Category: In Business

Did you know that little or no awareness of your staff’s natural behavioural styles can lead to their poor physical health, stress and even depression?

In a recent report from Dame Carol Black, the National Director for Health and Work, it was revealed that ill health is costing the economy over 100m pounds a year. We all hear sad cases of people having a mental breakdown or worse, this costs not only the companies they work for, the government and the NHS, but the costs to the individual in the worst cases are often overlooked.

If you are a manager or run your own business, it’s highly likely that you’ll constantly be on the look out for junior employees who can make the transition to senior level and continue to drive the business forward. However, knowing what the early signs to look for to identify these individuals can be tricky and fraught with uncertainty.

Are you bullying A recent poll revealed that 69% of employees at Law firm Peninsula reported being bullied at work during 2007; this was a rise of 16% from 5 years ago. Worryingly, 44 per cent of the victims claimed they were bullied by a manager.

Monday 28th April 2008, BT Convention Centre, Liverpool
The annual Business Convention hosted by the British Chambers of Commerce is the ultimate gathering of business, government and skills leaders. This is the year’s essential business, policy and trade event with excellent networking opportunities for business leaders and policy makers. Delegates will hear from international and UK business leaders on how they have applied a creative entrepreneurial approach to grow their businesses into global companies.
The convention will provide an understanding of future market trends from the most successful budding entrepreneurs and show how to support the next generation of British business leaders. To register with the special rate for Business Matters readers, please email offers@bmmagazine.co.uk

One of the fastest growing sales and marketing focused business forums in the world launch an improved fee-free service today, aiming to save small to medium sized businesses from all over the world up to thousands of pounds a year each.

‘Most small businesses fail in their first year’. It’s a stark warning often cited by successful business leaders before they outline the secrets of their own success. But worryingly it is also a warning grounded in fact.

A study by leading insurer AXA has revealed that, despite the introduction of age discrimination legislation in 2006, ageism is still rife in today’s workplace, with thousands of retirees reporting experiencing pressure to quit their job by their employers. In addition, UK plc could face a collective compensation bill of over £45m if employers are taken to tribunal for age-related cases.

The idea that many people work from home to spend more time with their children has been called into question by new research from leading broadband supplier UK Online, which found that greater flexibility and less commuting were actually the driving factors among the small business community.

You may have heard about franchising but would you like to know more? Well, it does what it is says on the tin – franchising is being in business for yourself but not by yourself. What is inside the tin? What is a franchise? What is involved in researching the marketplace? What about the finances? What can franchising do for me?

Firstly, here are the key industry statistics taken from the latest NatWest/bfa Franchise Survey. (bfa stands for British Franchise Association – the voluntary self-regulating body for the franchise industry.) You may be surprised by the scale and scope of the industry.

More than 2.1 million people work from home and some 8 million spend at least some of their working week in the house instead of at the office, according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
Working from home offers many advantages and is an attractive option for today’s budding entrepreneur or teleworker. Being able to work at your own speed, in your own environment without the daily commute is encouraging an increase in home-working initiatives and “bedroom start-ups”.

If you, like many, had letter writing etiquette drilled into you from an early age then nothing screams from a page louder than the elementary error of “Dear Sir” followed by “Yours sincerely”; You may think it doesn’t matter but the impression it gives to the recipient can easily undermine confidence in a business.

Mentoring has long been a valuable tool in staff training. Typically, a junior member of staff is assigned a mentor – someone experienced from inside or outside the company – to guide them along the learning curve.And if it works so well for individuals, then why not for small businesses?