Small businesses need to be more flexible

Savannah Selle
May 17, 2011

Despite committing to reducing red tape, Government plans to extend flexible working and parental rights will burden liability insurance holders.

The Government plans to extend flexible working and introduce changes to parental leave. These changes are expected to hit small business with more administration although allowing for effective planning.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) acknowledges that parental leave is already complicated for small businesses to administer and the group have been calling for a reform for quite some time. It is a concern however; that the new changes proposed will make it far more complicated than it already is.

John Walker, National Chairman of the FSB said:

“The Government has committed to reducing the amount of red tape that small firms have to wade through in running their businesses. Yet, it wants to introduce additional complexity and new legislation, making it even more complicated and time consuming in the process.”

Parental leave should be flexible and tailored to suit each member of staff. Government plans to introduce changes to parental leave could allow both parents to take time off in chunks, rather than in one block. This will mean more paper work for small businesses.

However, flexibility and lenience in the workplace will encourage motivation among employees which will result in greater productivity. Staff are more likely to be honest rather than ‘pulling a sickie’ if their business offer flexibility and parental rights.

The Government plans to issue a much welcomed consultation this week, the FSB is eager to put forward small business views.

Handle Your Business

Fresh Views of Your Business