Chris Eastwood, CEO and co-founder at Penfold, a leading digital workplace pension provider, outlines how businesses may be sabotaging their talent retention with poor pension strategies and insufficient support UK employers invest enormous time and effort trying to improve staff retention, battling skills shortages, rising costs and shifting workforce expectations. Yet many leaders are overlooking one of the simplest and most powerful tools they already pay for: their workplace pension. While wellbeing apps, flexible working policies and culture initiatives can deliver short-term gains, nine in ten employees say their workplace pension influences whether they stay with their employer or move to a new role. When employees think…
Author: sme-admin
Career expert shares five ways women can build a thriving career in tech . The tech sector is evolving fast, and while demand for skilled talent continues to grow, many people still struggle to understand which roles offer long‑term career potential. For women in particular, the path can feel even less clear. Despite making up only 20% of tech roles in the UK1, women face additional barriers to entry. Research shows that 63% of women report feeling less confident when job seeking, particularly when facing complex or automated hiring processes, which can influence how and where they apply2. Claudia Cohen, career expert and Director of La Fosse Academy, reveals which tech roles…
An estimated one in eight UK pubs are still on the verge of insolvency, with 181 collapsing in the final three months of 2025 alone as rising costs and weaker demand continue to hit the sector. With many pub owners facing tough decisions, the insolvency practitioners Liquidation Centre have shared practical steps pubs and hospitality sector businesses can take now to regain control and reduce the risk of closure. Richard Hunt, Director of Liquidation Centre provides expert insights into the actions pubs and hospitality businesses should consider before pressures become unmanageable. Five practical steps pubs and hospitality owners can take now to limit insolvency threat…
Malta has traditionally been a popular holiday destination for British travellers, and now it is also emerging as a major hub for international talent and business expansion. Tourism data reveals that the island welcomed more than 3.5 million visitors in 2024 and is ranked as the second most searched European resort by British holidaymakers. Employer of Record specialist, Agility EOR, has gone further and uncovered that Malta’s appeal extends far beyond beaches, with migration figures indicating that more than 10,614 people relocated to Malta in 2024, with non-EU citizens making up 76.6% of the total net migrants in that year.…
A Booking.com for Business study has revealed the ‘wellbeing balance’ for business travellers, with survey data highlighting the benefits and challenges of working on the go. More than half of the travellers surveyed say work trips boost their mental (52%) and physical (46%) health, and 70% find them positive for productivity. On the flipside however, travellers reported that issues like disrupted sleep (60%), changes in eating habits (48%), and less activity (36%) take a toll on their wellbeing. What this means for businesses: Business travellers are increasingly looking for ways to unplug and seek calm and comfort amidst the work schedule. This balance…
As the sixth anniversary of COVID-19 being declared a notifiable disease approaches, businesses with unresolved insurance claims are being urged to act urgently to avoid being time-barred from recovery. COVID-19 was declared a notifiable disease in the UK in March 2020. As a result, many business interruption (BI) insurance claims arising from the pandemic are now nearing the end of the six-year limitation period. Any claims that remain unsettled or unissued may soon be out of time. Businesses across all sectors were significantly impacted by the pandemic, with losses caused by government-ordered closures, tiered restrictions and disruption to normal operations.…
New research has revealed how the £2.3 billion trade deal with China could significantly boost China’s position among the UK’s top export markets.(1) According to the latest ONS figures, China currently ranks seventh among the UK’s biggest export partners, after major players including the US, Germany, Netherlands, and other EU countries. (2) China is currently Scotch whisky’s 10th largest market but this deal, including a cut in tariffs to 5%, could strengthen exports of this and other commodities even further.1 The business finance experts at money.co.uk business credit cards have analysed today’s ONS data release to reveal the current state of UK…
For many business owners, divorce is treated as a personal matter, separate from the operation of the company. In practice, where one or both spouses hold shares, the breakdown of a marriage can have direct implications for ownership, control and the future direction of the business. English family courts routinely take business interests into account when dividing assets on divorce. If a company represents a significant part of the family wealth, it will be scrutinised. Without appropriate planning, divorce can lead to unintended changes in shareholding, pressure on cash flow or disruption at a time when the business needs stability.…
With intelligent close analytics, AI-powered data import, cash intelligence, and connected data access, Sage Intacct helps high-performing finance teams reduce manual work and improve financial visibility at scale Sage (FTSE: SGE), the leader in accounting, financial, HR, and payroll technology for small and mid-sized businesses, today announced new AI-powered capabilities in Sage Intacct designed to help finance teams move from managing data to driving performance. The latest updates strengthen Sage Intacct across close analytics, workflow automation, cash intelligence, and connected data access. Today, finance teams using these tools can identify which entities are slowing down the close, import complex datasets without spreadsheet manipulation, and…
Self-made millionaire, entrepreneur and investor Gary Ashworth has built, backed, and exited more than 30 businesses over four decades, earning a reputation for turning disciplined strategy into lasting value. In the following piece, he shares hard-won lessons from founders who focus on long-term growth over quick wins—revealing why patience, measured risk, and consistency are the real drivers of serious wealth. I’ve backed or founded over 30 companies. Some made fortunes. Some lost millions. The difference between the two rarely had anything to do with how clever the founders were or how clever the initial idea was. The winners understood something…