Whether you’re hiring your first employee, growing your team, or replacing a key role, hiring employees is an exciting part of running any small business. But before any new employee starts work, there is one critical step you must not forget: carrying out a right to work check. Not only is this a legal requirement but if you go about it in the wrong way or forget an important detail, you’ll face crippling financial penalties, as well as potential reputational damage. We look at everything...

From January 2027, employees gain unfair dismissal rights after just six months. Unsurprisingly, many businesses are panicking. But this isn't a case of employers losing all their rights. Far from it. You still have a wealth of rights that help you protect your business, uphold your standards and run things properly, including the right to fire someone. The key is doing it fairly and sensibly. You need to know your reason and be completely clear about it. With the law changing on 1 January...

Over recent years, AI has steadily been transforming how we work, and HR is no exception. In fact, HR teams are among the biggest AI champions, with two thirds of professionals using AI at work, and reporting it saves them around three hours a week. But while AI can streamline processes, speed up tasks and generally help a small business be more efficient, it's worth taking a moment to understand what AI can and can't do when it comes to managing your people. After all, getting HR wrong can...