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Establishing a successful recruitment process and clear written employment contracts for new employees can have a major impact on your business.

Every business needs to be aware of its obligations under minimum wage and equal pay laws, as well as recent pensions auto-enrolment changes.

You must comply with legal restrictions on employees' working hours and time off, or risk claims, enforcement action and even prosecution.

The right employment policies are an essential part of effective staff management. Make sure any policy is clear and well communicated to employees.

While sick employees need to be treated fairly, you need to ensure that 'sickness' is not being used as cover for unauthorised absence.

Most pregnant employees are entitled to maternity leave and maternity pay, while new fathers are entitled to paternity leave and paternity pay.

As well as undermining morale, illegal discrimination can lead to workplace grievances. Employee discrimination is covered by the Equality Act 2010.

Home, remote and lone workers are becoming increasingly commonplace. Key issues include communication and how to manage and motivate people remotely.

The right approach to consulting with and providing information to your employees can improve employee motivation and performance.

Disciplinary and grievance issues can be a major burden to employers. Putting in place and following the right procedures is essential.

Following the right dismissal and redundancy procedures helps protect your business and minimise the risk of a legal dispute at tribunal.

Employment tribunal claims are a worrying prospect for any employer. A tribunal case is a no-win situation – even if the claim is unjustified.

Enterprise Nation launches one-stop shop for SME exporters

4 July 2023

The Go Global Initiative aims to offer support and guidance to 100,000 UK small businesses over the next year, helping them to boost their exporting power.

Enterprise Nation has launched an exporting one-stop shop for UK small firms, with the support of Santander UK, Deloitte and Dropbox.

The Go Global scheme will offer targeted guidance to SMEs over the next 12 months. The programme aims to unlock the global ambition of SMEs and smaller businesses with high-quality resources, e-learning modules, trade events, mentoring and advice. Resources will include downloadable territory guides and information on regulations in an easy-to-understand format.

Research conducted by Enterprise Nation and The Entrepreneurs Network has found that if UK exports had rebounded as strongly as Germany's following the pandemic, it would be exporting $111bn more than it is now. Even if the UK had simply kept pace with other G7 countries, it would be exporting $65bn more.

The benefits of exporting

Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that UK businesses which declare international trade in goods can be around a fifth more productive on average than similar firms which are non-traders, even when firm size, industry and ownership status are factored in.

Enterprise Nation also reports that a survey of SMEs across 33 European countries has found that those that export are more than three times as likely to introduce new products or services than those which do not.

"We know that exporting, whether it be a product or a digital service, is a significant driver of productivity and growth. But many tell us they can't find one single place to find what they need, or when they do find information, it's over-complicated and patchy. This international focus on trade is about taking the lead and helping the SME community to confidently access new territories and markets with all the tools they need." Emma Jones, founder of Enterprise Nation.

Global support for SMEs

Santander UK has also unveiled its Navigator platform, bringing together solution providers, market insights and regulatory information as well as freight and customs solutions. John Carroll, head of international & transactional banking, Santander UK said: "It's clear international trade is a significant growth driver for businesses that are already active internationally and is arguably even more so for those that aren't yet but want to be."

Andy Wilson, director at Dropbox, said: "As businesses look to expand and grow, one of the common challenges we see is around tech adoption … being digitally savvy and having the right productivity and collaboration suite is a key competitive advantage. Especially as SMEs look to scale and work internationally, having a digital-first mindset and the right technology suite will be critical."

Lucie Swiestowska, supply chain, Deloitte UK said: "We intend to bring our global network to be a part of this, and fully engage with the social value benefits this can provide to SMEs across the UK. Our work with Enterprise Nation is particularly exciting in allowing us to bring a number of skills, experiences and new faces to the market, in supporting new and growing businesses to achieve their international trade aims."

Written by Rachel Miller.

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