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STOP PRESS......

Flexible working rights go to extra 4.5 million

From 6th April all carers and parents of children aged up will have the right to request flexible working hours. Flexible working embraces a wide variety of working practices, including compressed hours, working from home, or any pattern of hours other than the standard one in an organisation.

Benefits of flexible working to business include increased productivity and recruitment savings. In accordance, the latest statistics show that the culture of flexible working is growing across UK businesses:

* 93% of employers now offer at least one flexible working practice
* 95% of all requests from working parents are agreed
* 96% of all requests from carers are agreed
* Small businesses are most likely to accept requests

The right to request flexible working was introduced in 2003 for parents of children aged up to six and disabled children aged up to 18. It was extended to carers of adults in 2007.
E
ssential free guidance for businesses and individuals is online at: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/Flexibleworking/index.htm

BUSINESS ARTICLE of the WEEK

Summing Up: How Frank or Deceptive Should Leaders Be?

HBS professor Jim Heskett sums up comments made via a recent online forum. Given the possibility that a naturally pessimistic (or perhaps more realistic) CEO might adversely affect everything from market reactions to employee morale, HBS Working Knowledge readers' comments are full of advice for honesty, candor, and an optimistic bias.

NEWSFLASH of the WEEK

Experience counts says the latest small business survey

The study, conducted by Bibby Financial Services, shows that there is no substitute for experience as we enter recesssion, which over half (54%) of business owners and managers have never experienced.

But it is business owners who have ridden out past downturns who are more likely to be scrutinising their finances more carefully, with 81% of business owners who’ve experienced a number of downturns since the early 1980s paying more attention to finances compared to just 64% of those who’ve experienced this recession only. The figures from the Bibby study also show that:

- 79% of SMEs are making positive steps to survive and face economic uncertainty head on

- 69% of owners and managers claim the recession has encouraged them to keep a closer eye on their finances

- 84% of owners and managers are improving their customer and supplier management

- 37% are cutting their marketing or advertising

- 28% are scaling back on production and 26% are having to bring services back in-house

- 7% are downsizing premises or opting to run their business from home

MANAGEMENT TIP of the WEEK

Golden rules for working from home

Many businesses start from spare bedrooms every year, which is very smart. The novelty of being your own boss is great, but if you’re not careful, you can start to develop a kind of “cabin fever”, because you are seeing the same four walls whether you are at home or work.

There are five simple things to help you keep your focus when working from home year in, year out.

1. Keep work and home strictly separate. Be very strict about using work-space only for work to separate your personal and professional lives. At the end of each working day shut the door and mentally switch back to being at home.

2. Set rules and stick to them. Set clear working hours so you know what you should be doing and when. Set a rule of no TV and stick to it. Same with personal phone calls or emails.

3. Use goals and rewards to stay motivated. It is essential to set clear goals to ensure that what you are doing is helping your business. Now and again give yourself a reward for achieving something difficult.

4. Get out. If your work doesn’t require you to leave home, then why not reward yourself with days working out. Many cafes have free wifi, so why not take your laptop with you and have regular coffee-shop Monday.

5. Last but not least: Connect with like-minded people

EVENT of the WEEK

TechCrunch Startup School - Geek’n’Rolla

Date:    21 April 2009

Venue: Royal Institute of British Architects
            66, Portland Place
            London W1B 1AD

Fee:     £75 to 95

The event will include a series of panel discussions, interactive sessions, keynote presentations and TechCrunch Pitch!   Its aim is to bring together startups, investors and key industry players for intensive panel debates and lots of networking

To register please click here

Call us on 08450-56-96-36

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Entelliz Weekly Newsletter - week 14, 2009