Business Lincolnshire Fit for Business

Join Guy Lewis and Zoe Nichol from McMillan and Associates HR for our conversation about wellbeing specifically with regards to being your authentic self at work. Zoe is an organisational development specialist and today she talks about how we need to be our true selves if we are to perform well and look after our wellbeing at work. Zoe talks about how individual clients have approached her about how to be yourself and how can you truly show yourself at work.. Zoe tells us that listening to your colleagues is the most important part of encouraging others to be their authentic self and to start small with conversations within your business and and with colleagues.

Join Guy Lewis and Zoe Nichol from McMillan and Associates HR for our conversation about wellbeing specifically with regards to team wellbeing. Zoe is an organisational development specialist and today she talks about how we need to look at the environment we create at work for our teams. Zoe talks about how healthy our work places are, both the physical environment and also mental environment. and how wellbeing should be a thread that is present throughout the whole organisation. Zoe tells us to start with the basics and get them right and then build on how we create a better work environment for the team.

Join Guy Lewis and Liz Blount from McMillan and Associates HR for our conversation about wellbeing specifically with regards to boundary setting. Liz is an HR and & organisational development specialist and today she talks about how we need to set boundaries to preserve a sense of control at work. Liz talks about how this could be control of physical or emotional space and time, and how the best boundaries are those that you can control and not that you set for others. Liz gives top tips on how to set boundaries and how you can stick to them.

Join Guy Lewis and Liz Blount from McMillan and Associates HR for our conversation about wellbeing specifically with regards to remote working. Liz is an HR and & organisational development specialist and today she talks about how remote working has many benefits but how we need to ensure it has not having a negative effect on our wellbeing. We discuss how setting up business routines is important along with having time for the “softer” conversations often found when working together in an office. Liz talks about the different dimensions of wellbeing, be it physical, emotional, social, and occupational, and gives top tips of how we can both help ourselves and our colleagues with wellbeing.

Join Guy Lewis and Caroline Wilson from Hot Toddi for our conversation about engaging with your audience on social media. Caroline talks about engagement, and that is both posting and responding to other posts. Caroline explains that 50% of your time should be spent planning and posting and the other 50% engaging with others. Remember that engagement is about having a conversation.

Join Guy Lewis and Caroline Wilson from Hot Toddi for our conversation and advice for posting your social media content. Caroline talks about what to post when to post and is there a secret formula around timing your posts. Caroline explains that a post must either educate, entertain, or both. Caroline talks about on one side, being on message, while on the other, looking at being disruptive.

Join Guy Lewis and Caroline Wilson from Hot Toddi for our conversation and top tips for planning your social media activities. Caroline's secret tactic is to plan in 4-month chunks, using a diary or calendar to plan your content for the whole period, and how capturing national events, public holidays, expos and any other events can be used as a loose structure for your content. Caroline advises that we all book in the diary a dedicated time just to concentrate on your social media activity with the mantra “Plan, do, and review”

Join Guy Lewis and Caroline Wilson from Hot Toddi for our conversation about setting objectives for your social media activities. Caroline is a social media expert and today she introduces the idea of setting objectives, plotting a course for your social media campaigns. Discussing the “Algorithm” Caroline talks about how to set clear objectives and stay on course with your social media activity.

Join Guy Lewis and Health and Safety expert Anna Maxwell as they talk about the COSHH and CDM requirements for businesses. Anna explains what the control of substances hazardous to health & safety (COSH) and also how the construction design and manufacture (CDM) regulations apply to many activities even for small businesses. Anna talks about how businesses must know about materials and substances, manufactured or natural that potentially has health & safety consequences. This includes any substances that you could inhale, ingest, absorb or inject.  Anna explains that the CDM regs now apply to any project that has some form of construction in it being either domestic or commercial, and further apply to any businesses who has work done on their properties including refurbishment, decoration, new signage and many more activities. 

Join Guy Lewis and Health and Safety expert Anna Maxwell as they talk about first aid and fire training. Anna talks about how the guidance from HSE gives you a good base level of information on what you need to provide in terms of first aid facilities for your employees. Anna also explains the importance of fire safety risk assessments, what they are and how they should be completed and kept up to date.

Join Guy Lewis and Health and Safety expert Anna Maxwell as they talk about training and competencies with regards to health and safety. Anna talks about how a person needs to be appointed by a business with the responsible of implementing Health and Safety but not necessarily responsible for Health and Safety.  Anna explains how important it is that the person knows what they are meant to be doing and what everyone else needs to be doing. 

Join Guy Lewis and Health and Safety expert Anna Maxwell as they talk about the general attitudes towards health and safety. Anna talks about the myth that "Health and Safety is going to cost me time and money" and explains that a good attitude towards complying with health and safety regulations can actually save you and your business time and money

Join Guy Lewis and Health and Safety expert Anna Maxwell as they talk about the responsibilities that businesses have regarding health and safety. Anna talks about the regulations and how an employer is responsible for any person that is involved in their company or business and how they must be kept safe.

Join Guy Lewis and sustainability expert David Knight as they look beyond Net Zero and look at the environmental impacts we have from our business. David says the "net zero can and will have an impact on climate change" but we talk about other things that people should do to protect the planet. We discuss how we can make everything better and what legacy we leave for the future.    

Join Guy Lewis and sustainability expert David Knight as they discuss ways of maximising efforts in reducing carbon footprint and how involving staff is key to this success.  Having talked about the importance of measuring information that is currently available, David looks at how businesses can prioritise their time in managing their carbon footprint David talks about resources management and the related behaviours and how engaging staff is really important.  He suggests that waste management is a great tangible way of starting the conversation with staff and putting together an action plan for reducing waste and therefore the businesses carbon footprint. 

Join Guy Lewis and sustainability expert David Knight as they discuss details around the term carbon footprint, and what it actually means. David explains what carbon footprint is, and what information you already have that will help you calculate your businesses carbon footprint. David goes through the steps of taking stock about what information you have already, finding additional information you need, how to pull it together, and how that makes a carbon footprint.

Join Guy Lewis and sustainability expert David Knight as they discuss what exactly is Net Zero and how can we prepare our business to align with it's aspiration. David explains what Net Zero means and how it is the headline or goal that organisations are trying to achieve as a long term ambition. David simplifies the ways that businesses can prepare themselves and adds that the most important thing for businesses to do is to understand the concept and at least do something towards achieving it.

Join Guy Lewis and HR specialist Nat McMillian as they discuss how to approach performance issues with staff. Nat talks about how it is usual for employers to avoid the difficult conversations and how common it is to ignore a small performance issue with an employee until it has turned into a huge issue. Nat highlights how important it is having both good and bad performance reviews and how setting objectives, being clear about what the business requires and holding people accountable for their performance is key for a successful business.    

Join Guy Lewis and HR specialist Nat McMillian as they discuss how to approach disciplinary issues with staff. Nat talks about how it is usual for employers to avoid the difficult conversations and how common it is to ignore a small problem with an employee until it has turned into a huge issue. Nat covers disciplinary policies, good practice, how to start the conversation and how to apply the ACAS disciplinary code.

Join myself and Nat McMillan discussing interviewing.

Join myself and Nat McMillan discussing the different types of employment status.

Join Stuart Mcfarlane Bedford discussing business insurances

Join Stuart McFarlane Bedford discussing finance options for your business

Join Deborah Goodall discussing the details of a business plan

A conversation with Deborah Goodall about choosing a legal structure for your business

A conversation with Deborah Goodall about choosing a business name.