Nearly two-thirds (64%) of LGBTQ+ professionals are more likely to pursue job opportunities with organisations that have been assessed for LGBTQ+ sensitivity and inclusion, as are 55% of allies, according to a new study by LGBT Great. The study also reveals that 63% of LGBTQ+ talent feel more comfortable applying when hiring panels include visibly LGBTQ+ individuals and are trained in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I). LGBT Great, a global diversity and inclusion organisation with members including Aon, Legal & General, St. James’s Place Wealth Management, Citi, Schroders, Fidelity and Calisen, today launches its global report, Redefining the Future: LGBTQ+ Talent…
Author: sme-admin
As energy prices continue to rise, many businesses and households are searching for ways to reduce their electricity bills without sacrificing the magic of festive lighting. In the UK, lighting is a significant component of business energy consumption. As of 2013, lighting accounted for approximately 18% of the UK’s total electricity usage. Commercial lighting is responsible for roughly 70% of this consumption. By 2022, spending on electricity had increased by 36% compared to the previous year, reflecting rising energy costs and consumption patterns and the trend is even more marked during the holidays as businesses increase their use of decorative…
Jenny Herbison, Interim CEO of Exclaimer, looks at how SMEs can improve one-to-one communication in global markets. In a global marketplace shaped by digital transformation, businesses seeking to grow must master the art of effective communication. At its core, this is about more than just words—it’s about fostering trust, consistency, and authenticity in every interaction. With ineffective communication costing UK businesses billions annually, companies looking to expand into international markets, must carefully consider not only what they communicate but also how they present their brand. From brand identity to one-to-one conversations, clear and culturally attuned communication is fundamental to building…
The British Business Bank has announced an increase to its ENABLE Funding commitment to Simply Asset Finance (“Simply”), one of the UK’s largest and fastest growing independent asset finance providers. This increased facility will allow Simply to provide more than £175m of finance to smaller businesses across the UK. In line with the ENABLE Funding programme’s objectives, a portion of the funding provided to Simply has also been refinanced through private securitisations, as part of a wider transaction which will provide around £0.7bn of funding to businesses across the UK. Simply is an independent non-bank lender and equipment finance company,…
Pipedrive, the easy and effective sales CRM, today unveiled its State of AI in Sales Report, examining the adoption and usage of artificial intelligence (AI) tools among sales teams. The report delves into the key challenges and opportunities for enhancing productivity in sales, highlighting the growing impact of AI on core sales functions, finding that one of the main challenges for a business is pre-sales communication. Pipedrive’s report reveals that the majority of businesses (60%) face difficulties with all aspects of lead management, from keeping the leads pipeline filled to qualifying and nurturing leads. To address this, 27% of current AI…
With Grief Awareness Week taking place this week, Dr. Caroline Taylor, Senior Clinical Lead at Onebright and an expert in prolonged grief disorder, highlights the impact of miscarriage on fathers’ mental health and how to support them in the workplace—an issue that is rarely discussed. The loss of a child, whether it be through termination of pregnancy, miscarriage, stillbirth, or even sudden infant death syndrome, is tragic. The grief that pursues can feel overwhelming for parents and impact their mental and physical health. Whilst there has been much research on the impact on mothers, there is very little research about…
Almost three-quarters of UK workers would leave their job if the atmosphere wasn’t right, according to a new survey* from music licensing company PPL PRS. Further analysis by the brand** shows that the most in-demand jobs in the UK are in the warehouse and manufacturing industries, with ‘warehouse jobs’ searched 36,000 times every month, followed by ‘data jobs’ (25k) and ‘retail jobs’ (21k). The preferred type of job in the UK is ‘remote jobs’, with 59,000 monthly searches. Analysis of search data by PPL PRS has revealed the top 10 most in-demand jobs ahead of the ‘Great Resignation’, finding the industries most likely to…
Small firms have a strong appetite for international trade despite rising costs, new customs and product safety requirements and potential changes from the US election, according to new research by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). FSB’s Ready to Dispatch report, published this week, calls on the Government to commit to trade export support policy that fits small businesses, as well as streamlining export support access, as small firms await the Trade Strategy and Small Business Command Paper, scheduled to be published in Spring 2025. Nine in ten small firms believe exporting is important to the overall economy and growth in the…
New research by HR and payroll software provider Ciphr shows that two-thirds of UK jobs with a predominantly female workforce have gender pay gaps in favour of men. Ciphr’s gender pay gap study, based on the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), found that most (70%) female-dominated occupations, with workforces of over 50,000 employees, have a gender pay gap. Just 3% of occupational roles held by a greater proportion of women than men (60% or more vs 40% or less) have no gender pay gaps, while a quarter (27%) have pay gaps that favour women. Some of the…
New research has identified that nearly two thirds of people in the UK (63%) are likely to spend more money in pub venues that they consider to be fun places, according to a new study of UK consumers. As the hospitality industry continues to battle against cost-of-living pressures and increased operating costs, the survey points to the fun factor being a major customer pull and spending prompt. The survey was commissioned by Saturn Visual Solutions, a digital signage consultancy, and carried out by OnePoll with 2,000 UK-based, adult full-time and part-time workers. They were asked if they would they be likely…