Category: Freelancer Opinion & Insights

In the run-up to the Budget George Osborne announced potential changes to current maternity regulations which would have made small businesses exempt from paying for maternity leave.

As the owner of a small- to medium-sized business, l was pleasantly surprised, but as it turns out the proposals weren’t followed through.

There is much criticism that politicians are out of touch with people who run small and medium sized business across the UK. We asked Lord McFall of Alcluith, who was the Member of Parliament for Dumbarton and the West Dunbartonshire between 11 June 1987 and 12 April 2010 to explain how the UK Parliament is engaging with SMEs to learn from them and offer them as much help and support as they can to help then grow.

Life’s scary. Think about those things that are scaring you right now. Is “losing my job” or “starting a business” one of those? Then face them now!

It is not often that private sector business initiatives have a keynote address by the Prime Minister, are attended by some of the UK’s leading business entrepreneurs and also receive the backing and support from Sir Richard Branson, the man who many regard as the UK’s best entrepreneur. So surely nothing could go wrong…

Even though the Olympics haven’t taken place and construction of the Olympic Stadium isn’t yet finished, the flagship stadium has already been allocated to West Ham Football Club for use after London 2012.

I for one am relieved that West Ham won the bid. Not because l’m a die-hard ‘Hammer’ but because they appear to be wasting a lot less of the stadium by keeping the athletics track than the other hopeful club, Tottenham, would have done by re-building it as a football-only venue.

In 1884 Thomas Marks opened his first market stall in Leeds. Over the next few years he opened 20 other stalls around the UK. In 1894, Thomas Spencer invested in the business and retail chain Marks & Spencer (M&S) was born.
From humble beginnings, M&S became one of the UK’s biggest success stories and was the first retailer to make a pre-tax profit of over £1 billion.
Companies like WH Smith, Woolworth’s and AMSTRAD all started the same way, so it would seem that in order to make it big, you should start small. Can the same thing be said of the web? Andy Budd, managing director at Clearleft investigates.

What does Britain need to do to stimulate economic growth? That is the question taxing so many Ministers in Whitehall. But according to Sahar Hashemi, the founder of the Coffee Republic and bestselling business author, they need to start thinking outside the box.

Working hard is the only way you can really ‘make it’, so why do so many people think working long hours is a bad thing?

Think hard about why you want to study – real experience in a company can be a far better way to learn skills and get on in your career.

MEPs have backed an extension of maternity leave laws to 20 weeks, but what impact will this have on UK businesses?

There will always be the dilemma among employers over the best candidate. But can a change in the maternity law structure make it easier for both employer and their workforce?

Maternity leave is a subject many employers can’t ignore. But when new mothers return to work part-time, should they still be entitled to the same benefits as a full-time employee?

The image of the working mum has evolved greatly through the decades. But if help as a working mum can be found at home, why can’t there be help at work when you’re the one in charge.

Training courses have their place in every business and we all have room to learn. But perhaps the day of standard training is over and better ways need to be found.

Taking the lead in a business environment can mean often juggling your team’s problems. But embracing problem solving could lead to a happier workforce.