As MDs think about the New Year or start planning for the next financial year there are a number of forthcoming employment law changes that may affect you and your business. Gender Pay Gap True this applies only to large employers (employing over 250 employees) but it...
People & Management (HR)
Resolving Directors’ disputes
As business advisers working with MDs we are used to solving business problems and recommending courses of action across the range of business disciplines. Recently we have been involved in a number of cases where we have sought to resolve disputes between Directors...
Case Study: Leadership Succession Coaching in Action
Gordon is MD of a £24m turnover business. He is aware that in the next few years there will be a number of retirements at senior levels and there is an experience gap between Board members and the next tier down. He has identified Richard as possibly having the...
How coaching can support leadership change in a small business
Coaching might be seen as the new buzzword of the age. It has come to cover a multitude of interventions – consulting, training, educating, advising, mentoring, therapy, counselling and so on. For me coaching is about engaging with the whole person to achieve the...
Getting maternity leave right with your key employees
Over the last 12 months l have worked with client MDs on 6 cases of maternity leave and on two of these cases, because they have become contentious, I have reflected on the causes of these disputes. Looking at this dispassionately one might say that this reflects a...
Dealing with an under-performing family member
This is one of those predictable problems which takes on additional angst because it involves a family member. As a predictable problem, its’ resolution can be proceduralised by specifically mentioning this situation in a family constitution so that there are no...
Employing family members in the business
Talking to MDs of family businesses, I am struck by how many started off working in the business during school holidays and then fell into the business after school or university and worked their way up to the top job as the company grew and they became the obvious...
Do we need to reassess our Export Markets?
Exports have always been a large part of SME activity. There has been much said about our special relationship with EU countries. However, uncertainty with the Euro means that many are becoming nervous about this business. Together with the potential for an 'IN / OUT'...
5 things to do to ensure successful transition in the family business
In many recent surveys[1] nearly half of family businesses intend to pass on their business to their children, less than 44% have put a formal succession plan in place. In this blog we summarise the 5 things to do- following up in more depth in successive future...