Partner Article

Small businesses need freedom to train

Forcing small businesses to conduct formal meetings with employees who request time off work to train could leave them facing a bureaucratic nightmare, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has warned.

In its response to a consultation on government proposals to allow staff to request time off work for training, the FSB called for companies with fewer than 20 staff to be able to hold informal one-on-one meetings without the need for union representation.

Colin Willman, Education and Skills Chairman, said: “Most small businesses engage in training for their workforce as there are a higher percentage of under-skilled employees working within smaller businesses compared with bigger firms.

“The ‘time to train’ process is too expensive and too bureaucratic for small firms as it stands and the FSB is concerned that the employee’s right to request a meeting to discuss time off to train will not only lead to an extra layer of bureaucracy, but will also lead to panic amongst small businesses that a refusal could be interpreted as constructive dismissal.

“We believe the best way to engage small businesses with the policy are to keep it informal between employer and employee, making it easier to identify the necessary training.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .