Monthly Archives: October 2017

Apprentices the solution to the UK’s skills gap

Apprentices are the solution to addressing the UK’s skills gap, say 82 per cent of UK SMEs in results obtained from the Close Brothers Business Barometer, a quarterly survey that questions over 900 UK and RoI SME owners and senior management across a range of sectors and regions. ‘Skills shortages have made headline news recently
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Nearly half of SMEs have never checked their credit score

Nearly half (44 per cent) of SMEs have never checked their company’s credit score, according to new research from RateSetter Business Finance. Credit scores are used by lenders to determine whether businesses have a good track record of repaying debt, and are therefore one of the key factors affecting an SME’s ability to get a
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How an employee’s use of drugs/alcohol can impact the workplace

These days everyone is aware of the impact drugs and alcohol can have on the workplace environment and most, if not all, companies will have a strict drugs and alcohol policy in place. Societal use of drugs and alcohol has undergone a dramatic change in recent years in terms of attitude towards drink driving and
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One in five adults are unhappy with their career

One in five (19 per cent) UK adults are dissatisfied with their careers, new research reveals. A study carried out by energy comparison site, UK Power, questioned the nation to find out which areas of their life they are most unhappy with. The results are stark; a quarter of all adults are unhappy in their
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Five reasons you should think about litigation funding

The legal world is evolving. Now, hiring a lawyer doesn’t have to be about them billing you as they go along, implementing the strategy they developed, without any risk to them if it doesn’t work out. Recently, there’s been a surge in third party, or litigation, funding. This means that a financier – usually a
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Hire the robots, free the people – how automation changes business

With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and other smart technologies, it is inevitable that a number of jobs will be automated away. At one level, such ‘technological unemployment’ is nothing new. From the advent of the steam engine and mechanisation of farming, through to the robotisation of car manufacturing and introduction of personal computing
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TfL delays contradict HMRC who deny reform impacts sector

Delays to critical TfL London Underground repair work due to the exodus of public sector contractors further contradicts HMRC’s claim that IR35 reform is not impacting contracting and the public sector, highlights Qdos Contractor of The Qdos Group. TfL recently revealed a ‘significant number’ of contractors stopped working on projects as a result of IR35
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Ransomware mustn’t be allowed to strangle SMEs

Small businesses are under threat from a persistent menace in the form of ransomware. The ransomware threat is so prevalent it was recently added to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary. Its ability to creep through the business ecosystem and quickly strangle productivity is causing huge issues for the very enterprises many rely on to put dinner on
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