By Timothy Adler on Small Business – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs
Hiring an apprentice is becoming an increasingly popular way for young people to enter the working world, allowing them to learn a trade and gain valuable on-the-job experience whilst earning a wage.
You can employ apprentices at different levels, from school leavers and university graduates, to people who want to further their careers or change career direction completely.
You can hire someone new or upskill an existing employee.
And it’s not just the apprentices who benefit. Hiring an apprentice also brings numerous advantages for companies participating in such schemes, making them a great investment.
Hiring an apprentice – 4 benefits for a small business
#1 – A committed workforce
One of the biggest benefits of running an apprenticeship scheme is that it helps create a dedicated, loyal workforce. The majority of apprentices are young school or college leavers, meaning that they have lots of energy with which to learn the ways of your business as you help them climb the career ladder within your organisation.
Eighty-six per cent of employers said apprenticeships helped them develop skills relevant to their organisation, according to the government Apprenticeships website.
#2 – Bridging the skills gap
Many companies,
Tag Archive for Managing staff
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Can I dismiss an employee for sending threatening text?
by Peter Done • • 0 Comments
By Peter Done on Small Business – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs
This employee has made a threat of physical violence and her conduct in sending a threatening text should be treated as an allegation of gross misconduct. Whilst the sanction for allegations of gross misconduct is summary dismissal it is important not to make any hasty decisions and ensure that you follow your disciplinary procedure. If you simply dismissed without following your disciplinary procedure then the dismissal may be deemed unfair because the employee has not been given the opportunity to respond to the allegations made against her.
>See also: Do I have to pay staff who are self-isolating?
You should consider suspending the employee in these circumstances due to the nature of the alleged conduct. It’s important not to jump to suspension as the only way to remove the employee from the situation – you could achieve the same effect by other means – but a threat of violence in such a threatening text may make actual suspension necessary. In order to support the notion that the behaviour could be gross misconduct, it would be appropriate for some type of measure in this regard to be taken.
>See
Hot Business News Today
Can I dismiss an employee for sending threatening text?
by Peter Done • • 0 Comments
By Peter Done on Small Business – Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs
This employee has made a threat of physical violence and her conduct in sending a threatening text should be treated as an allegation of gross misconduct. Whilst the sanction for allegations of gross misconduct is summary dismissal it is important not to make any hasty decisions and ensure that you follow your disciplinary procedure. If you simply dismissed without following your disciplinary procedure then the dismissal may be deemed unfair because the employee has not been given the opportunity to respond to the allegations made against her.
>See also: Do I have to pay staff who are self-isolating?
You should consider suspending the employee in these circumstances due to the nature of the alleged conduct. It’s important not to jump to suspension as the only way to remove the employee from the situation – you could achieve the same effect by other means – but a threat of violence in such a threatening text may make actual suspension necessary. In order to support the notion that the behaviour could be gross misconduct, it would be appropriate for some type of measure in this regard to be taken.
>See
Hot Business News Today
SMEs forecast to create 1.2m jobs in Britain over the coming year
by Anna Jordan • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
One third of SMEs are expected to hire in 2021, creating 1.2m jobs in Britain.
Renewed optimism is the driving force behind these hiring plans, with an added desire for SMEs to grow their workforce diversity and prioritise employee wellbeing. In the UK, there will be a bigger focus on ways of working and employee wellness, with 37 per cent looking to improve physical wellness.
According to research from Sage, businesses expect to return to pre-pandemic profitability by Q4 2021. This is down to increased consumer confidence and greater efficiencies.
Three quarters of SMEs surveyed are optimistic about the future of their business and growth trajectory in the next year. This optimism is mainly driven by the vaccine rollout programme (45 per cent), being able to see customers again (35 per cent) and projections of increased consumer spending (32 per cent). Over eight in ten don’t expect there to be another lockdown, with most feeling they’ll return to pre-pandemic levels this summer – both in terms of profitability and staffing levels. A huge 79 per cent of UK SMEs believe they’ll be back to profitability by the summer.
An ability to adapt has been crucial during the
Hot Business News Today
SMEs forecast to create 1.2m jobs in Britain over the coming year
by Anna Jordan • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
One third of SMEs are expected to hire in 2021, creating 1.2m jobs in Britain.
Renewed optimism is the driving force behind these hiring plans, with an added desire for SMEs to grow their workforce diversity and prioritise employee wellbeing. In the UK, there will be a bigger focus on ways of working and employee wellness, with 37 per cent looking to improve physical wellness.
According to research from Sage, businesses expect to return to pre-pandemic profitability by Q4 2021. This is down to increased consumer confidence and greater efficiencies.
Three quarters of SMEs surveyed are optimistic about the future of their business and growth trajectory in the next year. This optimism is mainly driven by the vaccine rollout programme (45 per cent), being able to see customers again (35 per cent) and projections of increased consumer spending (32 per cent). Over eight in ten don’t expect there to be another lockdown, with most feeling they’ll return to pre-pandemic levels this summer – both in terms of profitability and staffing levels. A huge 79 per cent of UK SMEs believe they’ll be back to profitability by the summer.
