Verde Digital may only be a few years old, but the agency has already carved out a reputation in fashion, luxury and performance-driven SEO. Behind it is founder Joe Hale, who entered the industry long before he could legally order a drink at a bar. Now, with a fast-growing senior team, award-winning client work and a young family at home, he reflects on the rapid rise of Verde, the realities of building a business from scratch, and the role fatherhood has played in reshaping his priorities. Can you walk us through your career journey. What led you to founding Verde Digital?…
Author: sme-admin
Salary sacrifice limits, state pension reform, dashboards consolidation and new investment rules are set to define UK pensions in 2026 As 2025 comes to a close, UK pension schemes are in a strong position. Defined-benefit (DB) pension funds are hosting an aggregate surplus of an estimated £223 billion, and scheme assets are exceeding long-term liabilities by 24–25%. Defined-contribution (DC) pension assets have also seen consistent growth, with DC assets under management recently increasing to £650 billion, rising by 40 % since 2019. Chris Eastwood, CEO of Penfold, states, “Last month’s Budget brought welcome stability for pension savers. The National Insurance cap on salary…
By Lyn Hatch, Head of Student Experience at Health Coaches Academy As we head into a new planning cycle, we need to ask how to make 2026 people strategies more effective, not just on paper, but in practice. The latest Keep Britain Working report from the Government highlights the scale of this challenge. Ill heath is now the leading cause of economic inactivity, with over one in five working age adults neither working, nor seeking work because of health issues. The cost to employers is staggering, around £85 billion a year lost through absence, turnover and presenteeism. Employees are feeling the strain, hybrid working has…
With EV infrastructure now a board-level priority and installation failures costing UK organisations millions each year, Drax Electric Vehicles is urging fleets to get compliance right. Naomi Nye, Head of Sales at Drax Electric Vehicles, advises on how to stay compliant . Installing electric vehicle chargers may seem simple, but your responsibility doesn’t end when you hire a contractor. Organisations commissioning EV charging infrastructure are legally accountable for the safety and compliance of those they hire. For fleet decision makers and facility managers, understanding this responsibility is essential. Getting it right isn’t just about avoiding fines. Safe, compliant installations protect…
Marketing has never been more accessible to small and medium-sized businesses. AI tools are widely available, social media requires no gatekeepers, and design software has become drag-and-drop. Yet despite all this accessibility, recent research by Creative Clique with local SMEs revealed something important – many business owners still feel unsure, overwhelmed or put off by the very industry designed to support them. Jo Alexander, CEO of Creative Clique, explains. Creative Clique surveyed SME owners and decision-makers to understand how they’re navigating marketing in 2025. What we uncovered was a picture that feels familiar far beyond our city. SMEs are confused…
By Dr Julia Lyons, Principal Clinical Lead, Onebright Grief can be treated in workplaces as a short, disruptive event rather than a life-changing psychological process. Compassionate leave is typically positioned as the main support an employee needs, yet the emotional, cognitive and physical impact of bereavement continues long after someone returns to their role. This year’s theme for Grief Awareness Week “Growing with Grief” reminds us that people do not “get over or come to terms with” a loss. Instead, they gradually grow around it, expanding their capacity to live alongside their grief rather than moving beyond it. For employers, this…
More than 1 million jobs have been cut this year across several industries, with many companies downsizing their teams, resulting in redundancies. Redundancies can be incredibly challenging, and Ben Wright, Global Head of Partnerships at Instant Offices, has outlined the early indicators that one may be on the way and how employees can prepare in advance. Budgets start disappearing Suddenly, there’s no budget for training, software, travel, or development. When a company begins cutting these areas, it’s often a sign that they’ve entered cost-saving mode. Hiring freezes If a company stops replacing colleagues who leave who either on their own accord or are getting let go, it’s a strong indication that something is brewing. Hiring freezes are often…
The majority of Brits are not prepared for the lifestyle changes that occur when they retire, with 53% of people admitting they have planned financially but have not considered any other implications of retirement. Almost half (45%) worry they will lose their sense of purpose, while 39% of people due to retire in the next 10 years are worried about the impact it will have on their mental health, according to new research from more than 1,000 UK employed adults, published by organisation development consultancy, h2h. The research ‘From Onboarding to Retirement: Rethinking Career Growth and Retention in Organisations in 2026…
Between corporate layoffs, office closures, promotions, rebrands and internal transformation, we experience endings every day. Despite this, very little attention is paid to processing these endings. In their new book Good Bye, top leadership coaches Alison Lucas and Lizzie Bentley Bowers argue that, by not giving space to the messy and uncomfortable feelings that come with an ending, we are unable to properly let go – often leaving both leaders and employees with scars that negatively impact our workplaces and careers. Good Bye reveals how leaders can manage endings with care, respect and emotional agility. This is key to creating better beginnings…
A new whitepaper from Crown Information Management reveals that Redundant, Obsolete, and Trivial (ROT) information is silently draining corporate budgets, with up to 50% of enterprise data sitting unused. This hidden burden drives up storage, backup, and compliance costs – yet most businesses remain unaware of its financial impact. The report, titled From ROT to ROI: How Sustainable Information Management Saves Money, outlines how eliminating ROT can deliver immediate ROI, with savings often appearing within the first year. In one case study, a regional construction firm reduced its cloud footprint by 110TB and destroyed 6,700 boxes of paper records, cutting costs and improving…