Latest News
Technology means employees lose out on holidays
Many people take mobile phones or wireless devices on holiday to keep in touch with the office, according to new research.
Inflation 'significantly affecting profitability'
Rising costs are putting a serious strain on the profitability of small businesses, new research finds.
Maternity benefits to hit SMEs
Changes in maternity benefits coming into force next month will amount to a huge extra financial burden for small businesses, says an employment law specialist.
FSB calling for automatic rate relief
Town halls should automatically include commercial rate relief in the council tax bills issued to SMEs, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) claims.
BCC: Manufacturing decline indicates recession
The greater-than-expected downturn in manufacturing output indicates the UK economy is 'very probably' in technical recession, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) remarks.
Firms 'need to be responsible with data'
Companies have a responsibility to protect the personal data they hold about staff and customers for financial and social reasons, a campaigning organisation claims.
FRC: Firms should be extra cautious about fraud
Record levels of fraud in the UK means companies should ensure they have watertight internal control procedures to prevent losing out, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) warns.
Business confidence 'stable'
Confidence among British businesses has remained stable since May - the first time it has not gone down since April 2007, a poll finds.
SMEs tighten belts as fear of recession hits
UK businesses are taking action to cut costs and preserve cashflow as the fear of a serious downturn takes hold, a survey reveals.
CBI sees jump in flexible working
The last four years have seen a huge jump in the number of firms offering their staff the chance to work from home, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) reports.
TUC: High morale important for staff retention
Employees need to have the ability to grow and learn in their job in order to keep morale high and prevent them from looking for work elsewhere, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) believes.
'Drip, drip' advertising more effective
Taking a 'drip, drip' approach to advertising and ensuring a brand is constantly in the public eye is more effective than one major, short-lived campaign, it is claimed.
Scrapped property relief rate hits SMEs
The government’s decision to scrap Empty Property Rate Relief has left many SMEs out of pocket, says the Forum of Private Business.
MPC decision understandable, business group says
The decision made by the Bank of England's monetary policy committee (MPC) to hold interest rates at five per cent was 'understandable', the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) comments.
ACA: A third of small firms to cut pensions
Almost one third - 31 per cent - of small businesses intend to cut their pension provision when the new Personal Accounts are introduced in 2012, according to the Association of Consulting Actuaries (ACA).