Category

Employing & managing staff

The latest guides on employing and managing full or part time staff effectively as a small business owner or sole trader. 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. Sounds good? Then read on…

Annual leave for part-timers

Our full-time staff work 37 hours a week with 4 weeks annual leave excluding bank holidays. Part-timers work different hours each day. How do I calculate their leave? How do I calculate it if they change their contractual hours?

Employing & managing staff

Employing & managing staff

Bank holiday payments to part-time staff

Are part-time staff entitled to pay on bank holidays when the business is closed?

Employing & managing staff

Advertise jobs internally or externally?

If a position of employment becomes available, does it have to be advertised or offered internally first?

Employing & managing staff

Employing part-time bar staff

I run a bar and employ four part-time staff. Two of them have full-time jobs. Do I need to issue them with a contract of employment and how does holiday pay work in this instance?

Employing & managing staff

Rules for compassionate leave time off work paid or unpaid

An employee's brother has unfortunately died. What are the rules for time off paid or unpaid?

Employing & managing staff

Personal hygiene issues

One of my staff regularly smells of urine. Despite sympathetically asking her on many occasions to address the problem she has failed to do so. What is the position regarding her employment? If I have to, can I ask her to leave?

Employing & managing staff

Am I obliged to offer a pension scheme?

I'm just about to launch a domestic cleaning and laundry business and plan to recruit up to 20 people over the next 2 - 3 years. Am I obliged to offer some sort of access to a pension scheme, either now or in line with my predicted growth of employee numbers? There seems to be lots of advice out there but much of it is conflicting.

Employing & managing staff

Guide to induction and training

The usual definition of induction is a formal introduction of a new employee to a job. However, Peter Done, managing director of Peninsula and SmallBusiness.co.uk, our Q&A panel expert, feels that induction and training should not only happen at the start of employment, but ‘should be ongoing in order to provide solutions to problems as the job duties change’.

Employing & managing staff

Am I obliged to offer a pension scheme?

I'm just about to launch a domestic cleaning and laundry business and plan to recruit up to 20 people over the next 2 - 3 years. Am I obliged to offer some sort of access to a pension scheme, either now or in line with my predicted growth of employee numbers? There seems to be lots of advice out there but much of it is conflicting.

Employing & managing staff

Guide to induction and training

The usual definition of induction is a formal introduction of a new employee to a job. However, Peter Done, managing director of Peninsula and SmallBusiness.co.uk, our Q&A panel expert, feels that induction and training should not only happen at the start of employment, but ‘should be ongoing in order to provide solutions to problems as the job duties change’.

Employing & managing staff

Lateness: a ‘national epidemic’

It seems Monday is the day that most of us are late for work, with 65 per cent of all tardiness occurring at the start of the week, says a new survey of 2,149 employees across the UK.

Employing & managing staff

Ten tips for getting the best from your staff

Small firms may not be getting the best out of their staff because they are failing to offer them adequate incentives, says business finance firm Bibby Financial Services.

Employing & managing staff

Smokers’ rights

What are an employee's rights on smoking within the work day? i.e. Are they entitled to specified breaks?

Employing & managing staff

Employing migrant workers – Need to know

Employing non-UK nationals can bring with it a variety of benefits, may reduce workforce shortages and can help promote equality and diversity. Yet business owners need to understand how to comply with relevant legislation and make sure the candidate is legally employable in the UK.

Business Technology

How to keep your small business safe online

Here's how Security Service Edge from Vodafone can help to protect your SME from ever-increasing cyber threats

Business Technology

How to grow a global creative agency in record time

Find out how creative agency, Myth Studio, used technology to grow their business and quadruple their staff count in 18 months

Partner content

Attracting and keeping top talent through Total Reward

Employment benefits specialist, Drewberry, explain why you should base your benefits around a Total Reward Strategy

Partner content

5 things every small business owner needs to know before starting

HSBC - Advertising feature