Apprentices And What They Bring To A Business
September is around the corner and many young people across the UK will be heading off to start their University courses. While this attracts the attention of some other young people would rather head into the working environment. This is where Apprenticeships work giving young people the best of both worlds working and still being […]
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Regulators Warn Public Of Pension Scammer Tactics As Victims Report Losing An Average Of £91,000 In 2017
A new campaign to tackle pension scams launches today as the latest figures reveal that victims of pension scammers lost an average of £91,000 each in 2017. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and The Pensions Regulator (TPR) have joined forces to urge the public to be on their guard when receiving unexpected offers about their […]
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Staff Uniform Costs
Staff Uniform Costs The National Minimum Wage (NMW) has been the hot topic of discussion in recent headlines, discussing the latest government list that has named and shamed employers who have failed to pay their workers the NMW. With some employers being in the news for simply not paying their staff the minimum hourly rate, […]
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Why Lunch Breaks are Important
Research has shown that only a third of UK workers take a proper lunch break. There are many reasons as to why employees are not taking a proper lunch break such as an overload of work, stress levels being an all-time high and also workplace cultures being a barrier. With 2018 showing a record-breaking long […]
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Spot checks to be targeted at suspect employers
Employers across the UK suspected of providing false or misleading information to The Pensions Regulator (TPR) about how they are meeting their automatic enrolment duties, will now be targeted with short notice inspections. This latest round of spot checks starting later this month will also target employers who are still non-compliant despite penalty action. TPR’s […]
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The Benefits of Employees Taking Holidays
The end of July is known for the official start of the summer, where the kids have broken up from school and employees start taking annual leave. But is there any benefits to employees having a holiday? The answer is yes, annual leave allows employees to take paid time off so that they rest and […]
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Record 22,400 Minimum Wage Workers to receive millions in backpay after underpayment by employers
Nearly 240 employers who underpaid the National Living and Minimum Wage named today £1.44m in back pay has been identified for 22,400 workers, with the employers fined additional £1.97m Employers underpaid workers by taking deductions from wages for uniforms, underpaying apprentices and failing to pay travel time The names of 239 employers found to have […]
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Small Business Commissioners answers our members Questions to Late Payment
The Small Business Commissioner, Paul Uppal, and Suzanne Burke (Head of Operations) visited the Forum offices in Knutsford on the 28th June 2018, to talk about late payment and to answer a number of burning questions from our members regarding unfair business practices and late payment. Late payment is an issue that impacts 5.7 million small […]
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Seven Tips for Retailers
How to stay on top of your retail’s ever-changing environment Consumers shopping habits have dramatically changed in recent years, and for retailers, the competition is getting tighter. Businesses need to raise their game to drive growth. Below the Forum has created seven top hits for retailers to follow to ensure growth with their business. […]
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MOT certificates to be printed and trailer MOT discs to be discontinued
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has confirmed to Freight Transport Association that from 14 July 2018 it is introducing printed test certificates (MOT) for HGVs and trailers. The printed certificates will replace current handwritten test certificates and will look similar to car MOT certificates. If an HGV fails its MOT, a printed refusal […]
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Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
In April 2018 a new EU PPE Regulation came into force replacing the existing PPE Directive. It updated and strengthened the rules governing the placement of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) on the market in the European Union (EU). Most of the changes relate to manufacturers placing equipment on the market so the Personal Protective Equipment […]
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The Small Business Commissioner Visits the Forum
On June 28th 2018 The Forum welcomed the Small Business Commissioner, Paul Uppal to our office. Paul was appointed as the UK’s first Small Business Commissioner in October 2017, the role was established under the Enterprise Act 2016 as part of a package of measures to tackle late and unfair payment practices. Within his role, […]
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Pride Month in the Workplace
June marks the yearly celebration Pride Month. This global LGBT event is celebrated in a number of different ways. The reason June is chosen is that this marks when the Stonewall Riots took place back in 1969. Abuse towards LGBT Employees Even though we celebrate Pride, there are still abuse issues happening in the workplace […]
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No sign of an end to SME late payment pain
One in four SMEs continue to face a late payments problem, Close Brothers research reveals The scale of late payments continues to increase with one in four SMEs owed more than £40,000 Almost half of SMEs now using or considering invoice finance products Small and medium-sized enterprises continue to suffer from late payments from customers […]
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Men’s Health Week
Monday 11th June 2018 was the beginning of Men’s Health Week. This weekly event is hosted by the Men’s Health Forum and is there to highlight the importance of men’s physical and mental health. Studies have proved that staff wellness programmes have reduced levels of sickness, and absences. Good employee health is good for business, […]
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