Member Article

Businesses told to hold on to talent

Businesses are being urged to make sure they keep hold of their talented staff. According to learndirect business, the Work and Families Act which came into force this week brings with it both challenges and business benefits.

Michelle Lofthouse, Director of Business Development at learndirect business, said: “Although women make up nearly 50% of the workforce, old fashioned employers are costing the economy up to £23 billion by failing to recognise that well-trained, experienced and educated women can still make a major contribution to the workforce even if they don’t want to work five full days a week. This statistic really demonstrates the need for businesses to adapt to the needs of the changing workforce.”

learndirect say that businesses are reporting more difficulties recruiting skilled employees than they did a few years ago, and that this growing skills gap is now triggering a change in employers’ attitudes to work life balance.

Claire Morley Jones, founder and MD of HR consultancy HR180, said: “Businesses that allow employees to combine work and family life and create an environment where they can excel in both have a great opportunity to differentiate themselves from their less enlightened competitors. I urge business managers to consider the upside of the legislation, rather than focusing too much on the challenges.”

Michelle Lofthouse said: “Getting to grips with more new legislation can be a minefield for SMEs, yet the need for business owners to be informed and prepared for important new laws affecting their businesses has never been greater. Just understanding them can be a headache, so the best starting point is to simplify legislation so that busy managers can comply quickly and with minimum disruption to their business.”

learndirect have created the ‘Work and Families eCourse’, which is free and available at www.learndirect-business.com.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .