff, were there with a hundred staff. You are there with zero. So how many rights do you want to give yourself? So for us, and I'm here with Laura. I know Laura's not said a word yet. I've not stopped talking yet. But how many rights do you want to give yourself? So is it just the basics and have a few [00:11:30] policies and a few documents, but.

[00:11:32] Steve: In the eyes of the law. If it's not documented and structured down, then you've not got an angle. If the worst happens, and obviously that's where we can be a bit glasshalf empty about things, if it's the worst issue that can occur with, as an employee, you get an employment tribunal. Yeah, and that's where they're analyzing how you've managed it, not why.

[00:11:56] Steve: And again, my job is [00:12:00] consistently talking through employers around, yeah, I appreciate you've got CCTV footage of him stealing from you and that's why you want to dismiss. But where's your CCTV policy? Where's your disciplinary procedures? Where's the, the investigation, the suspension that all the letters and support through that of doing it the correct way?

[00:12:21] Steve: And ultimately that's what employment law is. Just making sure they say it's them three key words, standard expectations, repercussions. 

[00:12:29] Katie Bell: [00:12:30] And I love this Steve, because one of the things that I often find myself saying, and I'm really glad you've given me a boost that I'm saying the right thing actually, because I always say to them.

[00:12:40] Katie Bell: When they say, oh, my therapist was late, or I've got this issue at the moment where they're not following any processes or they're not like cleaning the clinic when I'm away on holiday and they're leaving it left untidy and there's all these little things going on, and I always turn to them and say, but have you laid out clearly your expectations?

[00:12:58] Katie Bell: Do they clearly [00:13:00] understand what you expect of them as an employee, as a therapist, as whatever in your business? And most of the time they're like no. I've just, I've probably not had a clear enough conversation or I've not documented it. And that I think is one of the fears for our clinic owners when they, a lot of them are in a position at the moment.

[00:13:21] Katie Bell: Steve, Laura, so you are clear.

[00:13:23] Katie Bell: We might have a business model that is very heavily weighed towards a self-employed freelance model. [00:13:30] Yeah. And I think for many reasons, a lot of the employment laws that are changing the way that we class workers and and employ people is, they've got, we've gotta be really strict and clear on that.

[00:13:41] Katie Bell: And actually from a profitability point of view and a control point of view and a standardization point of view, we need to be employing more people. Yeah, but the fear is that they're gonna have all these rights and they're gonna be able to do all this stuff from day one. And what am I gonna be able to do?

[00:13:56] Katie Bell: And actually, I always say with people like you, [00:14:00] with a great handbook, with great policies, with great procedures that you don't have to have any fear 

[00:14:04] Steve: because it takes no ab Absolutely. Yeah. You don't need that fear. And that might be easy to say, but you say. The whole nature of in self-employed, I say it might feel the easier way of doing it, but if you are doing it properly, yeah.

[00:14:21] Steve: And obviously that's the key. If you are, if your genuine people are self-employed, then you've not got a huge amount of control over these [00:14:30] people. Have you, Laura, and I'm gonna involve you now, Laura. 

[00:14:32] Laura: Oh, thank you. I'm allowed to let loose. Sorry. Here she comes. No no, you are completely right.

[00:14:39] Laura: Yeah. Look, with self-employed, yes. Okay. It has its advantages because they don't come with the national minimum wage and they don't come with the holidays and they don't come with all of those Statutory rights the easy way out.

[00:14:52] Laura: Guarantee that person's gonna turn up because if they don't turn up like your example there, doing about that,

[00:14:59] Laura: [00:15:00] you don't have that direct.

[00:15:01] Laura: So ultimately the actual level of reliability from those self-employed individuals is very low. So yes, they are an easy win for statutory entitlements and probably a little bit more cost effective. I completely understand that.

[00:15:19] Laura: Is that right for you? Because you have clients that you need to, fulfill for, and you need people to turn up. You're not guaranteed that. And as Steve rightly [00:15:30] mentioned, you can build all of that just by writing in the policies and giving yourself expectations and setting a consistent method.

[00:15:37] Laura: But if it's not written, it doesn't exist. And that is the message from, an employment law perspective. You have to make sure everything is written. We have to make sure that you have the right type of individuals because you could be using self-employed and you could be using them in the completely wrong way. You know you could.

