Get advice and support about the rising costs of doing business on the Find Business Support website. Find HIE support here.

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HIE support

Support for the rising cost of doing business

Reducing the cost of running your business

Rising costs of doing business are having a significant impact on businesses, communities and social enterprises across Scotland.

We're working with government and partners to provide support and help organisations reduce their costs where possible. 

Find Business Support is being updated regularly with information and signposts to support, advice and funding available across the public sector in Scotland.

How can we help?

If you are based in the Highlands and Islands region, there are a number of ways we can support you. Whether you're looking to cut costs and improve efficiencies, attract and/or retain people, increase productivity or reach new markets, or change the way you operate, get in touch to see how we can help. 

Have a look at some of our services below, including signposts to partner support, health and wellbeing support and how to reduce costs whilst working towards netzero. 

Get support

You can explore our products below or get in touch to find out how we can help you. You can also find out more about who we work with and how.

Wellbeing and mental health support

Wellbeing and mental health are a big concern for business owners and employees during the current cost crisis. Our recent business panel survey of over 1,000 organisations showed that 82% of the region’s employers are taking action to support their employees. More than half were engaging with colleagues to understand their needs (64%), increasing wages (51%), and encouraging flexible working (50%).

In the same survey, 79% of business owners and senior managers also reported impacts on their own wellbeing including worry or stress, working longer hours, and struggling to balance work and home life.

Find support for employee welfare, wellbeing and mental health in the workplace:

  • Get answers on mental health from world leading experts and those with lived experience on jaaq.org
  • Business Gateway have produced a video tutorial that will help businesses gain a deeper understanding of employee wellbeing and mental health. It provides guidance on how to maintain physical wellbeing and implement a positive mental health culture in the workplace.

  • Business Gateway has also produced the guide Occupational health and welfare - the basics. This free guide examines how to promote occupational health; common occupational health issues; how to manage occupational health; industry-specific occupational health issues, and how to minimise workplace risks.

  • Mental Health at Work has a wealth of resources available to help you navigate the mental health at work landscape. 
  • PACE - Redundancy support for people and businesses in Scotland can respond quickly when situations arise and assist businesses to try and minimise the risk of redundancy before it happens. For employers this means support for businesses of any size, no matter how many employees are involved. It’s free of charge, and helps take away some of the strain of dealing with redundancy. For employees it means free, impartial advice on dealing with the practical and emotional sides of redundancy. PACE advisers help people recognise their skills, explore their options and prepare for their next move.

Wellbeing support for the hospitality industry

  • Hospitality Health was formed to support the wellbeing of staff and students in the Hospitality Industry.
  • Hospitality Action offer a wide range of support for hospitality workers including grants and support with financial difficulties, physical and mental illness, family issues and addiction.
  • VisitScotland's guide to health and wellbeing includes information on where to reach out for support, practical resources for managers and how to check in on your staff.

 

Support from partners 

  • Find Business Support brings together advice, support and funding from public sector partners across Scotland. The Cost of Doing Business section is being updated regularly signposting to services and you can sign up for regular emails to keep up to date. 
  • Business Energy Scotland provide free impartial support and access to funding to help SME businesses save energy, money and carbon.
  • Zero Waste Scotland provide support and funding for businesses looking to make changes.
  • The Energy Saving Trust works with businesses with energy efficiency strategies, research, assurance and communications. They offer grants and loans to organisations looking to reduce emissions which can also result in cost savings.
  • Skills for Growth delivered by Skills Development Scotland, this service works like a skills diagnostic service for your business. They can work with you to understand your skills needs, create a detailed people plan and guide you to the right support.

  • The Office of the Small Business Commissioner (OSBC) provides a free advisory and investigatory service to resolve late payment disputes between small businesses and their larger customers.

    OSBC also provides guidance and advice to small firms on how to negotiate fair payment terms. As economic challenges increase, more larger firms are extending payment times and delaying payments, causing their small suppliers severe cashflow problems. Speak to OSBC to see how they can help get overdue payments back, email the team or call 0121 695 7770.

  • Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service can help you lower the costs of doing business by reducing capital, energy, labour and raw material costs.
  • Circular Economy Investment Fund is a funding opportunity for businesses and organisations across Scotland. Zero Waste Scotland is looking for innovative projects that have the ability to deliver carbon savings, leverage investment and create jobs.
  • Businesses can now apply for up to £15,000 to help retrain and upskill their workforce through the Scottish Government's Flexible Workforce Development Fund. Find out more about the fund or employers can email the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) at fwdf@sfc.ac.uk or Skills Development Scotland (SDS) at fwdf@sds.co.uk for further information on this year’s fund.
  • Communities and third sector organisations can get advice and support from the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO). You can also follow #RunningCostsCrisis on social platforms to keep up to date with the latest information and support across the third sector.
  • Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service SMAS can help you lower the cost of doing business – by reducing capital, energy, labour and raw material costs.
  • Interface can support you and your ideas to help maintain your business survival. Working with Scottish academia can support current operations by helping to validate cost saving ideas, reduce waste and streamline processes. With connections into all Scottish universities, research institutes and colleges, Interface has an established and efficient process that will save time and money in finding and accessing academic expertise, research, technologies, specialist facilities and funding.

    The Interface Workforce Innovation Voucher scheme can be used to develop a company’s workforce in partnership with a college or university.

Going green benefits business

Adopting net zero strategies helps you save the planet but it can also directly benefit your organisation. Re-evaluating your strategy and implementing a ‘greener’ plan can help you save money, boost resilience and grow.

We've pulled together a number of resources below in our net zero toolkit that can help you plan, develop and advance your journey towards net zero. It includes information on sources of funding and where to get help and advice. 

We're adding to this all the time but have a look and see how making greener choices can help you with the cost of doing business. 

Not sure where to start? Get in touch. 

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