Your staff are your business' greatest asset, and ensuring that you have the right people with the right skills can be the one thing that makes your business stand out from the rest. But being an employer isn't always easy. Finding the right staff to begin with can be tricky, and then you have to make sure you keep them and get the best out of them. And when things don't go so well you may have to let some staff go which is probably the most difficult bit of all.
There are many organisations out there that can help you - some of them are listed below:
The Business Link website offers a range of advice on employment issues, from recruitment, training and managing staff through to dealing with disciplinary matters or redundancy.
Click here to link to the Business Link employing people section
To help both companies and employees get the training they need, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has launched Train to Gain, a new service aimed at helping businesses improve their productivity and competitiveness by ensuring that staff have the right skills to do the best job.
Visit Train to Gain South East for more information
As well as the Level 2 & 3 qualifications offered on the website, Train to Gain is offering up to £1000 towards Leadership and Management training for managers of businesses up to 250 staff. Find out more about the Leadership and Management Programme.
Sadly, in the current economic climate some businesses are having to cut back on staff and this can mean making valued employees redundant. This is difficult for everyone involved, but Job Centre Plus can offer advice and support to you and your employees. Find out more on the Job Centre Plus website.
If you have a vacancy to fill Job Centre Plus can offer as much or as little help as you want, from advertising the vacancy to help with selection and interviews. Visit the Job Centre Plus website to find out how they can help you.
Acas stands for Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service. A recent study suggested that ACAS saves the UK economy £800 million each year by helping employers and employees to improve working life and to resolve their disputes.
The ACAS website has a wealth of information for both employers and employees, covering all aspects of employment from health and equality to redundancy and notice.
Graduate Jobs South is a service that matches graduates from Southampton University, Southampton Solent University and Winchester University with appropriate employment opportunities.
If you think your business could benefit from the fresh thinking and adaptability that a new graduate can bring, Graduate Jobs South can help you to find the right person.
Alternatively, why not take on a graduate intern for 12 weeks or more, to work on a particular project? Employers will receive £1,350 towards the intern’s salary and GJS will advertise and short-list the prospective candidates for prospective employers.
Find out more about Graduate Interns from the GJS website
Eastleigh College has an excellent reputation and has won awards for the way in which it works with employers and to meet their needs. Whether you are looking for apprenticeships, day release courses leading to a qualification or a one day session to improve your computer skills, Eastleigh College can help. Visit the Eastleigh College website to find out more
Ladder 4 Learning promotes courses for the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector. For more information please visit the website.