Smes

Pressures drive SMEs to revamp benefits

Three quarters (77%) of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) plan to overhaul their employee benefits offering to combat workforce challenges and economic pressures, a report by Howden Employee...

Employment tribunal backlog worsens 

The backlog in employment tribunal claims has worsened in the last quarter, according to the latest Ministry of Justice figures.

New apprenticeships funding won't go far enough, says HR

Prime minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to invest £60 million in apprenticeships over the next year, but HR representatives say that it will not go far enough to boost increased take up of...

SMEs call for UK to open borders to fill labour shortages

Over half (52%) of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are in favour of opening the UK’s doors to overseas workers to plug vacancies.

Apprenticeship support is a ‘postcode lottery’, says report

The uneven distribution of small business support across the UK is preventing employers from recruiting and retaining apprentices, according to a new report from think tank IPPR.

SMEs to give employees extra time off in December

More than half a million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK are looking to give their workers extra time off around Christmas, according to research from Barclays.

Reporting obligations removed for 40,000 businesses

The UK government has announced future plans to remove reporting requirements for businesses with fewer than 500 employees.

Freelancers wait three times longer for payment than permanent staff

SMEs are blaming cashflow issues for delays in paying freelance workers.

Skills shortages leads to increased overworking

Job vacancies in the UK soared to a record of 1.3 million in March to May this year and research from The Open University's Business Barometer has found staff are taking on extra work as a result of...

Redundancies on horizon for nearly a fifth of employers

Almost one in five (18%) employers plan to let staff go in the next year according to new research from Acas.

SMEs should focus on culture to retain staff

Small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) should play to their strengths when it comes to retention, and focus on building a culture of recognition, according to research.