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.…
Author: sme-admin
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…
Last year saw a record breaking 9,100 employment tribunal claims, marking a staggering 234% increase on the year prior. And as these claims rise, so does the question of how many result in claimants receiving cost awards – when a tribunal orders an employer to pay out to the employee, for example, or vice versa. For businesses, facing a tribunal claim can be daunting. But fresh data from the experts at LegalVision, analysing both cost awards and claim volumes across over two million tribunal claims from the Ministry of Justice (2007-2024/17 years of data), reveal reassuring trends. Study highlights: The average cost award now stands at £4,313, up 210% since 2007/08…
Author: Mark Taylor, Head of International, Duncan & Toplis Expanding a business into international markets is an exciting prospect, but one that shouldn’t be ventured into without careful consideration and planning. For the expansion to be a success, business owners need to be confident that they can thrive in a fast-changing, global tax landscape. When moving into new territories, businesses have new sets of tax rules to navigate. These not only differ from the tax rules in the business’s home country, but they also become more complex due to questions of how different countries’ tax systems interact, and there are…
Joe Hemsley is a second hand car dealer who is part of the new generation in the industry, completely moving away from the old stereotypes and making it a high end pursuit. He left school at 16 and is about to take his business to a £50m turnover with profits of over £2.5m. The UK new car market is shrinking. Registrations fell for the sixth year running in 2025, according to Car Dealer. The rising popularity of used cars is one of the reasons (circular economy!), and the complete shift in how the second hand car dealer is perceived, compared to the older stereotypes. With…
New guide warns first-time investors that they face tougher rules and rising compliance demands Prospective landlords entering the market in 2026 are being warned they face the most complex regulatory landscape in years, as sweeping reforms and tighter compliance rules reshape the private rented sector. New guidance from Everywhen, specialists in landlord insurance, reveals that first-time landlords must now navigate stricter licensing requirements, reduced tax relief, and significant legal changes under the Renters’ Rights Act, alongside growing expectations around property standards and tenant safety. The warning comes as more than 70 councils have introduced additional HMO licensing schemes, with many…
Leading national law firm Clarke Willmott LLP has described the legal dispute between Jo Malone and Estée Lauder as ‘a cautionary tale’, warning that selling the rights to a founder’s name can carry decades-long consequences. Commercial contracts solicitor, Millie Bradshaw, says the case, brought by Estée Lauder over Malone’s use of her name on a Zara fragrance, highlights the tension between brand rights and personal identity long after a sale. “Founders may underestimate the irreversibility of selling their name,” said Millie. ‘’Once assigned, a personal name can be controlled commercially for decades. In Jo Malone’s case, Estée Lauder has owned and…
SMEs could be wasting thousands each year on unnecessary SaaS tools, as bloated software stacks and rising subscription costs continue to spiral Software-as-a-Service, commonly known as SaaS, has become the backbone of modern business operations. But for many, growing teams and rising subscription costs are quickly draining internal IT budgets. But with the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and consequently, AI agents, we are seeing the reliance on software being flipped on its head. AI agents are autonomous or semi-autonomous systems capable of acting on their own accord, working across platforms and automating workflows. When deployed strategically, AI agents can significantly…