Latest NHBF update – 03 May 2022

Latest NHBF update – 03 May 2022

This week's update covers:

• Help to Grow: Management and Help to Grow: Digital
• Minimum wage webinar for employers
• Low Pay Commission regional visits
• Scotland: Self-isolation support grant change
• NHBF Website survey

Help to Grow: Management and Help to Grow: Digital

The Government urges business leaders to sign to the two Help to Grow programmes – Help to Grow: Management and Help to Grow: Digital. The two government initiatives aim to boost productivity and drive growth among the UK's small and medium-sized businesses with over half a billion pounds of funding.  

Help to Grow: Management has been running since July 2021, providing business leaders with 90% subsidised management and leadership training from UK business schools to help them learn new skills and boost profits. 

Launched in January, Help to Grow: Digital offers businesses free and impartial advice and the chance to apply for a financial discount worth up to £5,000 towards the costs of purchasing approved, productivity-enhancing software, with the initial focus on digital accounting and customer relationship management. 

The programmes are open to businesses with 5-249 employees.

Learn more about the Government's Help to Grow offer, and register here for a free webinar. 

Minimum wage webinar for employers

Acas is holding a webinar with HMRC - Helping employers get the National Minimum Wage right - on 4 May.  The webinar will look at all of the support available to employers in paying their workers correctly. It will cover what Acas and HMRC do in terms of helping both employers and workers. On top of that, it will look at a number of the more common mistakes made by employers when it comes to the minimum wage and, crucially, how you can avoid them. They will be answering your questions along the way and give you plenty of support and further info to take away from the session.  Book here. 

Low Pay Commission regional visits

To find out more about how the minimum wage has affected businesses, the Low Pay Commission will be visiting regions across the UK.  If any Members are interested in speaking to the commissioners at any of the following locations, please contact the NHBF enquiries team enquiries@nhbf.co.uk

Scotland: Self-isolation support grant change

Since 1 May, the self-isolation support grant amount has changed from £550 to £225. If you test positive on or after 1 May, the public health guidance advises you to stay at home for five days. You will not need to self-isolate for ten days.

If you're a low paid worker, the grant can help cover lost earnings if:

• you have a positive PCR test
• someone you need to care for has a positive PCR test

See for further details and if you are eligible. 

With changes to testing and isolation guidance since 1^st May, updated 'Covid Sense' Campaign assets are now available.

All campaign assets can be found in the SG Marketing Resource Centre - Covid Sense.

NHBF Website survey

We are working with our digital partner, MC2, to gather feedback on our website. Your answer will help us to develop and improve our current digital platforms. Any information you provide will remain anonymous. 

The survey will take no longer than 5-10 minutes to complete. Please click here to take the survey.