by Brian McKay
There are so many reasons that you might set up a small business of your own. Some of us set up a business purely because we feel that we have a great product or service concept that we believe can generate money and that we feel set on pursuing. However, the majority of us become business owners for the lifestyle that it allows us. We tend to feel sick of being pushed around and told what to do in our day to day lives. We want to regain control over where our career is heading and how we work. But remember that when you run a small business, you gain responsibility over the wellbeing of other people who are in the position that you may have previously been in or are a position that you may play in other areas of your life. It’s important that you treat everyone that you engage with with as much respect as they deserve. This starts with respecting their rights! Here are a few steps that you can take to make sure that you and your business respect others’ rights at all times!
Employees
Let’s start with your employees. As your business grows and expands, you’re likely to take a few on at some point or another. Now, employees legally have a lot of rights. But here are a few that you should bear in mind to start with.
Freedom from discrimination - you cannot discriminate against any employee based on their identity. This could include aspects of their identity such as their age, sex, gender, sexuality, race, or religion.
Privacy - your employees have a right to privacy in the workplace. You cannot check their personal belongings (such as bags or briefcases), storage lockers, private correspondence, and often phone calls or voicemail messages.
Whistleblower rights - if an employee feels that you are doing something wrong or that your business is engaging in illegal practice, they are within their rights to report this to relevant authorities without being retaliated against.
Individuals Who Owe Money
If your business carries out finance plans or lending of any sort, you need to follow strict legal guidelines when it comes to dealing with individuals who owe you money, but are not paying up. Though they owe you money and it may be frustrating finding yourself unable to get it back easily, they still have rights and need to be respected. You can receive more information on this subject at Cornerstone Support, Inc.
Members of the Public
You gain responsibility over the health and well being of members of the public who enter onto your commercial property or engage with your business and its products or services. You need to make sure that your commercial property, your products, and your services are all as safe as possible by following strict health and safety laws and regulations.
As you can see, becoming a business owner does liberate you in some ways, but it also endows you with a whole lot of responsibility over others who you engage with. Hopefully, the above information will help you to ensure that you and your business respect others’ rights as best possible!