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 ...
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...
With several key employment law changes in the news and growing concerns from employers for what this means in practice, in this update we give an overview of what's imminent and take a look further afield to future changes predicted for 2026. A key point for reference is that in general, changes to legislation affecting employment have two common ...
In April we're set to see a significant increase in employment costs. This is down to an increase in National Insurance contributions for employers and an increase in the National Minimum Wage in 2025. It's fair to say that these changes are high on the agenda for business owners in Cumbria and Dumfries & Galloway, particularly the increased co...
In amongst the noise of the Labour Government's proposals for changes to employment law, we shouldn't lose sight of changes that have already in progress and coming into law very soon! From 26th October 2024, there is a positive duty on employers to 'take reasonable steps' to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. Did you know that the followi...
With increased diagnosis of neurodiversity in adults, employers are finding this term more readily used in the world of employment, with many employers unsure how to support and manage neurodiverse employees and with a limited understanding of what neurodiversity is. Firstly; if this feels like you, you are not alone!As a seasoned HR professional, ...
The UK Government is proposing changes to the qualifying period for unfair dismissal clams, and businesses will have to react. I'm anticipating an increase in the importance of businesses managing their probation periods, as a means of some protection against unfair dismissal claims. With that in mind, here a...
If you've already heard more than enough about politics lately, I can only apologise, but for us HR people its shaping up to be quite an interesting few weeks! As the parties battle to win votes, most ride their election journey on changes and promises that affect the voting public as individuals and business operators but not always on the element...
On 6th April 2024, this new piece of legislation came into effect with the aim of supporting those who have unpaid care responsibilities. It's estimated that around 10 million people in the UK have unpaid caring responsibilities with 62% reporting that they had little or no choice about taking on the care responsibilities as there was no other opti...