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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.

The number of UK small firms increases despite challenges

13 June 2023

The number of small businesses in the UK is growing; however, it's "one of the most challenging times to be a small business owner" according to retail expert Mary Portas.

The number of micro-businesses in the UK has grown every year in the past decade, according to new analysis by Mastercard and Opinium. It means that the UK's smallest firms are bucking a trend while the UK's medium and large business population has plateaued in recent years.

Growth in the number of medium and large businesses in the UK has yet to return to the highest levels seen in 2020. However, the number of micro-businesses (with 0-9 employees) and small firms (with 10-49 employees) in the UK grew to 1.4 million in 2022, up 31,000 on the previous year.

Tough times to start a business

Commenting on the data, retail expert Mary Portas said: "Small businesses really are the lifeblood of our economy. They're innovative, creative, resilient. And, despite the fact it's one of the most challenging times to be a small business owner, their numbers are growing. People's desire and appetite for what they do has also never been greater. 

"We know it continues to be an unpredictable world right now. But when you're small and nimble it's an opportunity to out-manoeuvre the bigger players. Small business owners never fail to inspire me with their desire to do better, learn and flex themselves in the ever-evolving landscape of today's business."

SME confidence remains low

However, smaller firms are less optimistic about the outlook than larger businesses, it seems. Less than a quarter (24%) of businesses with ten or fewer employees expect their performance to increase in the next 12 months. Of those with ten to 49 employees, only 34% expect their performance to improve.

By comparison, 43% of businesses with between 100 and 249 employees are optimistic about their future and expect their performance to increase in the next 12 months.

Of all sectors, retailers are one of the least likely to have registered a strong performance last year, with only 15% saying they'd seen an increase in their performance in the year up to April 2023 - despite the fact that this sector employs the most people and has the largest turnover.

"There's no shortage of entrepreneurial ambition in the UK, but it's worrying that their optimism lags behind big businesses. If we're to boost growth, it's vital that big business and government support small companies with skills, funding and policy so they can reach their potential." Kelly Devine, UK&I president, Mastercard

Strive UK

Mastercard offers the Strive UK programme, which helps small businesses by providing free access to training and advice on issues such as setting up an online shop, managing cashflow and creating a social media strategy. Strive UK has supported more than half a million businesses to date and works with Enterprise Nation, Digital Boost and Be the Business to provide support.

Written by Rachel Miller.

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