Free legal advice and wellness helplines for traders
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Which? Trusted Traders provides a helpline giving traders access to free legal advice and counselling.
Members of the scheme will be able to pick up the phone to speak to experts on UK tax and UK and EU business law, as well as with qualified counsellors.
Our aim is to increase the support that Which? Trusted Traders can offer its members, by tackling two key issues that can affect traders: legal worries and mental health concerns.
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How it works
If you’re a Which? Trusted Trader, you’ll be able to get advice over the phone about subjects related to your business, such as:
- employment law
- supplier contract negotiations
- general legal advice on running your business
- tax laws that affect you.
Plus, if you or your family members are experiencing emotional issues or anxiety, you can also get free confidential advice from qualified counsellors.
The helplines, which are operated by ARAG UK, are open to all standard Which? Trusted Trader members (not including members of franchises and Approved Services).
Legal and counselling services are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (except for bank holidays). Tax advice is available from Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm (except bank holidays).
For legal and tax advice, please call 0330 303 1318 and have your Which? Trusted Trader membership number ready to give to the agent. If you're unsure on your membership number, simply call your Trusted Trader account manager who can provide this to you.
Supporting our traders
One in six adults in England experience common mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety, and people working in skilled trades have a higher risk of suicide.
Raj Kakar-Clayton, managing director of Which? Trusted Traders, said: ‘We recognise that there can be many difficulties and pressures involved in running a small business. We want to support our traders with their legal, tax and wellness issues, so they can then focus more of their energy on providing the best possible service to their customers.
‘Mental health awareness and assistance is a key part of the way that Which? helps its own staff to thrive. As skilled traders are at particular risk of experiencing these issues, we want to extend this policy to the traders that we endorse. The wellness helpline will give Trusted Traders and their families a direct route to support their wellbeing.’
Your Which? Trusted Trader standard membership includes a free confidential counselling advice and assistance telephone helpline for you, your employees and family members living with them. The wellness helpline can help deal with matters that are causing stress and anxiety in a positive way. Calls are not recorded, and we will not know that individuals have used the service.
Counsellors will not judge people or tell them what to do so individuals can tell them about their concerns and worries in complete confidence. They can guide them to explore coping mechanisms and how to strengthen resilience against negative feelings of stress or anxiety. Bereavement counselling is also available, and counsellors may refer individuals to other suitable agencies to obtain further help.
The qualified counsellors cannot help with long term mental health conditions, but they can support callers who are feeling anxiety, stress or a sense of loss for any reason.
To access the wellness helpline, please call 0333 000 2082
