Tag: small business

As your business grows, your HR documentation should grow with it. Out-of-date contracts, policies and processes create risk and can lead to issues when you least expect them. 

Here’s what every SME should review once a year. 

1. Employment Contracts 

Ask yourself: 

  • Do they reflect current salary and benefits? 
  • Have working hours or hybrid arrangements changed? 
  • Are they still legally compliant? 

Contracts become outdated faster than you think, especially as laws and practices evolve. Contract updates are inevitable and essential.

2. Policies and Handbook 

Check that your policies match how your business actually operates. Common updates include: 

  • Hybrid/remote working 
  • Sickness and absence 
  • Equality and diversity 
  • Data protection 

If your handbook still reflects a pre-growth business, it’s time for a refresh. 

3. Onboarding and Leaver Processes 

Growing businesses often realise: 

  • New starters aren’t getting consistent inductions 
  • Leavers’ documents or access aren’t handled correctly 
  • Holiday and absence records fall behind 

A quick review can prevent mistakes and improve employee experience. 

4. Your HR Tracker 

If you’re using spreadsheets for holidays, absences or training, make sure they’re: 

  • Up to date 
  • Legible 
  • Used consistently 

A simple HR tracker (included in HR Confidence) reduces admin headaches.  

Want a complete HR documentation audit? 

Our HR Confidence package includes: 

  • Full HR documentation review 
  • Updated contracts & policies 
  • Onboarding and leaver process review 
  • HR tracker template 
  • 1-hour follow-up consultation 

Perfect for SMEs with 5–20 employees who want reassurance and readiness for growth. 

➡ Explore HR Confidence 

Hiring your first employee is an exciting milestone. It means your business is growing and you’re ready for extra support. But it also means stepping into the world of HR, and that can feel overwhelming if you’re not sure what’s legally required. 

The good news? You don’t need a huge HR department to stay compliant. But you do need a few key documents in place before your new team member starts. 

Here are the five essential HR documents every small or new employer must have. 

1. A Legally Compliant Employment Contract 

Every employee must receive a written statement of terms and conditions on or before their first day. This is usually provided as an employment contract. 

A clear, up-to-date contract protects both you and your employee. It sets expectations, reduces misunderstandings, and ensures you’re meeting legal obligations around pay, hours, leave, benefits, and notice. 

Many small businesses rely on outdated templates or copy something from the internet, but an inaccurate contract is one of the most common HR risks. A tailored contract gives you peace of mind from day one. 

2. An Offer Letter 

The offer letter confirms the basics: job title, salary, working hours, and start date. It also sets a positive, professional tone and helps your new employee feel confident joining your business. 

It’s also useful if someone needs written proof of employment before their contract is finalised. 

3. Core HR Policies 

You don’t need a full suite of policies at this stage, but you do need the basics in writing, including: 

  • Disciplinary and grievance 
  • Equality and diversity 
  • Health & safety 
  • Data protection/privacy notice 

These are required by law and form the backbone of your HR compliance. They are also a key part of your employee handbook… 

4. A Basic Employee Handbook 

A handbook doesn’t need to be long or complicated; it simply outlines how things work in your business. The essentials usually include: 

  • Sickness and absence 
  • Holiday and time off 
  • Data protection 
  • Health & safety 
  • Code of conduct 
  • Basic well-being or workplace expectations 

This gives employees clarity and ensures consistency. It also helps you, as the employer, handle issues fairly and legally. 

Think of it as the “how we do things around here” guide. 

5. A New Starter Checklist 

When you’re new to hiring, it’s easy to forget the small but essential steps. A checklist helps you stay organised and cover things like: 

  • Right-to-work checks 
  • Payroll setup 
  • Collecting emergency contacts 
  • Sharing company policies 
  • IT or system access 

It also gives your new employee a smooth, structured onboarding experience, which boosts confidence from day one. 

Need Help Getting These in Place? 

Many new employers don’t realise these documents are required or worry about getting them wrong. That’s where our HR Foundations package can help. 

It includes: 

  • A 30-minute HR consultation 
  • Customised employment contract template 
  • Offer letter template 
  • Basic employee handbook, including a set of core HR policies 
  • New starter checklist 

Everything you need to hire confidently, professionally, and legally, without the stress. 

➡ Find out more about HR Foundations 

➡ Book a free HR consultation 

Small business owners spend hours every week on HR admin without realising it. 

Holiday tracking… 

Sickness records… 

Offer letters… 

Contracts… 

Document filing… 

It all adds up. 

Why HR admin slows you down 

  • It breaks your focus 
  • It interrupts your day 
  • It delays higher-value work 
  • It’s easy to get wrong 
  • It becomes urgent at the worst times 

For many SMEs, it’s the silent productivity killer. 

What you can outsource 

The HR Assist package covers: 

  • Monthly HR admin support 
  • Holiday & absence tracking 
  • Offer letter & contract drafting 
  • Personnel file maintenance 
  • HR reporting 

Think of it as your ongoing HR support team, without hiring.  

Blog writing services help SEO in many ways. When you optimise your website for a search engine, you take steps to help the search engine find it. Adding blogs is one of those steps.

In this blog, we look at four ways in which writing and publishing regular blogs boosts your search engine rankings.  

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ChatGPT is a hot topic at the moment. Businesses are considering whether it could make their lives easier. And skilled content creators are wondering if they’re about to be replaced by a bot. We’ve noticed that savvy business users are weighing up the pros and cons, working out where ChatGPT is the right solution and identifying where a real person will do a better job.

Let’s take a closer look.

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When you outsource social media content to Get Ahead, your new social media manager will often use a scheduling platform. Scheduling platforms like Hootsuite and Buffer help us keep up a consistent presence on social media channels and definitely make life easier. However, there are some pitfalls to avoid too – our social media managers know them all and they thought they’d be useful to share!

In this blog, we look at the benefits of scheduling social media content, and note the pitfalls to avoid.

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Social media strategy is essential if you want to take your business channels to the next level. If you have a small business you’re planning to scale up, social media is a great tool to help you reach new customers. And it’s well worth investing in social media strategy to increase your chances of getting the results your business deserves.

In this blog, we look at why a strategic approach is important, and what you should consider when you’re planning future social media posts.

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2022 has been quite a year! With war in Ukraine, price rises, loads of industrial action and three prime ministers, very few businesses will have experienced completely plain sailing. But sweet are the uses of adversity. Here at Get Ahead, we’ve learned a lot about ourselves and our business. We’ve seen interesting opportunities arise and we’re already feeling positive about what 2023 has to offer.

In this blog, we look at how businesses can learn from mistakes and find exciting opportunities to take them into the new year.

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A new year and a new financial quarter is a great time to do a skills gap analysis. Analysing the skills of yourself and your team will help you identify what you already do well and what else you need to grow your business. A review might even help you spot other strengths and weaknesses.

In this blog, we share our five-point plan for an effective skills gap analysis.

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As you prepare your business for Q1, you’ve probably made some key decisions that will affect the whole organisation. For your business to carry these out and achieve the goals you’ve set, it is essential that you take your employees with you. When employees are fully engaged with the goal setting process and understand the direction the business is going, they are more likely to deliver the work you need.

In this blog, we look at ways you might engage staff and communicate your new goals to ensure your employees support your business direction.

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