Accounting for 99% of all companies and 77% of the workforce, according to McKinsey, small and medium-size enterprises are, by far, the largest commercial segment in the UK.

Hello entrepreneur and congratulations on taking the first step in building your own business, all very exciting!

As we move into a new year, many startups and established businesses alike will be looking to make new international connections. This is particularly relevant as the Brexit Transition Period ended on 1st January 2021 and the country is now looking to forge new trading relationships.

Focus group research conducted by e-days, the Nottingham-based global absence intelligence company, has revealed that ‘wellbeing’ is the most popular area of investment for HR leaders as we move into 2021.

We are in an unprecedented time on a global scale. The Coronavirus pandemic has altered our way of life and caused anxiety to sweep across the nation. Not only in the population concerned with the health of themselves and their loved ones, we are in the middle of an employment crisis of its own merit.

You know you need cloud skills within your startup, you have prepared the job spec for the right person (see our Cloud Skills Startip for details), and now you want to make sure that the world knows you are looking for this person and that your startup is the best place to work on earth. And preferably, you don’t want to spend a penny finding that person, because your startup is a lean startup. So how do you do this?

British shopkeepers sighed a breath of relief on Monday night as the Government announced lockdown restrictions will be lifted as of 15th June 2020, allowing non-essential retailers to reopen.

The main challenge met by recruiters when hiring developers is to find qualified candidates for the job vacancy. Because mis-hires are increasingly costly in the tech industry, it is imperative to assess a programmer’s technical skills during the recruiting process to validate whether or not they will be a good fit for the job.

RECENT figures showed that 2019 was a record year for startups, and 2020 is set to be even better. With the uncertainty surrounding Brexit finally out of the way, experts predict we will see a surge in the number of businesses setting off on an exciting new journey.

In the exciting world of startups and small businesses, sometimes it's far too easy to forget about the ageing population when hiring. An obvious first thought is ‘cheap labour’ in the form of an ambitious and career hungry graduate.

I remember my first CEO role. God I was scared. Would my staff do as I asked? Who could go to for help? Was I expected to be omnipotent? Fortunately I had a great Chairman who had been there, got the T-shirt, and the scars.

Companies offer benefits to ensure a happy, motivated, and well-rested workforce. Still, more than half (52%) of American workers do not use all of their vacation days.

Today, we’re bombarded with so much tech based communication at work that we’re forgetting how to have effective ‘real life ‘conversations. This is having a huge impact on relationship building in the workplace.

Whether you’re looking to exit individuals on selling your business, downsizing a department or terminating an employment contract after a fair disciplinary hearing, at some point you will need to part ways with an employee.

No business owner should expect a completely smooth path to success – especially not when it comes to handling people on a daily basis.

It may not come as a surprise but nevertheless, it’s somewhat depressing to know that the level of trust people have for leadership remains low.

In this week’s guide, we look at how to manage your employees to ensure long term happiness and health, with performance management, sickness and absence management and incentive share schemes.

What people require from their employers, managers, and colleagues, is different to what it was in past years. The days of having one job for life are long gone. In the highly competitive tech industry, hiring is but the first challenge - retaining and growing a sustainable team for the future is the holy ground.

Once you have the paperwork in place and guidelines established, it’s time to start bringing staff on board. There are a huge range of different legal factors to consider when recruiting, not least the laws around equality and right to work, so this week, we look at recruitment, workers’ rights and business immigration.

With Conflict Resolution Day taking place on Thursday 17th October Louise Hebborn, Commercial Partner at Stephensons Solicitors LLP, discusses business disputes and shareholder’s legal rights.