[00:15:54] Laura: And then at that point, you're then leaving yourself very vulnerable to face claims [00:16:00] whereby they can then go and make a claim. And if you've got a number of self-employed individuals, it takes one person to make that claim and win, and it becomes a domino effect.

[00:16:15] Laura: Situation than what you would've been originally.

[00:16:18] Laura: And it works very well for a lot of businesses, but you have to make sure that you are using them in the right way. And actually it's the best solution for you as a business. And not every business is the same. It's not a one [00:16:30] size fits all effect. Yep. So what we would want to do is we'll go through this in more detail on the 26 June, but.

[00:16:37] Laura: Look at the status, look at that individually, and we can talk about how they would be a good fit business, what have take of self-employed and having employees and the best to manage that, but also. For you to be able to identify any self-employed that you have. Are you at risk of a status claim? Are you [00:17:00] safe by keeping them the way you keep the way they're currently operating?

[00:17:03] Laura: Or do we need to take some consideration into the operations and do we need to look at potentially changing that? And that is something, as I say, we can go into more detail on the 26th of June 

[00:17:15] Katie Bell: Yeah. And do you know, I think, Laura, that's a really powerful message because. for many of us. Steve, you said at the beginning like, don't try and be an expert in this.

[00:17:25] Katie Bell: I, I always think if you wanna suddenly I compete at Wimbledon in the tennis. You're not just gonna [00:17:30] figure out this out on YouTube, are you? You not gonna absolutely , be the best tennis player or run a marathon if you've never run a marathon before. In the same way I say don't try and do your own SEO.

[00:17:39] Katie Bell: Don't try and do your own PPC. 

[00:17:41] Laura: Yeah, 

[00:17:42] Katie Bell: certainly don't try and do your own HR because we are great clinicians. But we don't know all of this stuff. So then your 

[00:17:48] Steve: strengths Yeah, you've gotta focus on your own strengths. Yeah. 

[00:17:52] Katie Bell: And I guess there's a part of it that I'm gonna back up my people here, but when we get so busy and you're so in it, [00:18:00] and the industry has come from a place of being predominantly an associate based industry, it's just what's always been done.

[00:18:07] Katie Bell: Now, I'm not saying it's the right thing, but it's just what always was. So we've all creative businesses in this way, that it's always been done and nobody's really ever, I think, stopped and gone a minute, is this right? Is this fair? Is this legal? Is this, How we should be doing it. As the employment laws have changed and things have moved in the over the times, I think we've all got [00:18:30] so consumed with just getting by in our business that we go for the easy option.

[00:18:34] Katie Bell: But I'm not always sure that we are all legally compliant 

[00:18:38] Steve: And the problem I see as well say, 'cause I've had fair few meetings around this subject matter and. People's kindness as well. They, it can overstep the mark. And what I mean by that, I was with a, I was with someone that had a self-employed model business and they had one member of the [00:19:00] team that was going away on holiday.

[00:19:02] Steve: Now, obviously they self-employed, they're not earning any money, so they get, as a thank you for their work for the year, they give them a few hundred pound as a thank you to go away. I'm like, but that's what we call holiday pay. And that's what employees get and unfortunately it was a lovely gesture.

[00:19:21] Steve: It wasn't enough. 'cause it's not enough to cover holiday pay as well. Yeah. So from all that type of thing, so that's why I say someone's kindness. 'cause [00:19:30] sometimes overstep the mark. But that's why it's such an individual thing and it's how much control do you want of that individual? Because if you, 

[00:19:39] Katie Bell: kindness is a massive thing in our industry.

[00:19:41] Katie Bell: We're here because. We wanna care. And then there becomes this boundary of, and I hear it all the time, like I was just trying to be kind. I was, but now I feel like I'm being taken advantage of and actually I always say, you can be fair. You don't need to be like always caring, absolutely can [00:20:00] unfair.

[00:20:00] Katie Bell: At the same time, of 

[00:20:01] Steve: course, you can 

[00:20:02] Katie Bell: make sure that you're not being taken advantage of and you're not doing things out the kindness of your own heart, because that's what you think your employees or your people that work for you need. You've got to be legal as well as as well as kind of thing.

