Preparing Guidance for Small Firms

Short steps to preparation, content and style

Business owners and managers must understand what is needed from them if regulations are to be complied with and introduced effectively.

Small businesses, which make up 99 per cent of all businesses in the UK and employ more than half of the present workforce, do not have specialist staff to read and interpret guidance. That task normally falls on the shoulders of busy owners and managers.

So it is important that officials' guidance is well tailored and easy to follow. BERR's Enterprise Directorate has produced a short guide that gives tips on the best ways to approach guidance. The document, Getting Your Message Across: Advice on Drafting Guidance (PDF 3 pages), covers preparation, content and style.