With just under a third of UK businesses (32%) suffering from a cyber-attack in the last year*, new research from Aviva reveals more than half (55%) of UK employees are worried about the level of their employer’s cyber security. Young people (aged 16–24) in particular, are concerned about their employer’s cyber security, compared to 37% of employees aged 55 and over. A further one in five (20%) employees report that they only receive cyber awareness training once a year or less, despite 89% of employees saying they believe the cyber security level in their company is ‘strong’ – indicating that…
Author: sme-admin
As many roles and processes become increasingly automated, in-demand skills are constantly evolving. So, how do you make sure your work environment is adapting and growing with the changes? To help understand ways to future-proof the workplace, the team at Craft Docs, the company building the future of documents, has revealed their expert advice and recommendations. A spokesperson for Craft comments: “One of the biggest challenges that many businesses are facing at the moment is the fact that AI and technology is advancing at such a rapid rate, and most companies still don’t understand it fully. “We, along with other experts in the…
Research from ForrestBrown, the UK’s leading research and development (R&D) tax specialist, has revealed that more than half of accountants’ clients are concerned that increased complexity surrounding R&D tax relief will affect their cashflow. The findings from ForrestBrown’s recent polling of accountants show that this sentiment is echoed by accountants themselves. Nearly two-thirds (61%) of those polled also reported that the changes to the R&D tax relief scheme were raising the level of their practice’s business risk. While some recent reforms to R&D tax relief are welcome, the pace of change and the challenge of adapting to a new ‘rulebook’ have…
Small business advice service, Informi, spoke to start ups to identify top sources of business inspiration, and provide their advice on ensuring start-up success. “Some people struggle to come up with a business idea because they think it has to be unique. It doesn’t” comments Huw Moxon, Marketing Manager at Informi. “In reality, most ideas are variations of things that already exist. They’re not unique, just different, and offer something additional or meet a deeper need.” Here are 6 sources of business inspiration Personal pain points are real problems that you’ve experienced firsthand. By identifying and creating a solution to a pain…
There are lots of factors that contribute to stress at work – whether that be changes within your organisation, the challenges of working from home, or delivering on a big project. Some of us are able to deal with these stresses better than others, and that’s often down to how resilient we are. Resilience is the ability to maintain your wellbeing in the face of adversity. In the workplace, people who are resilient are able to adapt and respond positively to setbacks and stressful situations. Knowing how to identify, limit, and handle pressure makes it easier to get through times of…
Amazon Prime members are being given the opportunity to buy unmissable, once-in-a-lifetime experiences to help them Feel Like A Big Deal this Prime Day – including the chance to go on set with the cast of Neighbours in Australia, head into the recording studio with McFly, and get business mentoring from Sara Davies MBE. Rapper-turned-chef Big Zuu and Manchester City footballing legend, Yaya Touré are also signed up to deliver epic experiences exclusively to Prime members this Prime Day. Prime Experiences celebrate the very best of Amazon Prime, from Amazon Music, Prime Video and Amazon Fresh to fast, reliable delivery…
A lack of awareness surrounding the potential of the Government-backed Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS) may be holding businesses back from accessing a critical source of funding for growth, according to Allica Bank, the digital relationship bank dedicated to serving established British businesses. Its latest survey of commercial mortgage brokers found that almost a third (32%) do not know that the RLS is still available for banks to use and fewer than a third (30%) have recommended RLS-backed loans to clients within the last six months. Some 30% of brokers surveyed have not recommended RLS-backed loans to clients because they admit…
Yesterday, Revolut Business, the global financial super-app for business finance, launched its first spending report. To be published monthly, the Revolut Business Spending Report analyses card spend from more than 150,000 businesses in the UK who use the Revolut Business platform to manage their business finances and expenses. The inaugural spend report shows that while business spending on entertaining experiences for staff is trending upwards, marketing spend, a traditionally large business outlay, has fallen month on month and considerably across the past 12 months. Revolut Business card spending data shows that business spend in the UK rose in June, up…
NatWest, the UK’s biggest bank for business, is today announcing that it has joined forces with energy experts Perse and Absolar to help businesses save money on their energy bills and transition to a greener future. Supporting businesses to reduce their energy usage, cut their costs and decarbonise their operations is key to NatWest’s mission to tackle climate change. Research by the bank has found that, with the right support, half of the UK’s carbon reduction ambition could be achieved by UK small and medium-sized enterprises, and the majority of SMEs would stand to benefit financially from reducing their carbon…
Increasing consumer demand dictates that the research and development of new more innovative materials and products is a constant requirement, but what exactly is being done to monitor the recycling of that material when it becomes a waste product? In this article, Julian Tranter, managing director of waste management specialist Tom White, speaks to SME Today to question the current legislation loophole and also asks why more isn’t being done to tax the companies that import products, all of which leaves material recycling facilities (MRFs) footing the bill. It’s great to see diverse research and development being undertaken to produce…