[00:20:17] Steve: Yeah, without going really deep into this one, 'cause you say, we'll touch on it in a bit more detail subject on the event, but you, there's. There's a 16 point assessment that we utilize that [00:20:30] the courts will use where you're deciding in the status of someone's employment. There's three statuses there.

[00:20:37] Steve: Is your self-employed. Obviously we're talking about there's workers. Which again has come through the courts quite a lot and got a lot of headlines over the last few years because Uber taxi drivers are now class as workers. 

[00:20:51] Steve: Wow. 

[00:20:51] Steve: Just think of your Uber, you just think of a taxi driver if you, in your own mindset there, they know like they can.

[00:20:57] Steve: Not accept that job. They can [00:21:00] work when they want. They've got their own car, they've got their own insurances. But everything But from a court's viewpoint, Uber had too much control over them of how, of what was expected of them to do. Yeah. Yeah. So it, they lost the tribunal in that respect. And in obviously in a, that's a big worldwide business.

[00:21:22] Steve: Yeah. So you're every small company that, that's the problem. You say, we, we might be sounding a little bit glass half empty here, but that's the point of what we're meant to be [00:21:30]here for. Look at the risk, manage the risk, and obviously if you know what your risk is and then that's. That's fine. You can manage it. Yeah.

[00:21:38] Steve: But the whole problem with the, this subject matter, you only know if you're doing it right essentially when it's too late. Yeah. Because you're in a court with a judge deciding whether you've managed the situation the correct way. Yeah. So having the right status as a starting place. 'cause if you want to grow your business and your clinic do and build a [00:22:00] reputation up.

[00:22:02] Steve: Is self-employment freelance give you that, that level of con control on people that you want to work with. 

[00:22:09] Katie Bell: Because you, and it ultimately doesn't Steve, in my opinion because there's a bigger picture to this as well in that we really promote values, value driven hiring, value driven firing.

[00:22:21] Katie Bell: I'm sure there's probably a better way for you guys to say.

[00:22:24] Katie Bell: We hire and fire based on values, but we talk about where we're going as a business and what the vision is and what the [00:22:30] mission is and why we do what we do. And often self-employed people are just coming in, delivering some sessions and then leaving. They aren't bought into the whole ethos of your company and where it's going and where you wanna take it.

[00:22:42] Katie Bell: They've often got another what they should. Absolutely. If they're self-employed, have another form of income. Absolutely. Yeah. So then you've got this kind of split of their loyalty and how much they're really bought in. I think there's a lot to think about with this and I think if you are a small business owner, 'cause we have really like new [00:23:00] starters on here.

[00:23:00] Katie Bell: Yeah. That I'll be thinking about. My god, this all sounds quite scary. We've got established clinic owners that have been in it 10 years and we're just navigating all of the people challenges that come with running a big business. But the key I think I'm hearing is that at whatever level you are at. If you start putting in the right things right, early on the early structure business, the better.

[00:23:25] Katie Bell: But if you are an established clinic owner that's going, oh shit, I definitely think [00:23:30] I am not compliant in all these, then it's still not too late. It's still 

[00:23:34] Steve: never too late. Never too late. 

[00:23:36] Katie Bell: Okay. That's good for them to know because I think it doesn't become a priority until it goes wrong.

[00:23:42] Steve: Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. And 

[00:23:45] Katie Bell: it's almost too late, isn't it? You're in a big battle then, and you've got a lot of sleepless nights and you've got a lot of headaches. And I want our clinic owners always to be able to go to bed at night, put their head on the pillow and be like, I'm doing everything fairly.

[00:23:58] Katie Bell: I'm doing everything legally. I'm [00:24:00] compliant with what I need to be compliant with, and I'm making this business work for me. 

[00:24:04] Steve: Yeah. And you're building your reputation. You've got staff that, like you say, they're bind into the ethos of the organization. Yeah. They're building up reputations and it just grows with it then, doesn't it?

[00:24:15] Steve: 'Cause you say because, and that's the, we focused on the self-employment. You say it can sound scary, the employee group. And again there's a fair few misconceptions around employee side of things as well, I think even from your side, [00:24:30] Kate, when I listened to one of your previous podcasts, you focused on the two years?

