News

Have you got the right work life balance?

Posted on September 22, 2021 at 1:33 pm

Work life balance is important. If you throw everything in to your work you may find that you are not satisfied in your life. You may find it hard to keep a relationship, miss out on social events and feel you don’t have time to start a family. On the other hand if you don’t put enough in to your work you may find that you get in to trouble at work, don’t progress up the careers ladder and don’t get any fulfilment out of your job.

It is vital that you get this balance right, but there is no exact percentage as to what is the correct balance it all depends on the type of person you are and what job role you are in. For example, a teacher may have to be happy to allow their job to come in to their home life at times as it is likely they will have to do marking or planning at home. A shop worker may not have the option to take their work home so they may be swaying more towards what makes them happy in their personal life. If you feel you are either struggling at work or in your personal life, have a look at your work life balance and see if it needs to be adjusted.

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Self-employment booms as recovery begins

Posted on July 30, 2021 at 8:18 am

Becoming self-employed is a possibility for many people if they have the suitable skills and experience that will be required, but specific training may be all that is needed to pursue this exciting ambition. As we begin to look forward to brighter times, more and more job-seekers are looking seriously at the pros and cons of self-employment and what it entails.

 If you have been unemployed for a while or made redundant from a job there is help available to retrain in a new trade or even for the start-up costs of setting up your own business. Searching online for help and support is a good way to find out about these issues.

Having decided what your business is going to be, you will need to register as a sole trader with HMRC so that they know that you will be completing a self-assessment tax form and paying class 2 and class 4 national insurance contributions. You will need a name for your business, and it is important to give some thought to this and try to make the business name easy to remember for clients.

A visit to the bank is an essential part of setting up your own business as you will need a business bank account. Do not be afraid to look at other banks rather than simply going to your usual bank as some offer special rates for the newly self-employed.

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Will your job affect your chances of getting a mortgage?

Posted on October 31, 2018 at 11:12 pm

If you are looking to buy a home then you may be surprised that your job can have quite a big impact on your chances of being accepted. If you are self-employed for example then you will most probably need 3- 5 years’ worth of accounts showing that you have a good turn over before you will even be considered. If you have not keep accurate accounts then this may prove tricky and you could find yourself in a situation where no one will even be willing to offer you the money.

If you are in a low or zero hour contract then again you may struggle to get the mortgage deal you are looking for. With no guarantee of work, mortgage providers tend to not like to take the risk.

If you really want to get a mortgage then you may have to consider finding alternative employment, ideally a full-time permanent position. You will often need to supply at least 3 months of payslips and possibly a contract of employment. If you are buying a house with someone else then often joint income is taken into account so it may be if they have a well-paid stable job, you will be able to get the mortgage deal you need to buy your home.

 

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Setting up a business

Posted on August 29, 2017 at 10:24 pm

If you are looking to set up a business then you will need to ensure that you have thought about a number of points before proceeding. It may be that you need to invest a certain amount of money in to your business to get it off the ground. This can be a risk, especially if you are having to take out a loan to cover the costs and will need to repay it back.

Ideally you should create a business plan as this will often be needed for a number of different reasons. A business plan will allow you to go through step by step and think about each area. Often in a business plan you will have a section for competitors for example. This will be where you can study some of your competitors and find out what they are offering and at what price. You can then compare this to your services and pricing to check that you are competitive. You will also create a budget planner and profit forecast sheet to show how much you expect to make over a certain period.

 

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Building up your business

Posted on July 28, 2017 at 12:22 pm

If you have your own business then you will probably want to keep building it up in order to make more money. Always remember than new businesses often take some time to get established and start turning a profit. You may have to invest in your business to set it up initially.

If you are looking to expand your business you need to be sure that you will be able to cope with the extra work load. You may want to find a sub-contractor that you can sub work out to should you start to struggle r even look to taking someone one if you are sure that you can cover their salary.

Running a business can be stressful and comes with a lot of responsibility it may be your only or main source of income and so it is vital that you keep track of your finances and if you are struggling, seek advice before it becomes too late.

Marketing is the main way to build a business up and there are a number of avenues you can explore. Online marketing through social media is often a cost effective way of increasing your customer base.

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Health and Safety

Posted on January 31, 2015 at 6:43 pm

It’s easy to moan about today’s risk conscious world. Safety regulations often feel like an inconvenience and what ever happened to good old common sense? Health and safety legislation is there to safeguard workers from accident and injury but also to protect businesses from costly legal claims. In our compensation culture things are only going to get more stringent.

As a worker you are entitled to work in a safe environment with properly controlled risks. You may occasionally have to sign documents detailing how to proceed safely in your duties and these should be read carefully. If you have an accident but weren’t following the correct procedure, you may not be able to make a successful claim.

An employer is responsible for putting risk assessments in place and providing adequate protection and PPE for workers. As an employee, you are required to work in a safe manner within company guidelines and report damaged equipment and any accidents or near misses. You are not required to do something you feel is unsafe just because an employer tells you to.

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