Research from the employee benefits experts at Everywhen reveals today that 43% of UK companies do not have a formal health and wellbeing strategy in place. The risk is that these businesses are likely to find their benefits are not as effective as they could be in their support for the employees and the company alike. The research shows that for 18% of companies, simply offering benefits is their strategy, and a concerning 13% offer support on an ad-hoc basis according to need. The good news is that 51% of UK companies do have a documented health and wellbeing strategy, which is…
Author: sme-admin
Organisations must align expense processes to reduce policy breaches and regulatory risk ahead of new HMRC enforcement measures As the UK increases its scrutiny of employee expenses and PAYE reporting, finance teams are under growing pressure to ensure their processes are accurate, consistent and audit-ready. The new tax year in April typically brings renewed HMRC scrutiny on enforcement measures, but further steps are being taken towards real-time reporting of benefits ahead of mandatory implementation in 2027. While these changes are primarily focused on the reporting of employee benefits such as private healthcare and gym memberships, they signal a broader shift towards…
As businesses grow, managing mobile plans can become unexpectedly complex. What starts as a few devices and simple contracts can evolve into a mix of company-owned phones, ongoing payments and SIM-only plans across multiple networks. Misaligned renewals and varying costs make it easy to lose track of which plans suit the team, slowing workflows and driving unnecessary spending. Here, Kristian Torode, Director and Co-Founder of business communications provider Crystaline, explains why mobile estate management gets harder as organisations grow and how businesses can regain control. For many organisations mobile plans are arranged quickly so that employees can stay connected. According…
In-house recruitment is often reactive, whereas consulting demands a level of market intelligence a single employer cannot provide. Ekaterina Selezneva, a Lead Talent Acquisition Manager specialising in global executive hiring, explores why a consultancy mindset is now essential. She explains how cross-sector experience builds superior expertise and why external consulting is a strategic business advantage rather than a conflict of interest. “The first time I brought a candidate to a hiring manager without being asked, I had sourced them three months before the role existed. That was a consulting habit, and it changed how I understood the job. In-house, you…
Spring is a time for fresh starts and new beginnings, and it provides small businesses with the opportunity to reset and refocus. A spokesman for insurance experts Everywhen comments: “As we enter the season of growth and renewal, it is a good moment for businesses to look at a few important areas that merit being reviewed and updated.” This spring, it’s worth reviewing current insurance cover levels to check that they are still right for your business activities in the new season. For many SMEs, stock and equipment usage changes throughout the year, and it is important that your policy…
Coadjute, the leading PropTech company backed by Lloyds Banking Group, NatWest, and Nationwide and championed by Phil Spencer, today announced the deployment of Clara, the UK’s first digital human designed to support estate agents and their buyers and sellers with essential anti-money laundering (AML) checks. Money-laundering is one of the UK’s most pressing financial crime challenges, with an estimated £10 billion laundered through property each year, funding organised crime, human trafficking, corruption and sanctions evasion. To address the scale of the problem, regulation has been increased, placing a substantial burden on estate agents. Coadjute has already established itself at…
Businesses lose an average of 11 hours a week to connectivity issues, despite growing access to full fibre Poor in-premises WiFi is quietly draining productivity from UK small businesses, according to new research from Zen Internet. Half (49%) of senior business decision makers say WiFi coverage inside their premises limits the value they get from their broadband connection. Yet the same portion (50%) say their business has access to full fibre. The findings point to a growing disconnect between infrastructure rollout and real-world experience inside business premises. Connectivity disruption is widespread. On average, businesses experience WiFi disruption 13 times a month.…
Small businesses and marketers are being urged to rethink their use of AI tools like ChatGPT, as experts warn that generic, AI-generated ads are weakening brand identity, reducing trust and hurting performance. As AI tools become a go-to for creating ads, social content and marketing assets, a growing number of businesses are falling into the same trap: producing campaigns that look polished, but feel identical. According to Digital PR specialist Sophie Rhone and founder of Cupid PR, over-reliance on AI-generated creative is leading to a wave of ads that fail to stand out, connect with audiences or drive meaningful results. The…
Businesses could reclaim £416 million per year by streamlining basic and mandatory staff training and stepping up “high-value” skills development in their workforce instead, new research shows. An estimated 21m working hours a year are “lost” on training that only enables employees to meet the minimum requirements for their job – costing an estimated £416 million per year, or 11,147 full-time equivalent roles. Of the 11 sectors analysed by compliance training provider Skillcast, business services topped the list, spending 3.3m hours – or £65.3m – on basic and mandatory training. Hospitality ranked second at 2.8m hours (£55 million), followed by wholesale and retail at 2.6m…
Daniel Patel, Recruitment Director at Eursap, shares his insights on the growing issue of age bias in recruitment and the steps experienced professionals are taking to avoid it. One in five job seekers over 50 feels compelled to omit age-related information from their CVs, essentially removing graduation years, cutting decade-old roles, and quietly restructuring their career history to avoid being filtered out before they’re fairly considered. That’s according to a Totaljobs survey of 4,000 UK workers, which also found that a quarter of over-50s hesitate to apply for roles at all, simply because they expect to be dismissed. There’s no gap…