[00:24:34] Steve: We have two years, yeah. But the re but the reality is there's rights even before people work for you. Then, there's 50 odd rights at day one of employment, and then there's more after one month. Three months, six months, a year, and the two years. So you can, you could get countless styles of claims coming through in the early days just for how you manage and treat people.

[00:24:58] Steve: But there's always [00:25:00] solutions and it doesn't need to be scary. It's just setting that infrastructure up properly, making stuff aware of your standards, your expectations, and repercussions. Setting clear guidelines. Don't set average and and just manage people accordingly through your policies.

[00:25:16] Katie Bell: Yeah. And I think that's, you make it sound, Steve, then oh, okay, I can do all that. That's easy enough to do, but you can't do this by yourself and neither should you try and it's [00:25:30] introducing them. Our clinic owners to people like you who can navigate, or like Laura, when you talk. You know 

[00:25:39] Steve: when a let her, when you let Laura talk, sorry, I'm so totally overtook, can't you?

[00:25:44] Steve: Sorry, 

[00:25:45] Katie Bell: Laura. You come with a calmness about you, Steve. Not that you don't, but Laura, you come with a calmness about you. It makes me go, 

[00:25:53] Steve: I'll shut. 

[00:25:54] Katie Bell: Like Laura is just gonna tell me exactly what I can do, exactly what I can't do, how to have this conversation [00:26:00] with this difficult member of staff.

[00:26:01] Katie Bell: There's not this whole like, I need to get myself worked up and figure it out for myself and chat gpt my response to them. Working with people like Peninsula. You do all that leg work for them, don't you? 

[00:26:11] Laura: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Look. I've done this job for 17 years, so I think there's nothing that's gonna come across my desk that would shock me to the point where I'm in a bit of a tizzy about it.

[00:26:21] Laura: However, that's what allows the calmness to come, probably ask me. Yeah. First day of my employment I've been like, what is going on here? But yeah, 17 years. [00:26:30] Then look, I've done this job and And yes. Okay. Sometimes we are unpicking a mess and, but it's, I've never come across something that can't be resolved and I've never come across something that, I sit there and think no, this is game over.

[00:26:43] Laura: We, we can't do anything with it. There was always a solution. Yes. Okay. It might require a couple of hoops to be jumped through. We may be at a certain position where we might be a little bit too late. We are at risk of a tribunal, but again, we can provide the solution for that. So I'm not, that's why [00:27:00] I probably come across.

[00:27:01] Laura: I've not come. There's nothing that I've not come across before. And I've dealt with the client. I've had clients that have cried to me because the stress and and I can, I completely sympathize with it because it's a very difficult world to be in. But then once you've had the conversation and you've set the foundation, I'll do all for you.

[00:27:19] Laura: I will give you your letters. I will draft you your letters for you. I will give you your questions. I will write you a script. If in the middle of meeting and.[00:27:30]

[00:27:32] Laura: Pause that meeting, ring me and I will then talk you through how to go through that next step. So there is nothing that cannot be rectified with our support. And we are here to support businesses right the way through this. That is the whole purpose of obviously this solution. And for us to be able to support businesses like that, 

[00:27:49] Katie Bell: It, and just that just in itself feels oh my God, a weight's been lifted. Really reassuring. I don't have to try and be the expert at this already as the CEO, as the clinic owner, as the head [00:28:00] physio, as the acupuncturist, the pilates instructor, the bloody receptionist answering the phone half the time. You try to do it all. Anyway, the last, 

[00:28:07] Steve: you've got a lot of hats to wear.

[00:28:09] Steve: Business owner now you 

[00:28:10] Katie Bell: have got a lot hat, Steve, and actually let's just kind of delegate what actually you don't need do anymore and get that expert. Advice. So during the 26th, I'm excited, we're in run a live webinar. Now I want to stress to everybody, we are not going to record this and we're [00:28:30] not recording it because I need you to be there live because you're gonna be able to participate in real time.

[00:28:36] Katie Bell: You're gonna get your questions answered. And it's not. You've probably noticed from this, I think we're all northern on here. I detect a northern accent 

[00:28:44] Steve: yeah, pretty sure. Pretty sure. I'm pretty sure. 

