Why productivity matters
Productive companies get more out of what they’ve got, enabling them to increase their profits, pay higher wages and invest in their future. More productive businesses mean a more prosperous country. Discover why productivity matters below.
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Leadership & Strategy
Article
Coronavirus: How to collaborate with other businesses
With demand for many products and services falling fast, learning how to collaborate with other businesses is one way to lessen the coronavirus impact.
People & Team
Article
To furlough or not to furlough – how to make tough decisions about staff
Ccoronavirus has meant owners and leaders are facing some of the toughest decisions of their lives. Here's some help when it comes to your people.
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Practical operational changes made Start-rite 83 per cent more efficient
It’s a family-owned shoe brand that has been around since the end of the 18th century, but it took an outsider’s perspective to truly prepare Start-rite for the rise of ecommerce.
Leadership Behaviours
People & Team
Article
The secrets behind The Pig Hotel success
It’s iconic buildings and eye-catching kitchen garden food have seen it become a darling of the UK hospitality scene, but what is it that really makes The Pig Hotel stand out from competitors?
Talent development
Leadership & Strategy
Article
The honest leaders not afraid to admit they don’t know it all
While it may be tempting to lead from the front on all matters, honest leaders are those who recognise employees are often better at their role than they are – as two SME owners explained.
Leadership Behaviours
People & Team
Article
Meet the family-run care home business going the extra mile to support staff
Lucy Craig is taking remarkable steps to support staff and reduce the stress they face as the impact of coronavirus continues to grow.
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Look to philanthropy for your company’s values
If you run a business and don't yet have a set of company values, the area of philanthropy can offer extremely rich pickings suggests Rachel Clacher.
Vision & Values
People & Team
Article
Building a cost-effective training culture requires knowledge sharing
Developing an internal training culture is essential to keep employees engaged, motivated and productive. Be the Business spoke to three companies, each of which have taken different approaches to training staff.
Talent development
Digital Readiness
Article
Delighting consumers with an innovative customer service strategy
From providing a direct link to the CEO to incentivising feedback, innovative customer service approaches are worth taking the time to devise and execute – as Be the Business found out.
Digital Commerce
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Challenge the old ways of doing things
When James Calder set up Distinct Recruitment, he remembered the old ways – when bosses typically sat in their own office when he was a young employee – and it was something he wasn't keen to repeat.
Leadership Behaviours
Leadership & Strategy
Article
The positives and negatives of co-working spaces
Co-working spaces are enjoying explosive growth. We looked at the argument for co-working spaces and how to find one that reflects your company’s culture.
Leadership Behaviours
People & Team
Article
Focus on your people’s talent, and it’s impossible for competitors to copy you
Faced with a personnel predicament after Optimity secured a funding injection, Anthony Impey decided to train up his existing people talent rather than hire cookie-cutter staff.
Talent development
People & Team
Article
It’s The Small Things: Snaffling Pig CEO Nick Coleman
They have a lofty goal – be bigger than Walkers and loved as Lego. However, Nick Coleman and Snaffling Pig are getting there one small improvement at a time.
Motivation
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Customer feedback keeps Polhawn Fort ahead of trends
Sarah Turpitt, General Manager of the Polhawn Fort stays ahead of the trends by listening to customer feedback and collaborating with local producers.
Leadership Behaviours
Leadership & Strategy
Article
This family firm attracts new customers by thinking locally and acting globally
The family run Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway is attracting new customers internationally by working with their local community.
External Collaboration
People & Team
Article
Cancelling scheduled meetings boosts productivity and creativity
SME leaders are ditching scheduled meetings to boost productivity and creativity. We spoke to two business owners about the benefits and their advice.
Talent development
People & Team
Article
Match your company rewards with employee needs
PrivateFly, a private jet charter firm, goes beyond traditional perks and engages employees in the rewards strategy by offering customised benefits.
Motivation
People & Team
Article
Lunch break not a time to deliver results
Headforwards knows that motivational drop offs are linked to employees being constantly pressured to perform and deliver results, and that's why the company runs a series of lunch clubs for its employees.
Motivation
Planning
Article
Getting your staff interested in business turnover and profit
Financial indicators like turnover and profit can feel like abstract ideas to employees, particularly if they aren’t non-revenue generating. Yet every staff member has an impact on company performance.
Target Setting
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Go behind the scenes at The Headland Hotel
It’s one of the most iconic hotels in all of Cornwall, with a history dating back over 100 years, but Darryl Reburn and the team at The Headland Hotel have a decidedly modern approach to business.
Leadership Behaviours
Sales & Growth
Article
Simplified customer interaction is key
It is important for companies to think about the way how their customers want to interact and make it as easy as possible.
Marketing & Sales
Sales & Growth
Article
Think local for success with unusual export countries
Red tape, complex regulations and confusion over which authority to approach regarding which issue can make exporting to any country, especially those in the developing world, difficult, time consuming and expensive.
Expanding & Exporting
People & Team
Article
We keep our staff constantly intellectually challenged
Technical consultancy Amido has turned work down because it didn’t feel that it would keep its employees fully engaged or intellectually challenged, and makes sure staff are involved with client negotiations from the outset.
Motivation
Leadership & Strategy
Article
Weighing up quick business wins with longer-burn strategies
It may be tempting to launch into a series of grand plans designed to catapult your company to the next level, but ignoring quick business wins could mean you struggle with momentum.
Leadership Behaviours