When an important or 'critical' employee leaves your business, the impact is immediate... 1: Knowledge and experience walks out of the door 2: It's incredibly expensive to replace and train up an important employee 3: Your business slows down That's why succession planning is really important. Even for businesses with up to 10 employees. "Succession planning" simply means knowing who could take over key roles and getting them ready before you need them.

What do you do when a client makes a complaint about one of your team members? It can be tricky to find the balance. Get it right and you'll maintain the client relationship whilst treating your employee fairly. But, get it wrong, and you could risk losing the client and damaging team morale. This blog sets out a step by step approach to handle the complaint.

Political and social issues are everywhere right now. You can't escape them in the news, on social media or in daily conversation. Whatever your own views, political and social debates are causing real problems in workplaces everywhere. The challenge is managing this without becoming the thought police. You need to maintain a respectful, productive workplace while letting people be themselves. It's about how views are expressed, not controlling what people think.

An employee approaches you with serious concerns about wrongdoing in your business. They're worried about speaking up but feel they have to. Whistleblowing isn't just any workplace complaint. It's specifically about issues in the public interest that fall into six protected categories: Criminal offences Failure to comply with legal obligations Miscarriage of justice Danger to health and safety Damage to the environment Deliberate concealment of any of these

If you only deal with people issues when they become problems, you're not alone. That's reactive HR, waiting until something goes wrong. Your week gets disrupted by things that could have been avoided. On the other hand, proactive HR means having basic systems ready before you need them. It's the difference between constantly managing problems and preventing most of them from happening. When these systems work, you get your time back and you can focus on growing the busine

2026 is weeks away. The changes coming to your workplace can either slow you down or give you an edge. Here we set out what's actually shifting in the world of HR and whether you need to do anything about it.

As 2025 comes to a close, many small business owners are taking stock of the year and thinking about what needs attention before stepping into 2026. December can highlight gaps you do not always see during the busier months. Key people take time off, long-standing issues surface and festive pressures make everyday challenges feel heavier. This month’s newsletter focuses on the real people matters you are dealing with right now.