[00:28:47] Katie Bell: Yeah. So there's no fluff, there's no jargon, there's no scare moning, there's no bullshit baffling brains.

[00:28:53] Katie Bell: We're just gonna give you straight talking guidance to keep your clinic safe. And basically your arse covered, I think, is the [00:29:00] The bottom line of it, isn't it? Yeah. 

[00:29:02] Steve: You can word it like that. We won't, 

[00:29:04] Laura: of course I'm Mrs HR over here. 

[00:29:07] Steve: Yes. 

[00:29:08] Laura: Yeah. 

[00:29:10] Steve: You can say that. 

[00:29:12] Katie Bell: Let make this sound very hr, but understand by end the webinar they gonna understand.

[00:29:21] Katie Bell: The team that they've got or future hires should be classed as employed or self-employed. So we're gonna get some more clarity around distinguishing those or maybe a [00:29:30]worker you are gonna help us understand that a little bit more. Am I right? 

[00:29:33] Steve: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. 

[00:29:35] Katie Bell: We're gonna know exactly what the law says rather than what you made down the road told you it is.

[00:29:41] Katie Bell: Particularly with the new employment bill coming through. And the changes that we're going to see and what we can be doing. You said Steve, like proactively to help still feel as an employer you do have some control. 

[00:29:57] Steve: Absolutely. Yeah. Absolutely.

[00:29:58] Katie Bell: And I guess [00:30:00] just making sure that we're staying compliant, that we are protected, and that you are running your business in a stress-free way.

[00:30:07] Katie Bell: Like you, no matter how your team is set up, let's make sure it's working for you. Is that a fair kind of summary of what the webinar's gonna cover? 

[00:30:15] Steve: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. This, that's the thing. There's, so I wrote down some notes of what we'd cover off today, and I've not talked about any of them.

[00:30:24] Steve: So there's so many things to talk about from whether it's going into. [00:30:30]Recruitment and selection processes and probation periods, but you summarized it well that you can't become that expert. But the policies, that's where they say, if we've made it sound easy, the bit where it gets complicated is knowing what the law is, knowing what you're allowed to do, because you've got to be reasonable, you've got to be fair.

[00:30:52] Steve: And that's the, it's knowing where the boundaries are. Having someone sacking some because the late wants is not [00:31:00] fair, sacking, so there's that fairness because, 'cause some, again, you'll be surprised, some people will have in their policies, really strict policies. They'll go no, that's the rules and they've signed for it.

[00:31:12] Steve: Yeah. But it wouldn't stand up in court. So it's, that's the bit where it gets really complicated because we obviously, we go through a stage of a fairly new government, but obviously a new government in respect of their introducing their angle on employees rights. And it's just making sure that say they're [00:31:30] documented down in a fair way that gives employers.

[00:31:33] Steve: A lot more control and flexibility, and I think they're really key words, control and flexibility to manage and run their clinics as they want to run it. And that's why there's no one stop shop for everyone. 

[00:31:45] Katie Bell: And Steve, you said in one of our conversations, Laura, it might have been you that actually. A lot clinic owners think a lot of business owners that, oh we can chat GPT, this policy, and I can just write and I come, I can just get this company handbook and I can just fluff it all together.[00:32:00]

[00:32:00] Katie Bell: But actually every single business has to have their own distinctive, unique policies, handbooks. It's not a one size fits all. It will, you will come across so many issues if you try and do that. So we're gonna explain, absolutely. Explain why it's so important that the policies and the procedures and the systems and all those things fit for your business and what your standards are, and what your values are, and how you want your business to run.

[00:32:22] Katie Bell: But it needs to be fair and reasonable. 

[00:32:25] Steve: Absolutely. Yeah. And I say it's an individual thing. It really is. [00:32:30] Yeah. If I can, if I've still got time on this, I've still got the angle of, I appreciate, we've been talking a lot here now. But I know you're not, I, it's a similar model around in the hairdressing industry and I run an event recently in hair, so they have.

[00:32:46] Steve: Some of them will have the self-employed model, some of them will have, so it's similar questions in that industry. Yeah. And I ran an event with 20 different business owners, and we weren't going around the room talk about how they manage [00:33:00] lateness. And there were a few going, oh, I'm quite relaxed about it, if, what's a few minutes, type that angle and one lady said.

