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Employing & managing staff

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The latest guides on employing and managing full or part time staff effectively as a small business owner or sole trader, brought to you in partnership with Sage. Contains advice on employment law, health and safety at work, recruitment, training, redundancy and disciplinary information, employee rights, workplace regulations, and much more.

This section provides expert and in-depth advice articles on all aspects of staff management and human resources legislation. Our aim is to help UK small businesses to hire great employees, manage them effectively and look after them properly.

Other key topics covered in this employing staff section include team management, employee motivation, legal rights and responsibilities, managing absence, maternity pay and leave, taking on new staff, induction programmes, communication, workplace policies, flexible working, job descriptions, employment contracts and related information.

We also provide information on HR tools, templates and resources specially targeted at SMEs as well as suitable training courses and workshops that can help you get the best out of your staff to make a more efficient, more profitable, happy and productive company.

Get more time back to build your business with Sage’s one solution for all your business needs. Get accounting and payroll with HR features you can access from anywhere, all with award-winning support and unrivalled business advice.

What to know when recruiting your first employee

Ian Cowley, managing director of cartridgesave.co.uk, discusses everything you need to know when taking on your first staff members.

Employing & managing staff

Employing & managing staff

How to manage smoke breaks at work

Many employers are feeling the wrath of non-smokers who object to their nicotine-addicted colleagues taking extra breaks to satisfy their habit during the working day.

Employing & managing staff

How to source the best staff and then retain them

Ensuring you have the right team in place is of crucial importance when establishing and growing your business. HR guru Beatrice Bartlay gives tips on employing and retaining staff.

Employing & managing staff

Reducing an employee’s hours from full time to part time

What is the process if I need to reduce the hours of someone from full time to part time? Do I issue them with a letter and how much notice do I need to provide?

Employing & managing staff

How to get your business ready for auto-enrolment

Small companies are advised to spend up to a year preparing for pension changes, which come into effect in 2014. Jonathan Cowan of Sage discusses the measures small businesses should take.

Employing & managing staff

What the introduction of tribunal fees means for small businesses

People wanting to bring employment tribunals must now pay a fee. Adrian Hoggarth discusses the ramifications for SMEs.

Employing & managing staff

How can I stop staff from asking for last-minute holidays?

What measures can I put in place to prevent employees from either asking for last minute holidays or calling in sick? We always receive a spike in requests when the weather is good.

Employing & managing staff

How to stop your employees from revolting

Kate Russell, managing director of Russell HR Consulting, discusses how small businesses can keep their staff happy at work.

Employing & managing staff

How can I stop staff from asking for last-minute holidays?

What measures can I put in place to prevent employees from either asking for last minute holidays or calling in sick? We always receive a spike in requests when the weather is good.

Employing & managing staff

How to stop your employees from revolting

Kate Russell, managing director of Russell HR Consulting, discusses how small businesses can keep their staff happy at work.

Employing & managing staff

Employee doesn’t work well in a team

I have an employee who just will not work well in a team, as an individual his work performance is excellent but once tasked with working within a group he creates tension and refuses to work with a number of individuals. I do not wish to dismiss the employee as he is a consistent worker but I'm not happy about his attitude to team work.

Employing & managing staff

Is an unofficial smoking break fair on non-smokers?

I have a number of workers that smoke and I let them normally have a five-minute unofficial smoke break in the afternoon. However, one of my employees, who is a non-smoker, has complained that it is unfair they are not allowed an extended break. Am I in the wrong?

Employing & managing staff

How a small business should manage long-term sick leave and terminal illness

Adrian Hoggarth, head of employee law at Prolegal, discusses what to do in the difficult circumstances of an employee's health deteriorating.

Employing & managing staff

How to keep staff motivational levels high 

What a small business can do to boost staff performance.

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