Limelite HR & Learning

14/10/2026

B&Q and Five Guys just got caught paying below minimum wage.

Two big names, full HR teams, real payroll systems, and they still got it wrong.

The Fair Work Agency is now inspecting employers, and these won't be the last names in the headlines.

Most breaches don't start with an hourly rate that's obviously too low. They start with small things that drag pay under the line without anyone noticing.

💸 Deductions for uniforms, till shortages or training costs
🕐 Unpaid travel time or early starts that never get logged
🎂 An 18th birthday or a finished apprenticeship that nobody updates the rate for

None of it has to be deliberate to land you in front of an inspector.

If you haven't checked your numbers against what people are actually being paid for the hours they're actually working, now's a good time.

We help organisations get ahead of this before it becomes a problem. Book a free 30 minute discovery call, link in the comments 🔗

Have you checked your minimum wage rates this year?

13/10/2026

Most HR problems don't start big, they start as the thing you'll get round to next week.

It might be an employee who's been off sick for six weeks with no clear plan, a grievance that arrived out of nowhere or a manager who brings you every decision because they don't feel confident making it on their own.

When you're running the organisation, looking after clients and keeping an eye on the numbers, those issues slide down the list. By the time they can't be ignored, a ten minute conversation has turned into a formal process and the cost has gone up with it.

That isn't a failing on your part, nobody can be the expert in everything, and sometimes what helps most is an outside perspective from someone without the history or the emotion attached.

An experienced HR consultant can give you:

🔹 Senior HR support without the cost of an in house hire
🔹 Contracts and policies that reflect the law and how you actually work
🔹 Support through absence, performance and grievance cases
🔹 Managers who grow in confidence and handle more themselves

We've put together a practical article on what an HR consultant does, how SMEs work with one and how to choose the right partner. Link in the comments 👇

What's the people issue that's been sitting on your list the longest?

08/10/2026

A week ago today we were exhibiting at the Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce expo, and it was a really good event!

It was great to catch up with familiar faces and to meet plenty of new people too. Thank you to everyone who stopped by the stand for a chat.

And congratulations to Erica Burlace from St Pauls Hostel, Worcester, who won our competition hamper!

If we didn't get the chance to talk properly on the day, book a free 30-minute discovery call and we can pick things up from there.

Link is in the comments 🔗

08/10/2026

Several employment law changes came into force on 1st October, and more are lined up for January.

Employees now have six months to bring most tribunal claims instead of three. Right to work checks have widened to cover contractors, casual and zero-hours workers. From January 2027, the qualifying period for unfair dismissal drops to six months, and the new duty to tell people about their right to join a trade union begins.

Keeping on top of all that while running an organisation isn't easy, which is why our next Limelite Lounge webinar is dedicated to it.

On Tuesday 13 October, from 10am to 11am, Laura and Helen are hosting Employment Law Update for Small Businesses. It's a relaxed webinar with a fireside chat feel, focused on what's changing, what it means day to day and what you can do now to prepare. There'll be plenty of time for your questions too.

The booking link is in the comments.

Which of these changes is your organisation finding hardest to plan for?

06/10/2026

Since 1st October, right to work checks don't stop at your employees.

The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 has widened the scheme. For anyone you take on from 1 October, checks can now apply to:

🔹 Self-employed contractors
🔹 Casual and zero-hours workers
🔹 Service providers sourced through online matching platforms

If you use agency support or subcontractors, the contract behind that arrangement now carries more weight. Under the new extended liability rules, a clause saying your supplier handles checks may not be enough on its own.

The Home Office has indicated you shouldn't need to recheck people already in place, so this is mainly about how you bring people on from here. A good first step is to list everyone who does work for your organisation without being on your payroll, then check who's responsible for their right to work check.

Laura and Helen will be covering this, along with the other employment law changes heading your way, at our Employment Law Update for Small Businesses webinar on Tuesday 13th October, 10am to 11am. The booking link is in the comments.

Who currently takes responsibility for right to work checks on contractors in your organisation?

01/10/2026

Most managers are never taught how to manage. They're promoted, handed a team and left to work it out.

We've got three ways to close that gap this autumn and winter.

