Does the phrase “business casual” fill you with uncertainty? Discover how to navigate office dress codes with this guest blog provided by the work-wear experts T.M Lewin. So often job seekers or employees will be told to dress smart for an interview or new position. With many companies taking a different approach to office dress…
It’s here! – Building Your Early Years Business
I am pleased to announce that Building Your Early Years Business is now available from my online shop
Home Business Story – Flourishing People
Jacqui Burke’s experience in the world of big business inspired her to strike out with a home business that helps smaller, local firms develop their people to be the best they can be. Read more Home Business 100 article: Home Business Story – Flourishing People
HR Post-Brexit – keep calm and carry on
The recent Brexit vote has created uncertainty in many aspects of our lives and the world of HR is one of those that many businesses are wondering about. For many who voted to leave the EU it was the imposition of EU red tape and regulations that perhaps prompted that vote. Read my thoughts about…
Harness the energy of the Olympics
Who will ever forget the buzz, the excitement, the energy and the sheer joy created by the 2012 London Olympics! So with the 2016 Rio Olympics fast approaching, what can employers do to manage the engagement of their staff during this period? Here are a few questions you might like to consider over the next…
First student completes Professional Consulting Skills Award
We were absolutely delighted this week to be able to present a certificate to the first of our learners to pass on our new Professional Consulting Skills Programme. Hilary Preece, who is an experienced Early Years Consultant specialising in supporting settings to improve their Ofsted grade, achieved the Award and received really positive feedback from…
West Suffolk Carbon Charter Group save 300 tonnes of Co2
As a holder of the Suffolk Carbon Charter Silver Award for environmental good practice, I was delighted to join other Carbon Charter businesses for a tour of The Precision Marketing Group offices in Bury St Edmunds. The tour of their premises was fascinating. There are so many energy saving ideas built into their building and…
The best way to predict the future is to create it
Whether this quote originally comes from Abraham Lincoln or Peter Drucker doesn’t much matter (it is credited to both). What struck me about it, is its relevance to maintained schools facing a period of major upheaval in the face of the Government’s recent announcement about academisation. At the moment this feels to many schools like…
Past student receives award for early years business support
It is always a pleasure to hear that one of our past students has been recognised publicly for the work that they do. Maureen Askew of AskAskew Early Years and Childcare Business Consultancy has just been recognised as the UK’s Most Outstanding Early Years Support Provider for 2016 through Corporate Livewire’s Innovation & Excellence Awards.…
Report on our 2016 Childcare Business Advisers Conference
2nd March saw over 30 Early Years Business Advisers gather together in Central London for our 2016 Childcare Business Advisers Conference. Here are some highlights from the day. The morning opened with a presentation by Neil Blumsom, CPD Lead for Achieving for Children. As many members of the audience were representatives from Local Authorities currently…
T is for trends in people management for 2016 – HR A-Z
It’s always good to think ahead and anticipate some of the things that we will need to focus on during the coming year. Fortunately People Management magazine, the leading publication for HR professionals, has helped us by doing some analysis for us. Here is the list that they have produced of key HR trends to…
Playing with Jigsaw – Early Years Business Magazine
Discover ‘the real you’ as Jacqui Burke of Flourishing People gets personal with the effectiveness of your team by pulling the pieces together. To read more click here
Small business success recognised in local awards
Flourishing People was amongst a number of small businesses in the Newmarket area to be honoured at the Newmarket & District Chamber of Commerce 2015 award ceremony held at Granary Barns. Recognised for her Contribution to the Community, Jacqui Burke said “I am delighted to have been recognised in this way. My support for local community…
C is for community engagement – HR A-Z
All organisations impact on the society and environment in which they operate in a variety of ways. I aim to encourage my clients to make choices which enable them to operate in ways that minimise and reduce any negative impacts. I acknowledge that I must regard myself as a role model for others and must therefore…
B is for bullying – HR A-Z
When we talk about bullying in the workplace it’s easy to assume that all bullying is intentional; the behaviour of nasty people with some sort of axe to grind. But this isn’t always the case. Some time ago, in the course of supporting a government department to deliver 360 degree feedback for their middle managers, I…
A is for ACAS – HR A-Z
I can’t tell you how many conversations I have with businesses about people management problems that make my hair stand on end! They usually start with something like “we’ve got this member of staff….” and following some probing establish that a long-standing problem hasn’t been addressed, it’s festered and become a major issue, management have…
The Mamas And The Papas
The past couple of years have seen a whole raft of employment law changes which have already, and continue to impact heavily on small businesses – pensions auto-enrolment, real time reporting and the right to request flexible working to mention just a few. But these almost pale into insignificance when compared with the complexities to…
New Tax-Free Childcare Scheme vs Childcare Vouchers
This post is aimed at Childcare providers but also at parents with pre-school age children. Major changes are taking place this Autumn, with the existing Childcare Vouchers Scheme closing to new entrants and a new Tax-Free Childcare Scheme taking its place. As with all such changes there will be winners and losers. The critical thing…
Funding for training for Suffolk and Norfolk businesses
Flourishing People are currently able to assist businesses based in Norfolk or Suffolk to access a rebate of up to 25% return against cash paid for additional training (to the maximum claim value of £1,000 per learner). Funding is through the recently launched Employer Training Incentive Pilot and is designed to help Norfolk and Suffolk…
Exploring Emotional Intelligence
If IQ measures your intelligence, then what is EQ and is it important to childcare business leaders? In this short article for EYB Magazine article – Exploring Emotional Intelligence I lift the lid on why EQ is critical to business leadership. If you are interested in exploring your emotional intelligence why not try our Emotional…