Performance reviews take more out of managers than most businesses realise. Pulling together months of notes, writing fair and specific feedback for a whole team, getting the tone right for difficult conversations… It’s a lot of work and it all lands at once. AI doesn’t fix the conversation, but it can take most of that … [Read more…]
You may have several departments steering your company towards a bright future. Some deal with the product offering, some with staffing, others with marketing. Let’s see where your finance team’s fiscal expertise fits into the overall game plan. There’s an argument that all budgeting is strategic because it always involves scenario-based planning and allocation of … [Read more…]
A professional employer organisation (PEO) can be a lifesaver for managing HR, payroll and other employee admin tasks. For smaller businesses or organisations that are just starting out, being able to outsource these complex and time-consuming tasks can bring many benefits, including managing and reducing risk. HR can be fraught with potential pitfalls, from handling … [Read more…]
Sam Jones’s Dragons’ Den start-up pitch is immortalised as the TV show’s “best ever”, and Harry Redknapp describes him as having the work rate of a top footballer. In this episode of Sound Advice, Jones revealed his first-hand experience with how to fund a start-up, including how he convinced stars such as Tinie Tempah to invest in his tech start-up, Gener8, a web browser that … [Read more…]
You’ve found the right candidate, the interviews have gone well and the offer’s been accepted. Before they can officially start, though, there are still a few important checks employers need to complete to make sure everything is compliant and properly documented. These are known as background checks. We know that organising background checks isn’t super … [Read more…]
Kit & Kin founder Christopher Money turned an eco-friendly baby product idea into an award-winning startup by partnering with Emma Bunton to build a purpose-driven brand. Money was on the hunt to find baby products that were both kind to sensitive skin and kind to the planet, but he couldn’t find what he was looking for—so he … [Read more…]
The UK unfair dismissal landscape is set for an overhaul under the Employment Rights Act 2025. Scheduled changes to reduce the unfair dismissal qualifying period from two years to six months, remove the statutory cap on compensation and extend tribunal time limits will materially change how and when employers can manage risk in the employment … [Read more…]
Accountex 2026 took place in mid-May 2026, and delivered some powerful, game changing insights about the state of the accountancy profession. We’ve a full write-up in this article, as follows: Operational pressures: Beyond compliance and deadlines One of the most revealing moments at Accountex 2026 came during a session discussing operational pressure inside accounting firms. … [Read more…]
Running payroll is one of those jobs that sounds straightforward until you’re actually doing it. According to Employment Hero commissioned research, 2 in 3 businesses manage payroll in house with software, so it’s clear that many UK business owners and HR professionals are navigating variable hours, National Minimum and Living Wage (NMW/NLW) updates, pension auto-enrolment, … [Read more…]
If you’re new to running a business, you’ve probably put a lot of thought into the basic first steps: sourcing materials, arranging production, and then serving customers. One finer detail of those steps is building relationships with your suppliers. They’ll want to see that you know what you’re doing, and that you’re both speaking the … [Read more…]