HR Insights

A recent survey has highlighted something many UK employers should pay attention to: there may be a bigger gap than expected between how businesses think employees feel and how employees actually experience work. According to research reported by People Management, only 60% of UK employees rated their overall employee experience as “good” or “excellent”. This […]

Employment law has changed, and for many small businesses, May is the perfect time to pause and ask one simple question: are our HR documents still up to date? When you are running a business, HR policies can easily become something you only think about when there is a problem. A sickness absence issue comes

Sickness absence remains a real challenge for UK employers. According to the latest Office for National Statistics data, an estimated UK employees lost 148.8 million working days because of sickness or injury in 2025. While this was slightly lower than in 2024, it was still 9.8 million days higher than the pre-pandemic level in 2019. On

For many small and medium-sized businesses in the UK, HR often starts in a spreadsheet. At the beginning, it works. It’s simple, familiar, and doesn’t require extra investment. When you only have a few employees, it feels manageable, everything is in one place and easy to update. But as the business grows, things start to

This week is Neurodiversity Celebration Week, a time dedicated to recognising and celebrating different ways of thinking and experiencing the world. In many organisations, conversations around neurodiversity are becoming more common, but there is still a misunderstanding that talented employees naturally thrive in any work environment. In reality, this is not always the case. Some

With reports suggesting that 35% of small firms are considering scaling back or closing, many business owners are facing an uncomfortable reality: workforce reductions may become necessary in 2026. Rising National Insurance contributions, increases to the National Living Wage, higher business rates, and wider employment law reforms are creating sustained pressure, particularly for retail and

The government’s proposal to extend the settlement period for skilled migrants from five years to ten has triggered a fresh look at compliance responsibilities across UK organisations. While the policy is not final, HR teams are already considering how a longer route could reshape everyday processes, increase costs and influence workforce stability. Longer Sponsorship and

Rising employment costs are putting UK small businesses under serious pressure. With higher National Insurance contributions, minimum wage increases, and inflation affecting every area of operation, many employers are asking the same question: how do we reward staff when the budget says no? According to PS Human Resources (2025), rising employment costs are among the

The government has announced ambitious new targets aimed at transforming education and skills across the UK, setting out plans for two thirds of young people to either attend university or complete a “gold standard apprenticeship” by the age of 25. Speaking at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the goal

The AI skills gap in SMEs isn’t just about technology. It’s about people. Many employees feel unprepared to use AI tools, and this lack of confidence is pushing them to look elsewhere for work. For small businesses, the risk is serious: higher turnover, lost productivity, and greater recruitment costs. The good news is SMEs can