An ability to adapt has been crucial during the
Hot Business News Today
Zoom tips and techniques when doing video job interviews
by Anna Jordan • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
These days, the telephone interview might not go far enough in finding candidates. As a result, many employers have been turning video platforms like Zoom.
The advantage to Zoom is that lots of people use it and know how it works. However, you miss out on certain upsides in a video interview that you would get in a face-to-face job interview, like reading social cues and body language.
To help you get the most of your Zoom job interviews, let’s take a look at what you need to do as an employer before, during and after the interview.
Before the interview
The first step is the all-important preparation you do when planning your interview.
Provide instructions for your candidate
As soon as you decide a date and time with the candidate, send them details of how to access the meeting. If you have several candidates or plan to recruit for multiple positions, a template is a wise idea. Tell them where they can download Zoom (if they don’t have it already), making sure you include the link to their meeting along with the password.
Give them a phone number in case there are any tech issues on the day. Schedule
Hot Business News Today
Zoom tips and techniques when doing video job interviews
by Anna Jordan • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
These days, the telephone interview might not go far enough in finding candidates. As a result, many employers have been turning video platforms like Zoom.
The advantage to Zoom is that lots of people use it and know how it works. However, you miss out on certain upsides in a video interview that you would get in a face-to-face job interview, like reading social cues and body language.
To help you get the most of your Zoom job interviews, let’s take a look at what you need to do as an employer before, during and after the interview.
Before the interview
The first step is the all-important preparation you do when planning your interview.
Provide instructions for your candidate
As soon as you decide a date and time with the candidate, send them details of how to access the meeting. If you have several candidates or plan to recruit for multiple positions, a template is a wise idea. Tell them where they can download Zoom (if they don’t have it already), making sure you include the link to their meeting along with the password.
Give them a phone number in case there are any tech issues on the day. Schedule
Hot Business News Today
Hiring an apprentice: The benefits for a small company
by Timothy Adler • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
Hiring an apprentice is becoming an increasingly popular way for young people to enter the working world, allowing them to learn a trade and gain valuable on-the-job experience whilst earning a wage.
You can employ apprentices at different levels, from school leavers and university graduates, to people who want to further their careers or change career direction completely.
You can hire someone new or upskill an existing employee.
And it’s not just the apprentices who benefit. Hiring an apprentice also brings numerous advantages for companies participating in such schemes, making them a great investment.
Hiring an apprentice – 4 benefits for a small business
#1 – A committed workforce
One of the biggest benefits of running an apprenticeship scheme is that it helps create a dedicated, loyal workforce. The majority of apprentices are young school or college leavers, meaning that they have lots of energy with which to learn the ways of your business as you help them climb the career ladder within your organisation.
Eighty-six per cent of employers said apprenticeships helped them develop skills relevant to their organisation, according to the government Apprenticeships website.
#2 – Bridging the skills gap
Many companies, particularly those within technology, find it tough to
Hot Business News Today
5 attributes to look for in your next personal assistant’s CV
by Rebecca Siciliano • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Rebecca Siciliano on Small Business
If you feel like you’re drowning in work, hiring a great personal assistant may be the best solution.
Providing an extra pair of hands to assist with admin, diary management, gatekeeping and more, a PA will enable you to work smarter, delegate more efficiently and manage many of your day-to-day tasks. In short, they will help you get more work done, and ensure you focus on the most important tasks to help your business grow.
Those with a PA actually work nine hours less per week than those without the extra support – time which is invaluable to achieving a healthy work-life blend and maximum productivity during the working day.
So, if you’re on the hunt for a PA to lighten the load in your business, what skills should you be looking for? Personality fit is a great start, as you will be working very closely with your PA on a daily basis, so an ability to get on at a personal level will mean the difference between a smooth transition and a bad hire.
However, there are a few additional core skills that are essential when choosing your perfect personal assistant. Hone in on these skills
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What we can learn about managing staff from soccer’s top managers
by Jacqueline Benjamin • • 0 Comments
Originally written by Jacqueline Benjamin on Small Business
There is no shortage of successful business people proffering top tips on how to run a small business, or how to get the most out of your workforce.
But when it comes to seeking inspiration for your business, it sometimes pays to look a little further afield. And by “afield”, we literally mean a football pitch.
The football pitch can offer many valuable insights, particularly when it comes to people management.
After all, football managers are not dissimilar to any manager of teams of people (with the exception that few managers have their work appraised so passionately by hundreds of thousands of fans each week). Each football manager bears significant pressure and responsibility for getting the most out of their team. And each approaches it in their own unique way. Some favour the “carrot” approach, such as Gareth Southgate, who led England’s team to unexpected success at the last World Cup with his particular style of gentle, thoughtful management. Others prefer the “stick” – Alex Ferguson springs to mind, who famously kicked a football boot at David Beckham’s head when unhappy with a performance.
Two of today’s most revered football managers – Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp and Man