The theme of National Apprenticeship Week 2022 (7th-13th February 2022) is Build the Future, which is exactly what Coalville based Engineering Design & Supplies (EDS) was looking towards when recruiting Apprentice Engineer, Mason Mckeown. Established in 1986, EDS are specialists in the design and manufacture of lifting equipment, fixtures, and tooling with customers worldwide. Since Managing Director Sascha Kovacs took the reins in 2020 the company has expanded rapidly with no sign of slowing down. “An apprentice definitely felt like the right route to aid our expansion. We were looking to make a long-term investment in somebody, and the more…
Author: sme-admin
It’s National Sickie Day on Monday and, as mental health related illnesses are the number one cause of employee absence, here are some tips from absence management specialists, Activ People HR on how businesses can better support mental health Research tells us that more ‘sickies’ are likely to be pulled on Monday 7th February, commonly known as ‘National Sickie Day,’ than any time of the year. While people are typically more ill during the winter months, Adrian Lewis, Director at Activ People HR says employers should be vigilant and monitor whether sickies are signs of more serious employee mental health issues,…
Getting through to HMRC isn’t always plain sailing. There are number of different channels and services available for contacting HMRC, including telephone, online contact options and post. The Institute of Financial Accountants (IFA) offers a brief guide to HMRC’s communication channels to effectively engage and source information and achieve answers to queries. How to contact HMRC Fundamentally, HMRC provide a digital self-help library, alongside webchat, email, post, telephone lines and dedicated helplines, and phone numbers reserved for your accountant or tax agent. Often, using your accountant will secure you the quickest response, although you can of course approach HMRC yourself.…
The Analox Group, based in Stokesley, has been named Best Global Gas Sensing Products Manufacturer, In receiving the Northern Enterprise Award, officials from the Analox Group said the Award recognizes the hard work, dedication and commitment to excellence exhibited by Analox Team members over the past 12 months. According to award officials, the Northern Enterprise Awards represent the innovative, driven and pioneering businesses based in the North of England. The pandemic has hindered many businesses and industries and continues to do so as we move forward, but the business sectors in Northern England have displayed a solid sense of resilience…
As 2022 gets into full swing, many business owners are considering how they can give their tech setup a refresh. 5G first hit the UK’s shores in May 2019, but it’s taken a while for the rollout to expand enough to make it a viable commercial option. Here, Kristian Torode, Director and Co-Founder of business mobile expert Crystaline, explores why opting for 5G is a connectivity upgrade worth considering, and how it translates into business benefits. Although 5G has been around for a couple of years now, in 2022 we’re going to see further expansion of the market both in terms of…
Kelly Swingler, an executive coach for professional women, has launched a new podcast ‘Core-Led Women’ for female entrepreneurs experiencing, or fearing, burn-out. The podcast will be available for download every Tuesday morning from 8am and will feature an episode a week exploring a different theme. Kelly runs her own coaching business and has a background in HR. She was the youngest HR director of a corporation with over 3,000 staff when she left in 2014 after struggling to cope due to burn out. She since went on to create her own HR consultancy – which still runs today – and…
Inspirational award-winning speaker, empowerment coach and best-selling author of ‘Unleash Your Awesome’, Taz Thornton, is looking for 25 self-employed people or business owners to become the Elite25 – all people who want to create positive change in the world. Elite25 will launch later this month, so those taking part will be able to start the year with new ideas and processes to make positive changes through self belief and by transforming their own outlook, message, business and brand. Taz, who lives in Lincolnshire, has had more than her fair share of negatives to overcome to get her in the positive…
Covid-19 arrived in Britain on 31st January 2020. On 23rd March 2020, the Government reacted to the widening outbreak with a stay at home order banning all non-essential travel and social contact; this included shutting businesses. The Police were given emergency powers and the world was to change forever, although at that time none of us knew exactly what lay in store. I reacted immediately to the Pandemic by creating what I called “The Friend Programme”. My instinct told me that business owners would need all the help they could get in the weeks to come. At the time, I…
As the first month of the new year ends and Plan B Covid-19 restrictions are lifted across England, it’s interesting to reflect on how the pandemic impacted new company formations last year, and what further trends we may see in the coming months of 2022. Before Covid-19 was a household name, research by business intelligence specialists, Business Data Group, shows that 672,716 new companies were formed during 2019. Of course, there were peaks and troughs throughout the year, due to seasonal events, but on average over 56,000 new businesses were starting out every single month. It wasn’t until the pandemic…
With the Government’s announcement to scrap work from home guidance from Monday, many will expect to see a wave of businesses returning to their offices. However, new findings suggest small businesses in the UK look set to stick with home offices in the long term, spurred on by substantial savings each month. By April 2022, the proportion of small businesses working entirely from home will still outweigh those hybrid working (27% vs 23%) Small businesses continuing to work from home estimate total savings of £3,860 a month on average 86% are putting this money back into the business, with top…