smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

With changes to employment regulations coming on 1 October, Business Link is advising employers to act now to get to grips with the legislation.

According to new research from Business Link, south east businesses take changes to legislation in their stride but awareness and preparation are key to minimising disruption.

The quarterly South East Business Monitor, a study of 1,200 business owners and senior decision-makers, found that most small and medium-sized businesses that understand the requirements of the smoke-free workplace (83 per cent), age discrimination (85 per cent) and maternity and paternity rights legislation (77 per cent) identified no impact on their business. Overall, says the study, companies in the South East are more likely to foresee a positive rather than negative impact.

Business Link’s Claire Coday says: ‘It seems that people running businesses have a "can-do attitude" and simply get on with the day-to-day running of their companies. Businesses are generally more affected by the fear of red tape than the actual implications of new regulations.’

Forthcoming changes to legislation, coming on 1 October, include an increase in the statutory holiday entitlement to 4.8 weeks (24 days if you work a five day week) and a rise in the minimum wage. The adult rate, for workers aged 22 and over, will increase to £5.52 an hour.

Visit www.businesslink.gov.uk/regulationupdates for the full list of new or changing regulations or to receive email alerts about them.

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