Your employees

No matter how much cash there is in the bank or how large its stock is, a firm's most valuable asset is its employees. Taking care of your staff can make the difference between an ordinary business and a truly successful one.

Setting pay

Every employer knows just how important wages are to recruiting and keeping good employees. So how best to go about setting rates of pay?

Workplace pensions

Auto-enrolment makes it easier for people to save money for their retirement. It means that every employer must automatically enrol eligible staff into a qualifying pension scheme.

Maternity and paternity leave

Any female employee who becomes pregnant can take 52 weeks of statutory maternity leave.

Holidays

Holidays form an important part of the working year: important for employees because they give them the chance to recharge batteries

Part-time employees

Many smaller businesses choose to employ staff on a part-time basis. This often has the advantage of controlling costs when there is no need for a full-time worker and of adding flexibility to the running of the business.

Employee contracts

A contract of employment comes into effect the moment that a person agrees to work for an employer. In accepting the offer of a job and by starting work in return for pay, the employee is also agreeing to the terms and conditions attached to that job.

Managing a contractor

A number of businesses use contractors and subcontractors to carry out short-term work or to supply specialist skills on specific projects.