East Suffolk 's Micro Businesses Survey (0-10Employees)

This research has been commissioned by Suffolk Coastal and Waveney District Councils, with support of the business community, into micro-businesses (0-10 employees), to understand their needs around recruitment and retention with a view to shaping future support to this business sector. The research is being undertaken by Dr Gibson of Wil Gibson Consultancy

. This questionnaire takes approximately 15 minutes to complete.

The Business

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* 1. Where is the business located

Waveney District Council area of East Suffolk

Suffolk Coastal District Council area of East Suffolk

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* 2. Which best describes your business

Construction

Manufacturing

Retail

Hospitality

Engineering

Professional services

Freight

Food manufacturing

If none of the above describe your business type

Other (please specify)

Employees

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* 3. Number of employees, including oneself

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* 4. Number of employees who are

Male

Female

Prefer not to say

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* 5. Number of employees who are

Full-time

Part-time

A defined contract period

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* 6. Qualifications/Skills

How many have a degree or equivalent

BTec

Alevels

NVQs

None

Recruitment

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* 7. What are the main means of advertising job vacancies

Local newspapers

Word of mouth

Through friends and family

Recruitment agencies

National publications

Social media (Facebook, LinkedIn etc)

Other (please specify)

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* 8. HR and recruitment

Do you employ HR agencies to assist with recruitment?

Does uncertainty regarding employment law hinder your business from recruiting?

Do you manage recruitment yourself?

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* 9. Have you experienced difficulty recruiting staff. If yes, please comment as to any reasons why

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* 10. Has your business recruited any apprentices?

yes

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* 11. Has your business considered recruiting apprentice?

Yes

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* 12. Has the business experienced difficulties recruiting appropriately skilled staff? If yes, please make any comments as to why

Retention

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* 13. Is the business concerned about losing key staff? If yes, make comments about possible business impact, and or, steps taken to minimise this.

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* 14. Some businesses have mentioned upfront costs (equipment, tools, specialist clothing) for not taking on additional worker/apprentice. Are such upfront costs an important consideration for your business?

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* 15. If there was assistance with such upfront costs, would the business consider taking on additional worker/apprentice?

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* 16. What steps are taken by the business to help retain staff?

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* 17. Employee retention

What is the average length of service of your employees?

Does the business rely on seasonal workers?

Is your business negatively impacted by staff turnover?

In the last year, how many employees left your employment?

What was their primary reason for leaving (if known)?

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* 18. Does the business have a dedicated training budget?

Yes

Business Needs

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* 19. What assistance would help your business to grow, to recruit the right staff or retain staff?

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* 20. Where do you access support/guidance to help manage and grow your business?

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* 21. Do you wish to make any further comment?

Thank you for completing the questionnaire