The latest data from employee engagement experts Sodexo Engage, reveals that 76% of employees are more likely to apply for a role if there is an option to work flexible hours, highlighting that flexibility is no longer a nice-to-have but an expectation for today’s workers. According to the research, many employees do not believe that SMEs offer sufficient flexibility. Of the 52% of employees who would rather work for a big corporation, 45% said they were put off by SMEs due to the lack of flexibility. Similarly, 44% of the female employees surveyed cited the lack of flexibility as a…
Author: sme-admin
A Featherstone-based property developer has created a new social hub featuring an artisan coffee shop and sandwich bar, as well as a high-specification hair and beauty salon, in a project that has breathed new life into a redundant site in Castleford. The new Livelihub on Methley Road, close to the town centre, is the brainchild of local entrepreneur Craig Mitchell, owner of Carter & Co. Property Solutions. The new venture, which has created four new jobs, was brought to fruition through funding of £100,000 arranged by Reward Finance Group. The new business aims to provide a contemporary setting for eating,…
Research amongst business decision-makers suggests staff who volunteer as magistrates can be ‘good for business’, as the Ministry of Justice calls upon employers across all sectors to support the search for 4,000 new magistrates in England and Wales. As part of the national recruitment drive, research from the Ministry of Justice has found the top qualities HR and business leaders see in people who volunteer as magistrates are sound judgement (89%) and effective decision-making (81%). Magistrates are trained to develop transferrable skills such as critical analysis, complex problem solving, mediation, influencing and decision making. Employers agreed the potential business benefits…
Digital nomads are heading out into the world once again, now that the pandemic has eased, but they often encounter difficulties with paying for services — and getting paid — due to the many transfer options that can be baffling, slow and expensive. Now, Money Transfer Comparison, a popular service that reviews the top international and business transfer options, has unveiled the best firms and services that digital nomads can use while on the go. In a guide, Money Transfer Comparison offers alternatives to such services as PayPal, which has fallen out of favour with many people due to high…
38% of Baby Boomers want to continue working into their 70s but HR departments are still pushing too many out in their early 60s Over a third (38%) of Baby Boomers questioned in a recent study of UK-based 58 to 75 year olds’ retirement plans, declared they want to retire after the current State Pension age of 66 years old. Nearly one in 10 (9%) Boomers that are still working full-time today, declared that they ‘never want to give up work’. This growing group of late retirees wanted to, on average, stop work just after their 70th birthday. Yet video interviews…
Paid sick leave tops the list of benefits and incentives that matter most to employees, according to new research by HR and payroll software provider CIPHR. Perhaps unsurprisingly, after two years of pandemic-led disruption and rising living costs, among the most popular employee benefits are those which help supplement squeezed incomes, support people’s health, and encourage work-life balance. For over two-thirds (67%) of the 1,001 people polled, sick pay is the employee benefit that they value most, followed by flexible working hours (57%) and pension contribution matching (46%) – where employers offer to match employees’ pension payments on top of the minimum…
Effective leaders engage others in pursuit of a clear and compelling purpose. In other words, leaders have their impact in the world through the effective and high performing teams they create. Team building and empowering others is a fundamental aspect of leadership. Without an effective team, leaders will find they are incredibly busy, carrying a lot of responsibility and stress and not having much impact. An effective framework for team performance development is Tuckman’s ‘Form to Perform’ model. It is a model which specialist leadership coach Neil Jurd, has adapted to include his own observations. His version of the model…
A new, first of its kind business combining books and baking has launched in the UK. Bookish Bakes sells baking kits and subscription boxes inspired by contemporary and classic fiction, allowing people to combine two of life’s great pleasures – reading and baking. Bookish Bakes’ kits include a seed cake inspired by The Hobbit, lemon tea biscuits based on Pride and Prejudice, a Turkish delight cake inspired by The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, crumpets from Rebecca and a two-loaf bread baking kit based on A Tale of Two Cities. You can also add a pre-loved book to the…
Dunore Utility Connections, a UK-wide utility and connectivity startup, has achieved rapid growth in the nine-months since launch thanks to the disruptive thinking of its founders. In July 2021, two industry veterans, Tim Carroll and Jon Newsham joined forces to challenge the traditional working practices and standards that have “long plagued the utility industry”. In a short space of time, Northampton-based Dunore Utility Connections has developed a reputation as a trusted partner for construction and development companies who are faced with the challenge of navigating the complex maze of utilities. Together, Carroll and Newsham are renowned for their unrivalled knowledge, expertise and transparent working practices…
Swindon-based Key Performance Training is re-locating its offices to bigger premises in Kembrey Park, a move that will provide a welcome boost to the local workforce. The family business is the only lift truck training centre in Swindon, providing forklift training to men and women looking for work or who want to expand their skill set. In addition, the company offers training in first aid, health and safety, and courses for fire marshals and wardens. David Gearon, who runs the training centre, said: “We were outgrowing our previous training centre, so we decided to look for new premises at the…