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Independent review of self-employment - Share your story

by Susie Hughes at 11:23 24/09/15 (News on Business)

Small and micro businesses are being asked to take part in a survey which will help shape the Government's policies.

It is part of a review into self-employment which is being carried out by Julie Deane, Founder and CEO of The Cambridge Satchel Company. (See: Government commissions report on self-employment - July 15, Shout99) Julie Deane said: The Prime Minister asked me to carry out an independent review into self-employment and to make recommendations as to how the UK can create a more flexible and supportive environment for those who want to work for themselves. I am keen to hear a wide range of views from as many people and as many different sectors as possible. Whatever your occupation or business model, if you work for yourself, I want to hear about your experiences and what could have helped. In particular, I want to: Shine a light on the self-employed population in the UK – to look at who you are, what motivates you, the different types of work that you do, and your ways of working Hear about the challenges you faced both when starting out and in continuing to run your business or provide a service Explore the opportunities available for those of you who are looking to expand or grow your business. Advertisement As business owners, we have all come across hurdles that have struck us as frustrating - either because a simple issue has been over complicated or, given technology today, it seems that the information that would have helped us should have been more readily available. Your comments will be used to form my recommendations to the UK Government by highlighting specific issues to explore further. So please do spend some time to answer the questions in this survey. In total, the survey should take no more than 20 minutes to complete. Don’t feel you need to answer every question; you can just offer your key points and they will still be taken into account. If you have additional evidence, there is an opportunity to upload documents (such as Word Documents or PDFs) at the end of the survey, or alternatively, please feel free to email additional comments or issues to me at Julie.Deane@bis.gsi.gov.uk I look forward to hearing your views. Julie Welcome The survey was welcomed by self-employment group, IPSE, who called on samll businesses to take part. IPSE Chief Executive Chris Bryce said: "If you are self-employed you face some very real and practical challenges to making your business a success. It's good to see the Government sticking to the promise it made ahead of the election and launching an independent review of self-employment in the UK. From engineers to IT contractors, builders to graphic designers, the 4.5 million people who work for themselves deserve to have their voice heard. "Working for yourself can be incredibly rewarding, but it is hard work and you can often face challenges employees don't experience. Therefore it's great the review will tackle the crucial issues affecting the self-employed, including saving for retirement, maternity pay and securing a mortgage. We hope the survey can also find the scope to address issues surrounding the tax treatment of the self-employed, which can often be an unnecessary burden on this vital sector. "This survey will go a long way to helping people take the brave step into becoming their own boss. We urge all those thinking about becoming self-employed to get involved and let Julie Dean OBE and Government know how they can help support you on your journey." The survey is hosted through the Department for Business, Skills and Innovation (BIS) and is available until November 8: online here Tweet -- If you wish to comment on this article, please log in and use the Reply button below. Registering is free and easy - see 'Join Shout99'. - Susie Hughes © Shout99 2015

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