[00:33:08] Steve: One of my, when I first opened and we my stylist walked in with a Costa coffee, obviously of available in her hand while her client was waiting for her, and she literally just got up and walked out and said, I'm not being kept waiting by somebody who's been to go and get a drink while I've sat here waiting for him.

[00:33:29] Steve: And she put a [00:33:30] scathing review online. About it. And that was one of her first ever reviews. So it was a real hard one to refer to accept, but it made her learn very quickly that you've gotta tighten down on these things and it wasn't for me, it wasn't a coincidence then when you start going round the room and people that had higher standards around things like lateness and sickness and managing staff, it were any coincidence when we went down to it that they were charging more for their services.

[00:33:57] Steve: Wow. That's, and it all goes hand in [00:34:00] hand. 

[00:34:00] Katie Bell: Really Interesting. Yeah. And then I'm very passionate about, we are a professionally led, we are, a lot of us are chartered. We have, we are deemed by regulations and rules. We have to do CPD, we have to keep ourselves the very top.

[00:34:14] Katie Bell: And actually, that's how you should run your business. 

[00:34:16] Laura: Yeah, 

[00:34:17] Katie Bell: You should have high expectations. You should have high standards. That's what, we miss a lot, I think, because we think we should just like, oh, quite relaxed about it. It'll come back to bite you on the bump that it 

[00:34:27] Steve: will. Yeah.

[00:34:28] Steve: Whether that bad [00:34:30] review you say, but it Yeah I found it fascinating because you're going deep into that of just. The better higher standards you've got, the more you can charge for what you think people will pay more for you. That's what 

[00:34:41] Steve: we 

[00:34:41] Katie Bell: want. Absolutely. Steve, Laura, this has been fab. Like we could talk all day.

[00:34:45] Katie Bell: 'cause there is so much. Sorry, 

[00:34:47] Steve: I could, I nearly have. 

[00:34:49] Katie Bell: So listen to this. It's not should you come to this webinar, it's, you absolutely must. It's a non-negotiable whether you hiring, whether you have got [00:35:00] self-employed. People in your business, whether you have a mix of self-employed or employed, we urge you to be there live June the 26th.

[00:35:06] Katie Bell: I've forgotten the time. Steve, can you remember the time? It's around lunchtime. 

[00:35:09] Steve: Oh yeah, it's around lunchtime. Yeah. 

[00:35:11] Katie Bell: 12 o'clock. 12 o'clock to one 30. If you go to the link in the show notes. Just below this podcast, if you're on YouTube, you'll be able to see it there as well. There is a direct link for you to register for this event.

[00:35:22] Katie Bell: We'll send you a reminder. We'll send you the Zoom link. It'll all be there for you. And Steve, Laura, are you joining us as well on 

[00:35:28] Laura: this event? I'm joining? [00:35:30] Yeah. So we can use it as a bit of a HR clinic at the same time. So come with questions are to.

[00:35:36] Laura: Look, I would rather you feel comfortable and confident and reassured and we can give you that

[00:35:47] Katie Bell: thank you both of you, I can't wait to see you again. on june 26th

[00:35:52] Laura: No problem. 

[00:35:53] Steve: Absolutely, and if anyone's got any questions in the meantime and then burning staffing issues and then burning [00:36:00] issues that come up, then I dunno if you're gonna, you could put my welcome to put my email address, my phone number in the link if that's possible.

[00:36:07] Katie Bell: We will do that 

[00:36:08] Steve: and then yeah if, because obviously Summit might come up tomorrow. We don't want 'em to wait till the 26th. If they've got any burning questions or issues, they're very welcome to gain up. No, probably without 

[00:36:18] Laura: picking things on the 26th because we waiting for that full bulk. 

[00:36:21] Steve: Exactly. Yeah.

[00:36:23] Steve: So that's what I do and that's obviously the relationship that we're gonna be building up where we, I'm here to help. 

[00:36:29] Katie Bell: Fabulous. 

[00:36:29] Steve: Your [00:36:30] members deal with anything 

[00:36:31] Katie Bell: So helpful and I massively appreciate it and every one of our listeners do as well. So thank you both very much for your time. 

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