First, employment law. The rules keep changing, and most business owners only find out after something's already gone wrong. Our free Limelite Lounge webinar on 13th October covers the Employment Rights Act reforms in plain English.

Then there's leadership itself. Business Breakfast No.8 on 18th November looks at the different management styles and the impact they have on a team. Everyone leaves with their own DiSC profile too, worth £125 on its own, yours free on the day.

And if you want to go further, Cohort 2 of Your Management Toolkit starts in January. Twelve 2 hour sessions, spread over 6 months, small groups, built for new and middle managers who've never had the proper chance to learn this.

Which one's right for your business?

Booking Links in comments 👇️

29/09/2026

Forget day one unfair dismissal rights, they aren't coming.

The government dropped that plan back in the summer, after significant opposition in the House of Lords, yet it's still being talked about as though it's coming.

Here's what's actually landing on 1 January 2027.

The qualifying period for unfair dismissal drops from two years to six months. The compensation cap goes entirely, and fire and rehire becomes automatically unfair in most cases.

Tribunal time limits double too, a decision you made a year ago could still end up in front of a tribunal.

Six months isn't much time to prepare, if probation decisions are still being made on instinct, or your documentation only lives in someone's head, this is the part that should concern you.

We're already helping organisations across Worcestershire and the West Midlands get ready for this. Book a free 30-minute discovery call if you'd like a second opinion on your process.

Want a full breakdown of the changes? Link to article in comments.

What would your probation process look like under six months of scrutiny?

The unfair dismissal qualifying period is dropping to six months, not day one. Here's what's actually changing, and when.

22/09/2026

Around one in six people are dealing with a mental health problem right now and many of them won’t tell anyone at work.

World Su***de Prevention Day was on 10th September, which brings a difficult but important subject into focus.

For managers, it can be hard to know what to do when someone says they’re struggling. You want to help, but what do you actually say? What support can you offer? And where do you even start?

Sometimes the signs are subtle: Someone who seems different from usual, a sudden drop in confidence or performance. More time off, or perhaps someone simply stops being themselves.

It’s easy to have a wellbeing policy sitting somewhere in a folder, but knowing how to put that support into practice is another thing entirely.

We’ve put together a free guide to help. It covers what to look out for, how to approach a conversation and some practical ways you can support employees at work.

Grab your free copy in the comments 👇

And if you’re a manager, what would make you feel more confident having these conversations?

21/09/2026

Our client Redwing Solutions, an HR consultancy in Redditch with over 20 years supporting children's nurseries and small businesses, is looking for an HR Consultant to join their close-knit team.

You can now apply for full-time, 37.5 hours over 5 days, or part-time, 22.5 hours over 3 days. Same role, same team, same great reputation. Just built around how you want to work.

What you'd be doing:
🟣 Advising clients on complex disciplinary, grievance, capability and absence cases
🟣 Supporting restructuring, redundancy and occasional TUPE projects
🟣 Coaching managers through their trickiest people problems
🟣 Building relationships with clients, some who've been with Redwing for over 20 years

You'll need CIPD Level 5 or above (or equivalent experience), strong UK employment law knowledge, and a genuine love of solving complex people problems.

£44,000 to £46,500 FTE plus a discretionary bonus. Based in a lovely rural barn just outside Redditch, with free parking and a team that never misses a reason to celebrate.

Know someone who'd fit right in, whether they're after full-time or part-time?

Link to apply is in our bio!

17/09/2026

On Thursday 1st October, over 950 people and 150 exhibitors will pack into the HW Chamber Business Expo, and we'll be right there with them.

Limelite is exhibiting this year, so if you've been meaning to have a proper conversation about the people side of your organisation, rather than a rushed one over email, then this is the day for it.

What's on the agenda?

The Expo is bigger than a stand and a lanyard. There are seminars and workshops running from industry experts throughout the day, plenty of networking and a real chance to find new suppliers.

Got an HR question that's been bugging you? Come and put it to us. Just fancy some free merch? Also a perfectly good reason to swing by. Either way, we've got prizes to win on the stand and chocolate on hand for anyone who needs a mid Expo pick-me-up.

Whether you run the organisation, manage the team or handle the HR side day to day, we'd love ten minutes of your time.

Book your place and come and say hello.

See you there!

Booking link in comments.