Protecting the interests of a business is a top priority for any entrepreneur or company. However, with the dynamic nature of the job market and increasing competition, retaining top talent and safeguarding your business can become challenging. This is where employee restrictions or restrictive covenants come into play. These agreements can effectively limit the potential damage a former employee can cause to a business. In this article, we’ll dive into the basics of employee restrictions and explore the steps to negotiate fair and enforceable agreements that can protect your business from unwanted risks. What is a restrictive covenant? A restrictive…
Author: sme-admin
April is National Stress Awareness Month and it’s an important time to recognise the widespread impact of stress on our lives, especially at work. Whatever the source, it’s essential to acknowledge and address stress in order to mitigate its negative effects. In this article, Judith Quin, an award-winning vocal-confidence coach, who launched her business, Your Whole Voice, seven years ago comments on possible sources of employee stress and offers tips to employers on how to manage it. “We’re all much more aware of our stress levels nowadays. But stress is still a major problem for many of us. Statistics published…
With recent events at Silicon Valley Bank and Credit Suisse rocking international finance systems, the experts at global supply chain risk management solution, Resilinc, are urging UK businesses to collaborate with suppliers to reduce uncertainty. This instability at major international banking institutions comes on the back of an already turbulent time for businesses. Resilinc’s EventWatchAI risk monitoring platform reported a 271% year-on-year increase between 2021 and 2022 in bankruptcies, plus a 46% increase in corporate restructuring and 77% increase in leadership changes during the same time period. In response Resilinc is outlining five strategies businesses can employ to mitigate financial risk across their…
Birmingham’s Colmore BID (Business Improvement District) has partnered with the Hollie Gazzard Trust to launch a new Supporter Organisation Scheme to educate staff on domestic abuse issues and help safeguard employees. Colmore BID, which is responsible for delivering projects, initiatives and services in Birmingham’s commercial and professional services quarter, is the first to partner with the charity to trial the national scheme. The programme provides not-for-profit organisations with safeguard training for staff members, a subscription to the UK’s largest safety app and 24/7 monitoring service, Hollie Guard Extra, at a discounted rate and monthly editions of the Hollie Gazette, a news,…
Senior solicitor Andrea Corr, in law firm Blandy & Blandy’s Employment Law team, summarises changes coming into effect from April 2023 that will affect both employers and employees. National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage From 1 April 2023, both the National Living Wage (those aged 23 and over) and the National Minimum Wage (for those aged 16 – 22) are to increase. The new hourly rates and increases are as follows:- Rate from April 2021 Rate from April 2022 Increase National Living Wage (NLW) for workers 23 and over £9.50 £10.42 9.7% 21-22 year old rate (NMW) £9.18 £10.18 10.9%…
We all know about the rise of TikTok in recent years and the proliferation of video content across social media platforms. It is now quick and easy for users to create and edit short videos on their mobile devices and upload them for all the world to see – or the few dozen followers they have. The introduction of Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts is a reaction from Meta and Google to take advantage of this trend, and many of us have fallen victim to the endless scrolling through content of an evening when we really should be getting on…
A STUDY has revealed that despite widespread concern over costs to businesses and record-high utility bills, 95% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), are overlooking obvious cost savings, with the most neglected being water bills. The independent survey of over 500 UK SMEs by National water retailer Wave, revealed that just 5% of respondents are cutting down on water usage to address rising overheads, despite 87% responding that water is a vital part of daily operations. With a backdrop of rising cost-of-living and soaring energy prices, water usage has slipped to the bottom of the pile when it comes to operational…
Digital advertising is not only hugely complex but fast changing, especially for B2B marketers. Is Google Search still a good option despite soaring call-per-click costs? Does the explosion in bot traffic (estimated at 95% of clicks) make it near impossible to get your ads to the right user base on the Google display network? Is LinkedIn’s enhanced job title targeting worth the extra cost? Such conversations, while important, are a dangerous distraction. Generating clicks is just the start. What a business needs to know is what happens next. How many people click through – at great cost, only to bounce straight off?…
When you become an entrepreneur you are embarking on two journeys. One to build and grow your business, and another to the edge of what you think you are capable of. All entrepreneurs are aware of and excited about the first journey, but very few are prepared, or even aware, of the second one. But it is this second journey that will define whether you succeed or not, because prioritising personal growth is how you keep ahead of the increasing demands your business will place on you. It also guarantees the only ‘exit’ you can count on in the end,…
Bupa UK Insurance has announced the launch of a new free service for its SME customers, Growth+, which, for the first time, offers an all-in-one HR, health and wellbeing support service expertly tailored to the needs of small businesses. Growth+ has been designed to support small business owners and entrepreneurs so they can navigate their business’ health and wellbeing responsibilities and unlock the business growth opportunities from investing in private healthcare. Growth+ helps small business owners and entrepreneurs take care of their own health and their employees through: A new team of health and wellbeing experts trained to understand the…