The quarterly South East Business Monitor found that recent changes to regulations such as the smoking ban, paternity and maternity rights, and age discrimination are perceived by business owners to have had little impact on their companies.
Although almost one third of North Bucks companies identify red tape as a constraint on their business, most have a good understanding of the latest regulations. Most small and medium sized businesses that are aware of and understand the requirements of the smoke-free workplace (90%), age discrimination (83%) and maternity and paternity rights (75%) legislation identified no impact on their business.
Elaine Whittaker (pictured), marketing manager at Business Link Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, said: "It seems that people running businesses have a ‘can do attitude’ and simply get on with the day-to-day running of their companies.
"Businesses are generally more affected by the fear of red tape than the actual implications of new regulations. Understanding new legislation is a vital part of coping with the changes that you may need to make to your business."
