Green Growth

Looking to Green Your Business?

The Carbon Trust has published a guide for SMEs across the UK to help them unlock their potential for green growth. The free guide includes templates for energy and environment policies, as well as a checklist to assess current sustainability. For further information call 0207 170 7000 or by visit www.carbontrust.com/client-services/advice/business-advice

Trading Standards

Guidance on how to comply with trading standards law is freely available to all businesses operating in Hampshire.  Find out more about the Trading Standards vetted and approved business scheme – Buy With Confidence.  Could your business make the grade?

Employment Issues

Tax Help

Get the latest information from HMRC Online Services

HMRC have been working to make tax easier, quicker and simpler for small businesses to deal with. HMRC have published an online guide to show some of the things that they have done to achieve this.

National Minimum Wage

To check out the current minimum wage rates visit https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates.

Employers Guide to Automatic Enrolment

The British Chambers of Commerce and NEST National Employment Savings Trust have created a business guide to auto-enrolment, designed to help employers plan for legal changes to workplace pensions. Automatic enrolment, which requires employers to enrol certain staff into a pension scheme and make contributions to it, is the biggest change to pension provision in the UK for generations.  New duties apply to many more SMEs.

Employee Welfare

Health for Work Advice Line

Health for Work provides a free resource for small businesses to manage absenteeism in the workplace.  For advice on how to effectively address the issue of employee health, minimise the impact of staff illness, and provide essential support to staff with physical or mental health issues Click here.

Do any of your employees need financial help?

The Consumer Financial Education Body provides financial education in the workplace. Their purpose is to provide impartial advice on personal money matters and help people improve their ability to manage their money. This has a positive impact on wellbeing and mental distress, which will consequently have a positive effect on staff absenteeism and retention.  Further assistance can be found at The Money Advice Service

Taking an MBA Student on Work placement

Click here for MBA Work Placement Students – Employer Guidelines.  Contact Kevin Stroud to express interest kevin.stroud@port.ac.uk