When people talk about high-performing teams, it can sound as though there is a straight forward formula: hire good people, set clear targets, keep standards high and the rest will follow. In practice, it is usually more complicated than that! At Dawson HR, we often come across businesses where a team looks successful from the outside, but is strug...
Cost of living pressures are affecting people in all areas of life, and for some businesses that pressure is starting to show up at work in difficult ways. We're seeing more conversations around workplace behaviour, trust, theft, fraud and employees 'taking more' from their employer - including things like fuel, cash, stock, food and other consumab...
It can be one of the hardest balances for business owners: looking after your people while protecting your profit. In this episode of HR Untangled, Helen is joined by Graeme Seavor, accountant and founder of SeavorChartered, to talk through the relationship between HR and finance, and why the two don't always see eye to eye. The conversation l...
Performance management is often treated as something you only do when there is a problem. In reality, it's the day-to-day practice of setting clear expectations, supporting people to meet them, and having honest conversations early before small issues escalate. A good performance approach helps you do three things well: set people up for succe...
For lots of small businesses, annual leave has always been managed in a fairly simple way: a wall planner in the office, a spreadsheet, a note in the diary and maybe a quick check at the end of the year to see who has days left to take. Since 6 April 2026, employers now need to keep more detailed records around annual leave and holiday pay - those ...
It can feel like a scary topic, but in reality performance management is one of the simplest ways to support your people and protect your business, especially when it starts early. In this episode of HR Untangled, Nina, Helen and Zoe talk through performance management from probation right through to ongoing employment. They unpack the ke...
When people talk about time off at work, they often think of annual leave and sick leave. In reality, the picture is far broader than that. Employees in the UK may be entitled to a wide range of statutory time off, covering everything from holidays and sickness to maternity, paternity, adoption, bereavement, jury service and emergency care for depe...
Health and safety for small businesses can often feel complicated, time consuming and difficult to manage consistently. Many SMEs rely on paper records or spreadsheets, which can make it harder to stay organised, demonstrate compliance and keep everything up to date. This month, that is starting to change. A new Health and Safety module is launchin...
There has always been a way for employees to raise concerns at work, whether that's through complaints, grievances or appeals, and those processes haven't changed much over the years. What is changing now though, is how those complaints are being written and presented. In the past few months, we're seeing more and more employees use AI tools to hel...
Helen sits down with Scott Smith from People Spark Solutions in the latest episode of HR Untangled. They unpack what really makes a high-performing team, and why so many businesses get it wrong. They challenge the myth that strong skills automatically lead to great performance, and explore what actually drives results in today's workplace...
In the latest episode of HR Untangled, Nina, Helen and Zoe discuss employees' right to time off, ahead of the upcoming legislative changes linked to the Employment Rights Bill in April 2026. They explore the main types of leave employers need to understand, including annual leave, sick leave and family-related rights such as maternity, adoption and...
Earlier this year, we sat down with the team from Dawson HR to record a podcast about the upcoming Employment Rights Bill and what it could mean for employers. With April approaching, we caught up with Zoe again for a quick update. Are there any developments since that conversation? And are there any changes coming in imminently that employers shou...
2026 is shaping up to be a big year for employers, thanks to the Employment Rights Bill, and there's been a lot of chatter about what it all means in real life. In this episode of HR Untangled, Nina, Helen and Zoe cut through the jargon and talk through what's likely to change, when it could happen, and what business owners actually need to ha...
We recently sat down with Helen Dawson, Owner and Principal HR Consultant of Dawson HR, to talk through the Employment Rights Bill and what it really means for employers. If it feels like the legislation has been changing constantly, you're not imagining it. "Just when we think we know what's happening, something changes," Helen explains. "It's qui...
Dawson HR has welcomed three new team members as the business continues to grow in both size and reach. The new faces join at a time of exciting time for us, following our recent rebrand. Zoe Heaven joins as an HR Consultant. With a Master's in International Human Resource Management and more than a decade of hands-on HR experie...
Small businesses in Dumfries & Galloway now have easier access to trusted HR support, as Dawson HR is expanding its services across the region. The growing consultancy already works with several local organisations, and is now deepening its presence in the area with new team members and tailored packages for the region's small and medium-sized ...
We're excited to share with you that our HR consultancy has a new name and brand identity, to mark the next stage in our growth. Say hello to Dawson HR! The rebrand marks an exciting new chapter for us, as we gear up for growth, expand our team, and strengthen our support for local employers. For cl...
At Dawson HR, we know how important it is to have the right people around you. While our team is focused on delivering HR advice and support to clients, it takes strong organisation behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly. That's why we're delighted to be working with Nina Moore Virtual Assistant. Based in Cockermouth, Nina brings nea...
For many businesses, managing HR administration can be time-consuming and frustrating. Keeping track of holiday requests, maintaining spreadsheets, and dealing with manual approvals can quickly become unmanageable. That was the case for National Skills Academy for Nuclear (NSAN) before they adopted Breathe HR, a cloud-based HR system implemented wi...
The Professional Darts Players Association (PDPA) plays a vital role in supporting professional darts players, but like many organisations, they faced HR challenges that required expert guidance. Lacking in-depth knowledge of employment law and HR processes, the PDPA sought professional support to navigate key decisions, including pay structures, r...