Five reasons why keeping employment contracts up to date is essential How do I ensure our employment contracts are fit for purpose?   On or before the first day of employment you must provide your new employee with a document stating the main conditions of employment.   In this article, we will talk you through some simple steps to ensure your statements of terms are robust to support your legally binding employment contracts. In turn, this provides transparency for your employees and protection for your company.   There is no one-size-fits-all approach to employment contra ..read more

Marching towards an inclusive workplace – best practice for businesses.   Many employers recognise the benefits of creating an inclusive workplace environment for all employees but often struggle to know where to start.  Diversity & Inclusion – what’s the difference?  You may hear diversity and inclusion being used interchangeably and whilst the concepts are connected, they are far from being the same.   Diversity refers to the make-up of personal, physical, and social characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, age and education.   Inclusion refers t ..read more

National Minimum Wage – are you ready for the changes?   In November 2023, the Government announced its acceptance of the largest ever increase to the national minimum wage and the first time it has increased by more than £1.  National Minimum Wage changes can have a big impact on your wage costs. Is your business ready to make these changes next month? The rates from 1st April 2024 are as follows:  Largest ever cash increase to the minimum wage – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) If you haven’t already done so, now would be a great time to carry out some salary benchmarking to review t ..read more

Do I really need HR policies? My business is only small… We get it – the thought of writing HR policies is hardly something to get excited about! However, for many reasons they are a necessary part of running a business. As your business grows or you employ new people, policies that are up to date and fit for purpose can go a long way in ensuring your team know what is expected of them, but also what they can expect from you, instilling a culture of trust, fairness and inclusion. You might be thinking that up until now you haven’t needed any sort of structure, which is fine when everything is ..read more

Opportunities in 2024 Opportunities for apprenticeships and similar training programmes continue to develop and grow year on year. The Department for Education have recently launched a refreshed ‘Skills for Life’ campaign. Not only focusing on Apprenticeships, this initiative will look at supporting employers, adults and young people to see the ability in every individual and all organisations. It will focus on how gaining new skills can support an individual to reach their potential. Available to over 19s are 16-week courses called Skills Bootcamps. Free and flexible, they are designed to res ..read more

A History of Apprenticeships  Apprenticeships have been a pathway into employment since 1563, although records do show Apprenticeships existing before this point. In the early years, Apprenticeships were often ‘Trades’, including mechanics, carpentry, plumbing and engineering. The Apprentice would move away from home to live with their ‘Master’ for the duration of their training. Often, this would last seven years! As well as personally teaching them the skills of the trade, the ‘Master’ would look after their moral welfare and give them board and lodgings.  Since then, Apprenticeshi ..read more

How to support Parental Welfare in your business In a recent report by the Working Families Index, it was found that six in ten working parents and carers in the UK believed it had become more difficult to make ends meet over the past three years, due to the cost-of-living crisis. Many of us have been affected by the cost-of-living crisis in some way, as many working families have entered a whole new realm of financial hardship. However, recent studies by the Working Families Index have confirmed that parents on lower incomes are much more likely to bear the brunt of the rapidly increasing cos ..read more

Overcoming the January Blues – how you can support your team After the festive season, many employees experience a decrease in their overall morale and motivation. With the uncertainty around the cost-of-living crisis, January can be a hard time for people and their mental health. Furthermore, time off for the festive period has provided many employees with the opportunity to distance themselves from the workplace. This allows time for them to ponder their current job role and turn their attention to creating new goals for the year ahead – one of them potentially being to look for a new job. S ..read more

Shaping your future workforcewith The Careers and Enterprise Company Linking businesses with the education sector is a big passion of ours; aligning with our ethos and values. It can be a huge benefit to employers as they can begin to sow the seeds of their industry, and organisation, with students who are deciding which path they wish to take in the future.  The Careers and Enterprise Company has released a new tool which assesses your business against the nine Employer standards for careers education. The standards have been identified as:       1. Provide meaningful ..read more

GCSE Results Day 2023! Congratulations on completing your GCSEs, and well done on what you have achieved to date! Throughout your time in secondary school, you will have learnt new topics, developed and enhanced your skills and continued with hobbies and interests – or tried new ones!  You have faced challenges and made decisions to help you into the next stage of your career journey.   What are the next steps?   This information is on the Gov.UK website. School leaving age – GOV.UK      ‘England     You can leave school on the last F ..read more