Millionaire plumber bans builder's bum
By Kate Pritchard
Charlie Mullins has built a £15m-turnover plumbing business and counts celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey and floppy-haired actor Hugh Grant as his clients. So what’s his secret? “I set strict rules of appearance for my employees. No one wants a sloppy bastard with his arse hanging out his pants wandering around their house.”

Office gossip: the cure
By John Timpson
Office gossip is the bane of many offices and workplaces. Here's the remedy, from Britain's favourite cobbler, John Timpson.

Boffins bring in the bucks
By Kate Pritchard
Winton Capital is no ordinary investment firm full of brash, city-slicker fund managers. This “managed futures adviser” employs researchers with PhDs in subjects such as theoretical physics and actuarial science. And it’s raking in millions.

Government moves on "the dark corner of the labour market"
By Stuart Rock
Employment relations minister Pat McFadden gets tough on dodgy employers

Recruiting top brass
By Catherine Woods
Many companies prefer to promote from within. But when you’re growing as fast as Ten Lifestyle Management is, that can be a difficult proposition.

Psychometric testing: any good?
By Real Business
Psychometric testing could make the difference between a successful appointment - and the disastrous opposite.

Smart leaders know two things only
By Margaret Heffernan
Apple's leadership shows the way ahead in tough times.

Keeping it in the family
By Matthew Rock
Derek Conway is out. Today we learn that more than 70 Tory MPs employ family members. Good or bad? The pros and cons of working with family.

The Peter Hain principle
By Matthew Rock
How to spot incompetence in your business

Keeping staff in the loop
By Catherine Woods
Creating a committed workforce is important to Premium Appliance Brands co-founder Guy Weaver. That’s why he communicates freely with his employees.