Do you know that there are thousands of uninsured business vehicles driven on the UK roads? In the majority of cases this is simply because many people are still unsure of what counts as business use. As a new business owner, it can be tricky to choose which type of policy is best for your particular needs, especially if it’s your first time taking out a specific kind of policy.
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Paper is costing businesses thousands per employee from its day-to-day use in the workplace. From a study conducted by WorkMobile of 1,000 workers, it was found that 67% of UK businesses are spending over £2,000 on paper annually per employee. This just goes to show the significant role that paper still plays in the daily activities of more than half of the businesses that took part in the study.
A massive 50% of small businesses say hiring new employees is their top challenge. According to Wasp Barcode’s annual State of Small Business Report it is the number one challenge for businesses with fewer than 499 employees, even more challenging than the traditionally-mentioned issues, such as increasing profits and cash flow. So, Yuliana Topazly from BuddyWith explains how flexible working can help.
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The vast majority of employees in a business will have different aspects of introversion and extroversion, which is often to the benefit of the company. But every organisation will also have individuals who are highly extroverted – the life and soul of every party and the loudest person in the room at any given time. But extroverts are more than just loud people who like to engage with others, they also work very differently to other members of the team.
Outsourcing for your small business can be a great way to save money, whether you require an individual with specific skills or just somebody to help with the extra workload. Before committing to any business decision, research needs to be carried out to find the best possible option. Outsourcing in its basic terms is the product or service from outside the business, and it’s becoming increasingly popular because it increases productivity and is cost effective.
Virtual teams and telecommuting are now accepted features of corporate life and continue to be on the rise. The benefits are many: flexible working, cost reduction, increased employee motivation, productivity gains, reduced stress and sickness levels. Aided by technology you can connect with team members almost anytime, anywhere. You can join a meeting from your small businesses premises as easily as you can conduct an appraisal conversation from your kitchen table. As remote working is getting increasingly popular, you will need to know how to manage remote workers.
In a recent survey conducted by the BCC (British Chamber of Commerce), it was found that one of the biggest issues that small businesses are facing is employing workers with the right skills. The small business workforce seems to lack certain skills which can hinder their chances of business growth. One of the factors that affected the confidence of small businesses during the early Brexit negotiations was the worries over the lack of skilled workers. Therefore, business owners together with the government need to create initiatives to upskill the British workforce.
Inventory management ensures the stock and supplies your staff have access to are monitored continually, to ensure nothing runs out and that invoices and purchase orders are generated correctly.
One of the biggest recruitment challenges faced by businesses is a lack of applications. In a recent survey conducted by Forde HR Cloud, 23% of SMEs revealed that this is their main recruitment issue.
Emotional intelligence can have a significant impact in the workplace. It can help your team form strong bonds allowing them to thrive, or the lack of it can create misunderstanding and cause issues. Emotional intelligence is becoming a more prominent topic of conversation when it comes to business leaders and business environments, therefore small businesses need to understand what it is and why it can make a great impact in the workplace.
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With the year coming to a close, it’s time to look back and reflect, as well as looking ahead. 2017 has been a great year for small businesses which have thrived and stood strong despite uncertainty bought on by Brexit. From the Autumn Budget being small business friendly, to the huge success of Small Business Saturday, small businesses can allow themselves to be optimistic about the upcoming year.
It’s difficult for small business owners to switch off, being a business owner means a huge work load that sometimes may seem never ending. Therefore, having a work/life balance is something that small business owners only aspire to have. It has become a culture in the UK to constantly be ‘on’, hence its not surprising that the UK’s workforce is crumbling under a digital overload, because they don’t get a chance to switch off.
One of the main balancing acts over the festive break is ensuring that as many staff as possible can have time off to enjoy Christmas and New Year with their families, whilst still maintaining customer service.
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As Brits, weather is not usually on our side. However, when you run a business and are faced with severe weather conditions such as several inches of snow, there are only certain things you can do. There are a few ways of mitigating the effects of bad weather on businesses, and of course they will vary. If you are a blogger, you might work from home and snow may have minimal effect on your day to day business. On the other hand, if you run a coffee shop on a high-street, then getting customers and staff through the door will pose a challenge.
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Paternity leave is a hot topic in HR. This guide will help small business owners determine whether their employees are eligible for paternity leave, the statutory allowance and pay they are entitled to, as well as providing information on shared parental leave, extra pay or time off, and antenatal appointments. [continue reading…]
Besides your usual marketing strategy, have you ever thought about alternative ways to drum up interest in your business? Holding a successful workshop to teach others your area of expertise could be just what you need to capture a new audience in your field, as well as meeting new people that could soon become colleagues.
People can get angry anywhere, whether it’s on the street or at work, anger is a natural emotion. However, it is essential to diffuse anger in the workplace to avoid any irreparable damage that may occur. Anger is a normal reaction, it could be directed towards another employee, or an employee might be angry at themselves. In order to ensure minimum damage, its best to address the anger and use techniques of emotional intelligence to diffuse the anger in the work place.
Small business owners often don’t delegate when they can and when they should. Lack of delegation in a small business environment can lead to the business owner being overworked and over-stressed. Taking on everything may seem natural to you as a business owner and you may think it is productive, however doing so can really hinder your chances of growing and developing your business. Therefore, practice and take time to learn how to delegate in a small business environment . The art of delegation, as you will find, has many benefits.
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Finding the right office can be exciting but it is also sometimes a daunting experience. You will need to find the right office space for your small business, whether you are expanding your current business or starting a brand new one. It’s essential to have a tick list to make sure that you are covering all bases in order to find the right office.
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When running a small business, it’s impossible to avoid stress completely, however there are certain things you can do to reduce stress and the effects of it. Constantly dealing with stress can have serious negative impact on your mental and physical health. You really need to be proactive in reducing stress causing factors in your everyday life.
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