Month: January 2011

Document management systems are vital for running an office

Stuart

There are numerous systems that are used for running a successful office and they will vary according to the size and nature of the business. One of the main organisational facilities which all offices require, however, is a system that allows speedy and simple document management. This can include document processing and invoice processing and numerous other systems can be added to increase the efficiency with which the office staff work and to minimise the incidence of expensive human errors that are unavoidable in any business. However many systems an office manager decides to implement within the firm the main facility which is needed is document management – this is what much of running an office boils down to.

Nowadays, the filing and managing of documents usually all takes place on a computer. This way of working has multiple advantages. Not only can different members of staff access shared documents and spreadsheets, but it is now also usual for staff to remotely access their work computer and continue to work on important documents despite being away from their desk, perhaps while travelling, or perhaps looking after a sick child or infant at home. When members of staff are able to store and edit documents jointly it increases the efficiency with which they are able to work and to collaborate. This in turn has a very positive effect on team morale within the office.

One of the greatest advantages of using a computer system to manage your documents is that files can be searched for individually, for example, by date, by title, by author, or by keyword. This again speeds up the working process and allows employees to make better use of their time for the benefit of the business. It also means that the wrong (perhaps outdated) file is less likely to be used at critical points in the business cycle because a properly organised system for managing documents can easily be used to replace documents and files as and when they are superseded.

There are many advantages to a document management system, from more efficient document processing to more accurate invoice processing. It can even help to reduce the carbon footprint of your business. In the current climate, when office space is at a premium and office overheads are high, using a computer-based system to manage and process documents makes a lot of sense. It is no wonder that they are increasingly popular across a wide range of businesses.

Please visit http://www.bottomline.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.bottomline.co.uk/

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Employees law change creates controversy

Stuart

Law firms specialising in employees law are anticipating a rise in consultations in the face of new employment law uk legislation. With employee employment law affected by the new coalition government’s new austerity measures, it is possible that there will be a rise in litigation as the outcome of a ‘legislative void’.

In an attempt to address the United Kingdom’s pensions shortfall, the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition government is implementing legislation that effectively stops employers from retiring their employees at the present retirement age of 65. It is hoped that this will encourage people to work for longer, and so ease the pensions burden. The Department for Business is expected to publish its response to the consultation over the default age of retirement in the next week or so. However, various businesses and business groups are already warning that this is a highly significant law change, and arguing that it needs to be contemplated at far greater length before, if at all, it should be implemented. EEF, the Manufacturers Organisation, and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) have both warned that they are not ready for such a significant change in UK employment law.

Both organisations are calling for a significant delay to the changes, and both say that litigation could be needlessly created, because the so-called ‘legislative void’ created by the removal of the retirement age will lead to accusations of ageism when employers ask their staff when they are planning to retire. The EEF calls for a delay of at least a year, so that there is sufficient time to devise a replacement law that is able to clear up the uncertainty created by the change, and thus avoid litigation. The CBI, meanwhile, similarly points out that the uncertainty could cause employers to inadvertently find themselves on the wrong side of the law and facing accusations of age discrimination. On the other side of the fence, the lack of clarity could lead to false accusations from staff members.

It could come as a relief to many a confused employer, then, that there are law firms, specialising in employees law, that do not charge huge fees for mere consultation. With such uncertainty in the wake of significant alterations to employment law UK, many people will need just that. With employee employment law it can be very difficult to know where you stand without specialist advice at the best of times, let alone in what is effectively new legal territory.

Please visit http://www.lawconfidential.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.lawconfidential.co.uk/

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