running a business

AI is reshaping recruitment across the UK, particularly in admin and operational roles. Demand for high‑calibre executive assistants, office managers, and project coordinators remains strong, even as AI becomes more integrated into daily workflows. 

“As Bay Tree grows, building relationships and sharing our story here in Lancashire has been great. I’ve loved discovering the variety of businesses in the region and understanding the support they need to grow.” 

Read five ways in which Bay Tree can help you maintain a healthy and stress-free team…

It’s been a year since the Chancellor announced increases to employer National Insurance contributions and the national minimum wage and the impact on UK recruitment is becoming increasingly clear. 

“In the quest to distinguish your EVP, an unconventional yet increasingly valuable partner is an outsourcing team, such as Bay Tree. As a fractional style of resourcing becomes the norm, there is more opportunity for creativity in your employee retention strategy,”

Bay Tree VA is delighted to announce the appointment of Louise Harbidge as Director – Operations & Team Engagement. Louise, who has been an integral part of the Bay Tree team over 14 years, will join Founder Jane Cattermole in leading the business into its next chapter. 

“For many of the senior leaders I coach, a recurring frustration that rears its head around 3am is – I can’t do it all, but I don’t know anyone else that can. That tension between needing support and fearing a loss of control becomes a pressure cooker. So, they do what high-performers often do… they keep going.”

“The focus has been very much on the needs of the employee in recent times and that burden has fallen on business owners and senior management. Perhaps now is the time for those with ultimate responsibility for the business to check in with their own needs.”   

The BayTree client portfolio is diverse. This means it is always learning something new as well as bringing its own experience to a client. One such client is Samantha Hardingham, a certified menopause specialist. Samantha’s ‘Menopause Revolution’ programme energises women to not only survive the menopause but thrive. “Menopause is a natural transition but has

Abbeycroft Leisure, based in Haverhill, works across communities in the West Suffolk and Babergh districts. Established as a Charitable Leisure Trust in 2005 and awarded social enterprise status in 2010, it is today an £11m turnover enterprise. In early 2024, Warren Smyth, CEO, made the decision to enlist the support of a BayTree, the purpose

In an effort to raise £40bn, the 2024 Autumn Budget increased costs for employers through higher National Insurance Contributions, wage increases, and reduced thresholds…

A report reveals that self-employed workers were the least confident they had the skills to do their job properly.  More than 90% of all other worker types said they felt they had the skills, compared to just 76% of self-employed workers. From our experience, this stat really does stack up; we often use the expression ‘do what you do best and leave us to do the rest’ when setting up a new working relationship.

When Mark first spoke to BayTree, his situation was very similar to many other business owners who have managed to successfully grow their business, develop a young team, maintain a healthy client base nationally and manage their own workload.

As featured in the Suffolk Director magazine – Spring 2021 edition – https://www.suffolkdirector.com How do you engage and motivate employees and keep them?Appreciate their contribution. Keep them in the loop about developments and have regular ‘keep in touch’ calls or 1-2-1s, to check how things are going and find out what’s happening in their world. How do you