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From 6 April this year, the sick note is going to be replaced by the 'fit' note. This government move aims to help more staff to return to work after being off sick. Official figures say that ill health could cost the country £240 million over the next 10 years.
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By
Simon
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24 February 2010
With the elections looming we wondered who you think will be our next prime minster. Take our poll and let us know who you think will be the PM for the next 4 years.
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Advertising agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky have gone big with their project management tools. Everyone can see project statuses and, I suppose, it adds an element of competition between different teams. (Could they run a pool on which job will get finished first?)
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Bloody hell. Just when you think political power play couldn’t get any more messy, the Tories have been handed ammunition. As you’ve probably read, seen and heard by now, an anti-bullying charity has alleged that staff from Downing St. rang them. Couple this with allegations that Brown can be a bit abrasive in his working manner and things might be looking even worse for Labour.
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I found an interesting video on how businesses - and therefore employees - can lose sight of why they do something, instead focusing on what they do. The pitch here is that by looking at the why, you'll become more successful and really connect with potential customers.
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By
Simon
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19 February 2010
Will you be able to manage on a state pension when you retire? A way to top up your state pension is to take out a company pension, but do you feel confident that what you put into the pension fund will help you in years to come? Take part in our pension survey and let us know if you think it is worth while putting money into a company pension.
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During a sales demonstration at a woodworking trade show, the presenter showed the crowd how both an ordinary saw and one with a saw stopping safety device might work when it hit an operator's finger. To simulate a finger, he used a sausage. Intrigued, a curious spectator stepped up for a closer look, only to be struck in the eye by a flying piece of debris.
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You're a small business and you've got a patent on a product that you think is going to storm the market. Then someone comes along with a product that is remarkably similar to yours. What can you do – turn to lawyers for advice though this may cost you a packet?
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Brian Patten's poem 'Gust Becos I Cud Not Spel' is about a child who becomes a dictator, rounds up everyone who teased him about his spelling and has them shot. (It's more amusing than it sounds.) While bad spelling won't get you shot, it will reflect badly on your business. The very least it will do is make you look unprofessional and annoy customers; but it could sabotage deals.
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We have been looking at the services that small businesses require as essential to their everyday running and have asked a few suppliers for some advice for Office Chatter visitors. You probably deciphered from the title what this one is about, so if you are looking for a mobile phone contract for your business or are keen to save more on your current service then we hope that this is helpful for you.
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By
Simon
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15 February 2010
With half term upon us we were wondering how many of you take a few days off to be with the kids.
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Can political parties buy the loyalty of small businesses with some pre-election rivalry? To see what the politicos were offering I did a quick scan of the General Election 2010 stories in the Telegraph in the past week.
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By
Simon
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11 February 2010
In today's busy lives that we lead some of us prefer to deal with companies online. Yet some of us prefer to have that human contact on the other end of the phone. We are doing a quick survey on what method of contact you preferred when dealing with our service team.
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A third of businesses are unable to access the cheapest rates for gas and electricity because energy suppliers are using credit scores to filter out the best companies to take on as customers.
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My computer was acting up yesterday. Despite rebooting it three times over the course of the day, it was still slow and unreliable. Needless to say, I was annoyed.
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If you think that CEOs are hard-nosed, self-assured people think again. Under that tough exterior, they're really all softies.
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People who suppress their anger with colleagues or superiors at work are, staggeringly, more than twice as likely to die of a heart attack or heart disease, says a Swedish study of more than 2,800 men.
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What do you get when you cross Google Maps with an envelope? The mapenvelope! Created by Beste Miray Dogan, a designer in Istanbul, the sender's address is on the inside.
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The government and its agencies continue to pay small businesses late, despite making a public commitment a year ago to settle bills within 10 days.
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People who are exposed to luxury will put their own interests over others when it comes to making decisions. That's the conclusion of 'The Devil Wears Prada?' report which looks at the psychological effects of luxury on decision-making. (And, of course, fat cats can be men and women. No bias here, folks.)
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As a lot of office printer paper passes through our hands we thought that we would have a look around the internet for some of the more creative uses of paper. Check out our 5 favourite paper models.
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By
Simon
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02 February 2010
We are looking into making our returns process cleaner and easier for you our customers. By taking part in our online poll you can help us make the changes that are needed and ones that you want.
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