IncWise - Making Business Simpler

Frequently Asked Questions

Which businesses need a Red Tape Health Check?

Just about every business has to cope with some sort of red tape. Which means that just about every business needs a Red Tape Health Check.

Big companies with HR departments and in-house lawyers should be doing their own internal red tape checks. They may have less need of an outsider to look at their procedures.

That luxury isn’t available to small and medium sized businesses. Red Tape Health Check is an efficient, cost-effective way of reducing the risk of being ensnared by red tape?

What can happen if I don’t comply with the regulations?

That depends on what you have done. The sort of possible consequences include:

Even if I don’t know I’m not complying?

Yes. “Ignorance of the law is no defence”. And that’s the main part of the problem. Most businesses have no idea about all the regulations which apply to them.

For example, did you know that every letter and e-mail you send has to contain certain details about your company? Leave them off and you could be fined up to £4,000 per e-mail or letter! Yet most businesses have never even heard of these rules.

Is it really that serious?

We’re afraid so.

Although prosecutions under some rules are rare, others are becoming more common, especially under data protection and health & safety rules.

In almost any case that happens, you will probably get stuck with legal costs which cost a lot more than the Red Tape Health Checks. For example, the DTI’s own figures say that Employment Tribunal claims cost employers an average of £2,000. And that includes the 70% which never get to court.

What are my chances of getting caught?

Quite high for many of these problems.

Take Employment Tribunals. There were about 100,000 cases in England and Wales alone last year. It only takes one employee to bring a claim. Most cases are settled for a few thousand pounds. Of those that reach the tribunal, employers lose around half, and generally can expect to pay up to a year’s worth of the employee’s pay. On top of that are legal costs - typically from £2,000-£5,000.

It’s unlikely you will be caught by a government agency for breaching the rules on e-business. These problems are usually spotted by a dissatisfied customer, who then doesn’t pay, launches a claim and/or reports it. It only takes one.

What information do I have to provide?

When you order your Red Tape Health Check, we will let you have a list of what we need.

Generally what we need is some very simple information about your business - what you do, where you work, how many employees you have etc. And we need copies of some of your existing paperwork, stationery, sample contracts etc. Exactly what we need to complete the Red Tape Health Check varies from case to case.

What if I don’t have all that paperwork?

Don’t worry. We can help to compile it for you. That’s what Red Tape Health Check is for.

If you don’t have copies of your Companies House filings, we can usually obtain them from Companies House. Unfortunately we have to charge you for that. The cost is £7.50+VAT for the first document and £3 for each subsequent document.

Can I send you scanned copies or soft copies of documents?

No problem. We can take documents in any standard MS Office format (.doc, .xls, .ppt), images or printer files (.pdf, .jpg, .gif, .tif), or internet readable files such as HTML, .rtf and .txt.

Will you post documents back to me?

Generally no. As far as possible, we operate on a paperless basis. We send documents to you by e-mail, or in certain cases on a CD-Rom.

To read them, you will need Adobe Reader (earlier versions known as Acrobat Reader). You can download it free by clicking on the icon below.

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I’m being taken to an Employment Tribunal. Can you help?

First of all, you need to take legal advice. We can’t help you with an ongoing claim.

However, a Red Tape Health Check should be able to help you avoid these problems in the future.

Will having a Red Tape Health Check guarantee that I won’t face legal action over red tape?

Sadly no.

The IncWise Red Tape Health Check is designed to help you comply with legal regulations in the areas we describe. Used properly, it is intended to reduce the risks which your business faces in these areas. What we can never do is guarantee that you will not face a prosecution, civil proceeding or government action.

We can only work with the information you give us, and you are still responsible for implementing our recommendations. We cannot do it for you. Our aim is that, if you follow our recommendations, you can reduce the risks of successful cases against you.

Even if you have done everything perfectly, someone can still try to sue you. With good procedures in place, you may be able to settle these cases more cheaply and with less disruption.

What if I have a Red Tape Health Check and IncWise doesn’t find anything to improve?

Then we will happily give you a clean bill of health and a discount on another Health Check.

Will there be a lot of follow-up work to do?

That depends on how many problems we find, and what sort of problems there are. Of course, if we find a problem, then it’s something you would have had to fix anyway.

At IncWise, our mission is to Make Business Simpler. So, if we do find a problem while doing the Red Tape Health Check, we not only provide you with the tools to put it right, but also try to find the simplest and most efficient way for you to do it. It’s a rare case where we can’t save your time and effort.

How can it be done so cheaply?

Most business people are not in business to deal with red tape - it is to provide a service and make a profit.

For us, however, it is our core area of expertise. It means that we are able to find the problems, and sort them out, much quicker than you would be able to do it yourself, and pass the savings onto you.

Will the services be confidential?

Yes. We will not divulge the information about your business to anyone else, or even tell them that you have consulted us, unless:

Click to read our Privacy Policy in detail.

What other services does IncWise offer?

IncWise provides electronic company formation and company services such as the provision of a registered office, company secretarial support and the provision of a Virtual Office, as well as our unique StartNewBusiness.com one-stop start-up package.

Can I get a discount?

Yes. If you buy all 5 Red Tape Health Checks at the same time, we will provide them for just £750+VAT, a saving of £245.

How do I sign up?

Click here to sign up online and pay by credit or debit card. Alternatively, contact us for information about ordering and paying offline.

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