Business Update February 2006
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Key links
Annual pay reviews
If the wages you pay are competitive and you have policies and procedures already in place relating to pay and performance appraisals, annual salary reviews will be much easier. "Individual pay ...Out-of-court settlement
According to research from the Better Payment Practice Group (BPPG), almost a third of UK firms went to court in 2005 to chase money owed by business customers. However, the organisation argues that ...Sell the benefits
"A feature is simply a characteristic of your product or service, such as a kettle with a 2000- watt heating ring" explains Guy Aston, SME director at sales-training company Huthwaite ...Q&A: From sole trader to a private limited company
Peter Landau (PL) is a small-business adviser at Business Link for London. He talks to Tom Whitney about the advantages of incorporating. Private limited company or public limited company? PL: ...The direct approach
Whether you choose a printed mailout sent through the post or an emailed communication, an effective direct-mail campaign enables you to convey your product's key benefits to those most likely to ...10 ways to... Improve your work-life balance
Many people struggle to find an optimum balance between work and home. This can be especially true of those running a small business. The results can be stress and feelings of guilt and unhappiness. ...Lower noise limits at work
From 6 April, the noise level at which employers must make hearing protection available to workers lessens from 85 dB to 80 dB, and the level at which workers must wear hearing protection is set at ...Pensions tax simplification
Major changes to tax-privileged pension schemes on 6 April ("A-day") aim to reduce employers' administration costs and enable them to design pension schemes that best match their business ...New health-and-safety guide for managers
A new guide to health and safety produced by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) aims to help reduce the yearly cost to UK businesses of workplace incidents, estimated to be 10 ...Guidance on employers' liability insurance
Aimed at improving employers' understanding of their obligations to insure against employees' work-related injuries or disease, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has produced a new leaflet ...Data-protection guidance regarding employee references
A Good Practice Note issued by the Information Commissioner's Office and available now ensures employers can keep on the right side of the law if employees ask to see references given about ...DTI publishes scam-busting guidelines
To help prevent more businesses being conned, the DTI has issued new guidelines explaining how staff can spot and avoid common scams.
Recently, a number of UK businesses have received calls from ...Case law: defending equal-pay claims
Businesses taken to employment tribunal for paying men and women unequally will find it easier to justify the difference in pay following a recent Court of Appeal case - unless the reason for ...Improved access to public-sector contracts
Small businesses aiming to target more public-sector work will soon be able to check for contracts worth up to £100,000 that are available for tender, using a new government website due to be ...New TUPE Regulations on business transfers
Employers involved in the transfer of a business from one owner to another will need to take account of new TUPE Regulations which come into force from April. TUPE Regulations protect employees' ...Delays affecting previously reported legislation
Regulations implementing the EU Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) were originally due to be made by August 2004. The Directive regulates the re-use, recycling and ...Is this your problem?
I need to perform a SWOT analysis An accurate, comprehensive SWOT analysis is a very beneficial tool which allows you to consider internal and external factors that affect or could affect your ...How we carry out direct mail campaigns
THE SOLUTION: "The business was set up in 1996, since when it has grown to having 25 employees. We provide highly targeted direct-mail campaigns to small local firms. We can carry out the whole ...