SME
There is no universally accepted definition of a “small or medium-sized enterprise (SME).
However, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BIS) and the European Union (EU) define a small enterprise as one with fewer than 50 employees and a medium-sized enterprise as one with at least 50 but fewer than 250 employees.
Large enterprises have 250 or more employees.
Coronavirus: What employers need to know (webinar)
ON-DEMAND | As the true impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic becomes apparent, employers are facing...
Small business HR: top tips for people and payroll (webinar)
ON-DEMAND | People are a small organisation’s most important asset, but are firms getting the most from their ...
Apprenticeship providers turn SMEs away due to levy fund shortage
A shortage of apprenticeship funding means that a quarter of smaller firms have been turned away by training providers, while...
MPs urge radical improvements in apprenticeships
MPs have strongly criticised the government’s apprenticeship programme, in particular its focus on higher level placements and failure to meet the needs of smaller employers.
Could #MeToo clauses for start-ups put a stop to harassment?
Investors in start-ups are putting young companies under increased scrutiny to ensure they have a clean record on sexual harassment....
£400m apprenticeship levy underspend revealed
Only £268m was spent by levy-paying employers on apprentices in the programme's first year of operation, 2017-18. This equated to just 13% of the Treasury's £2.01bn apprenticeships budget and contributed to a £400m underspend.
Criticism of levy mounts as Apprenticeship Week kicks off
Training providers air criticism of the government's apprenticeship levy as surveys reveal the extent of ignorance over the scheme.
High-growth firms crowd out competition for talent
The UK’s efforts to boost productivity while ironing out regional inequalities in job creation may be fundamentally at odds, according...
How to remove the barriers stopping SMEs investing in employee wellbeing
Small and medium-sized enterprises have a poor record for investing in employee wellbeing. Andrew Harris, workplace health and wellbeing specialist...
Mental health in the workplace: IoD calls on Government to target SMEs
The Government needs to do more to work with employers and business leaders to “start a conversation” on mental health...
Will the apprenticeship levy mean smaller businesses lose out?
It is the Government’s flagship policy to fix the UK’s skills problem, a well-intentioned “tax” on employers to raise £3...
Will better access to HR support improve management at SMEs?
A new initiative from the CIPD aims to push HR consulting and advice as high up the agenda for small...
SMEs not ready to support staff on sick leave
There is a disconnect between how much employees working in small businesses expect they will be supported by their boss...
Small businesses unprepared for shared parental leave
Many small businesses are unprepared for shared parental leave and do not expect their staff to want to take it,...
SMEs must continue doing more to promote youth employment, says CIPD
The proportion of organisations offering apprenticeships has risen to almost 50%, with 80% now employing at least one young person,...
