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,…
Author: sme-admin
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…
Birmingham Metropolitan College is delighted to announce a series of free, online workshops tailored for non-profits and small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the West Midlands. These workshops aim to provide practical tools and strategies to help organisations succeed in today’s digital landscape. Social Media for Social Good: Strategies to Grow Your Mission: Online: 5th December 2024 – SMEs and Non-profits across the West Midlands are invited to an exclusive event led by SEO Social. This FREE event is designed to equip organisations with tools and strategies to harness social media for growth, fundraising, and community engagement. Register here; Website & SEO Essentials: Online:…
With searches for “work burnout” increasing by 47.38%, businesses must design workplaces that are tailored to employees’ needs and accommodate evolving team dynamics and project demands. Flexible spaces help to achieve this, creating a positive environment that encourages collaboration, integration and innovation, which is beneficial for the success of a business. Studio Alliance office design experts have provided five practical tips to encourage this within the workplace. 1. Adaptable spaces Adaptable spaces are beneficial for ensuring rapid communication and allowing for a seamless exchange of ideas. Moveable walls, modular furniture, writable surfaces and interactive technology are at the heart of this, enabling teams to work together, collaborate and make decisions easier. 2. Transparency For the…
British Glass has accused the Government of shattering the UK glass sector after a controversial new packaging tax was passed by Parliament. Under the new packaging extended producer (pEPR) scheme, which shifts the cost of collection and sorting from local authorities to producers, heavier containers like glass will incur higher levies, meaning products in glass bottles and jars could be set have an additional cost in excess of 10p whereas products in plastic or metal containers will only have a marginal cost. Glass fees for beverage packaging will be around 49 times higher than other, less-recyclable materials, leaving brands with…