Are you at the stage in your business where you know you could use a little HR help, but you’re feeling unsure about the cost implications? If it helps – you’re not alone. It’s an issue many business owners have to tackle, and it can feel like an absolute minefield when you’re trying to hunt down all the relevant information. …
How to write a really good job description
When deciding to recruit a new member of staff for your business, there are two key things you should do. One is ask lots and lots of questions and the other is to understand what needs the person doing the role is going to meet. You need to know why you’re recruiting and how your business is going to benefit …
How to calculate employee holiday entitlement
One of the questions I’m most frequently asked is how to work out employee holidays. It never ceases to amaze me how complicated holiday entitlement can actually get because it should be really straightforward! The following explanation for working out employee holidays applies when you have a full-time or part-time employee who works the same hours every week. Other working …
How to get your staff back on track after summer holidays
Now you might not want to admit it, but you probably know that the summer months aren’t best known for being the most productive of seasons in the workplace. With so many employees heading off on holiday, or dreaming of more exotic locations than your offices, output can often take a bit of a slide in the wrong direction. But …
What you need to know if you’re recruiting
Over the weekend I listened to a podcast about how this entrepreneur had built her business. It was an interesting story but at the end of the interview, the key takeaway she shared was don’t be afraid to get rid of staff who don’t fit or add value to your business. She commented that she’d been guilty in the past …
Could Pawternity Leave be the next big thing?
According to the RSPCA, around half of UK households own a pet. Though there’s no legal right for employers to give their staff time off to look after an ill animal, or to help a new puppy settle in at their new home, pawternity leave is something that’s being discussed more and more. Though some might say it’s all a …
Has the Taylor Review failed workers in the gig economy?
Unless you’ve been living under a stone the last couple of weeks, you have no doubt heard about the Taylor Review. The findings from the report were hotly anticipated and finally published this month. Commissioned by the Prime Minister back in October, the intention of the report was to take a look at how employment practices need to change in …
Learn how to be a better leader (without wasting time or blowing your budget)
If you run your own business, then it goes without saying that you’ll want to be a better leader. It might not sound as exciting as the tangible measures like bringing in more cash, or increasing your profits, or slashing unnecessary costs, but make no mistake… ALL of these things can be a direct result of polishing and perfecting your …
What every business owner needs to know for the third quarter
So it looks like summer might well be here, but as this is England, none of us like to count our chickens about what’s to come next. However we’re almost exactly slap bang in the middle of the year, and now’s a great time to take a step back from the day-to-day running of your business and consider the bigger …
Should you be Facebook friends with your employees?
There are a ton of challenges that come hand-in-hand with employing a team of staff… Ensuring that productivity is high and that you’re getting a good return on your staffing investment. Keeping up to date with performance reviews. Staying on the right side of employment legislation. And the tricky question of whether to accept that friend request you just received …