We ask Steve Williams, head of equality at Acas about rights and responsibilities when an employee becomes pregnant. The announcement of a baby on the way is usually met with joy and excitement. However, in a new or smaller business managers often find their knowledge surrounding maternity legislation is a little weak until faced with their first pregnant employee! All employers should be aware of their responsibilities to a pregnant worker and those on maternity as well as the rights the individual... Read more >

British SME speaks to Darrell Sansom, managing director, direct and partnerships at Axa Commercial Insurance, about the company’s new online service and its support for Start UP Britain. British SME: Could you start by giving me an overview of Axa’s offering to SMEs Darrell Sansom: Axa has been providing solutions to small businesses for a number of years. What we see, particularly in the micro sector – up to nine employees – and particularly trades and professionals is a... Read more >

Managing director of Search Office Space, Richard Smith, talks about his experiences of starting up the company as well as the many challenges he has faced during his 18 years in the serviced office industry. Established in 1993, Search Office Space was the original serviced office broker in the UK and has since continued to develop into one of the leading companies in the global office space market. Search Office Space prides itself on its personal and professional care and allows clients the opportunity... Read more >

What does an online accountancy software offer small businesses and the self-employed? We ask the expert FreeAgent was launched by Ed Molyneux, Olly Headey and Roan Lavery, all former freelancers who created the system after discovering that there was no available finance tool on the market to give them a clear picture of their business accounts. Since launching in 2007, FreeAgent has rapidly grown a loyal community of 20,000 customers worldwide, who pay either monthly or annually... Read more >

This month’s questions were answered by experts who are part of the Aspen Waite Business Network, which is headed by Paul Waite.           Question: We are a relatively new business, having traded for about 18 months. Our cashflow is good, and our income is rising. We want to look at expanding the business at the beginning of 2012, but we’re concerned about getting finance – we’ve always paid our bills on time and have a good relationship with our bank, but we’ve been warned that... Read more >