Freelancers look like the perfect solution for small businesses.   But this seemingly simple arrangement can hide unexpected risks that could impact your business.

If you're hiring someone new, you must check that they have the legal right to work in the UK before they start.   That applies to every role and every nationality.   Skip it and you risk fines of up to £60,000, plus serious damage to your business and reputation. Get the complete step by step guide to lawful Right to Work checks    Get in touch if you need some support with getting this process right internally.

Stay informed with the Fluid HR & Coaching newsletter. Get expert HR advice, UK employment law updates and practical people management tips from trusted HR consultant Sarah Cooper. Designed for small and growing businesses, it helps you stay compliant, solve HR challenges and build a positive workplace culture with confidence and clarity.

Growing your business feels amazing. More customers, more revenue, more people wanting to join your team. You're finally getting somewhere. But growth brings some unexpected legal challenges along with it that weren't even on your radar when you started. Those casual ways of doing things that worked perfectly with 3 people can cause real problems once you hit 10 or 15 employees.

You can do everything you think is right and still get hit with a massive fine. That's exactly what happened to a fish and chip shop owner in Surrey. They thought they'd covered all the bases. The person they hired had a National Insurance number, benefit paperwork and was already on PAYE with another employer. Everything looked legitimate. But the Home Office disagreed and the business was fined £40,000.

Interviews can feel awkward, especially when you're trying to build rapport with a candidate. A bit of small talk to break the ice is natural. But some casual questions can land you in hot water, even when you don't mean any harm. Here are 5 topics to avoid completely during interviews. These aren't just HR best practice, they're legal requirements that could expose your business to discrimination claims.

The truth is that staying legally compliant is often about managing the small details... Outdated contracts, missing paperwork, unpaid training hours. Easy to overlook, but costly if you get them wrong. We see the same 7 areas catching business owners out time and time again.

Underperformance costs your business more than you think. It's not just about one person missing targets. It's the knock-on effect across your team, the projects that slip, the clients who notice, and the time you spend fixing problems instead of growing your business. The key is acting early and looking at the whole picture. This guide shows you how to spot underperformance before it escalates, understand what's really causing it and build systems that prevent it from hap

How to handle underperformance in your business Your best team member has started letting you down. They used to be reliable, but now...

Imagine these scenarios... · One of your employees has had an accident at work and hurt themselves · You've noticed that money is missing from the till · An "I wish to raise a formal grievance" email has landed in your inbox In situations like these, you need to complete a proper workplace investigation. At its heart, an investigation is just a structured way to gather facts about what did or didn't happen. It's not the same as a disciplinary process - it comes before that