{"id":16881,"date":"2023-11-27T11:07:48","date_gmt":"2023-11-27T11:07:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/?p=16881"},"modified":"2025-05-07T14:54:37","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T13:54:37","slug":"cricket-secrets-stuart-broad-high-performance-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/cricket-secrets-stuart-broad-high-performance-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Cricket secrets revealed: Stuart Broad on how to develop a high performance team"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/category\/people-leadership\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">People &amp; Leadership<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tCricket secrets revealed: Stuart Broad on how to develop a high performance team\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2023-11-27T11:07:48+00:00\">27 November, 2023<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"Cricket secrets revealed: Stuart Broad on how to develop a high performance team\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/cricket-secrets-stuart-broad-high-performance-team\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/author\/ryangrundy\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/06\/Ryan-Grundy.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"Ryan Grundy\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Ryan Grundy<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">In the world of HR leadership, the game is always changing. And just like in sport, you need to constantly adapt and refine your strategies to keep your team at its best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">To bring this idea to life, we sat down with former England cricketer, and now small business owner, Stuart Broad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">We asked him to share the principles he picked up on the field that now drive winning performances in his business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Add these strategies to your game plan, and your team will be playing to win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">In this article, we cover:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#about\">About Stuart Broad<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#why\">Why focus on team performance?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#remove\">Remove the fear of failure<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#connect\">Connect leaders and teams<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#use\">Use data to adapt to uncertainty<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#final\">Final thoughts<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<a\n\t\tclass=\"button button--primary gate-ed670305-5f42-4ed7-9cd1-a359cc64d69b\"\n\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\tdata-button-location=\"content_area\"\n\t\thref=\"#gate-ed670305-5f42-4ed7-9cd1-a359cc64d69b\"\n\t>Download your free copy of The future of performance management, and learn how technology and data can play an important role<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"about\">About Stuart Broad<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">During his Test cricket career, Stuart became one of England\u2019s leading wicket takers, and helped his country win the 2010 ICC World Twenty20. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Since retiring in 2023, he has focused on running his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/size\/small-business\/\">small business<\/a>, where he\u2019s instilled a winning mentality, spirit, and tenacity in his team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"why\">Why focus on team performance?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Stuart played a pivotal role in England\u2019s successes for many years, but he won nothing alone. Everyone on the team needed to perform to secure every win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Running a business is no different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">How your people perform\u2014both individually and together\u2014has a huge impact on whether your business will be successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">As an HR leader, you can think of yourself as the coach. It\u2019s down to you to help your people reach peak performance and drive your business to glory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Focus on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/sage-business-cloud\/hr\/features\/performance\/\">improving performance<\/a> and you\u2019ll:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" type=\"1\" start=\"1\">\n<li><strong>Maximise potential<\/strong>: By identifying strengths and areas for improvement, you\u2019ll help employees grow and unlock their full potential.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Retain top talent<\/strong>: Recognising and rewarding individual and team performances will help to increase the chance that you\u2019ll hold on to your stars, while solidifying morale.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Adapt to change<\/strong>: Through strategy and training, your people will become agile and responsive to shifting priorities and market demands.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">With these benefits in mind, let\u2019s get into Stuart\u2019s top principles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"remove\">Remove the fear of failure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">One of the most common issues that could be holding your people back is their fear of failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">If your team is hesitant to make mistakes, they\u2019ll tend to play it safe. This leads to a lack of innovation, less creative problem solving, and a comfort zone that\u2019s hard to get out of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">And if your competitors are experimenting and pushing boundaries, your business will be left behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Stuart says the way you communicate as a team is vital in keeping everyone positive and feeling unstoppable:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">He adds: \u201cRemoving the fear of failure is easy to say, but not easy to do. In the changing room, we always kept the conversation positive, and focused on how we were going to win the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">\u201cYou still need to be aware of the negatives but approach them with a question of how you\u2019re going to win from this position.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Here are three ways to reduce the fear of failure:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" type=\"1\" start=\"1\">\n<li><strong>Create a safe environment<\/strong>: Employees need a safe space to make mistakes. Foster a culture where failures are seen as opportunities for growth rather than reasons for punishment. Acknowledge them when they happen and make a conscious effort to learn. Reinforce and celebrate when your team succeeds the second time round.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Set realistic expectations<\/strong>: For any business to succeed, there needs to be some ambition. It\u2019s healthy to aim high as that will keep everyone motivated and make you more competitive. But your goals and the expectations that underpin them need to be realistic and attainable. It\u2019s ok to be pushing, but targets that are way too high can be overwhelming, leading to anxiety in your team.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Give regular feedback<\/strong>: Whether your team is smashing it out of the park or trailing behind, timely and constructive feedback will keep them on a positive track. Regular check-ins provide everyone with opportunities to address concerns, offer guidance, solve problems together, learn from losses, and celebrate wins.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<a\n\t\tclass=\"button button--primary gate-ed670305-5f42-4ed7-9cd1-a359cc64d69b\"\n\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\tdata-button-location=\"content_area\"\n\t\thref=\"#gate-ed670305-5f42-4ed7-9cd1-a359cc64d69b\"\n\t>95% of leaders say they need technology for successful performance management, yet 59% aren\u2019t using data to inform decisions. Download our report to discover what this means for the future<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"connect\">Connect leaders and teams<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">It\u2019s no secret that having a strong team chemistry will help your business succeed. Yet, many still find it a challenge to get everybody to gel and work effectively towards the same goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">A common reason for this is a lack of connection between leaders and their teams. It can sometimes feel as if it\u2019s \u2018us\u2019 and \u2018them\u2019, when really everyone is on the same side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Reflecting on the best management style he ever worked under, Stuart explains the importance of connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">He says: \u201cOur top leaders would go around, just connecting with the players and making sure everyone is comfortable and confident for the next match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">\u201cIt was important that every player\u2014whether they were young, old, inexperienced, or very experienced\u2014felt connected to the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">\u201cUltimately, both sport and business are about people. You need very motivated people to drive towards your target.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Here are three ways to foster stronger connections:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" type=\"1\" start=\"1\">\n<li><strong>Open communication<\/strong>: Employees and leaders need open channels for communication. Otherwise, the \u2018us\u2019 and \u2018them\u2019 mentality will continue to fester. Transparency, trust, and ensuring everyone is heard removes that distinction. Encourage both regular 1-2-1 meetings and team discussions. These need to be a priority and should be strongly embedded into your culture.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lead by example<\/strong>: To get buy-in from everyone in your team, you have to embody the behaviours you expect from them. In other words, lead by example. This doesn\u2019t mean you need the skills and experience they have. It means living the values of your business, holding yourself accountable, and dedicating your efforts to your shared goals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Recognition and rewards<\/strong>: In sports, players are recognised and rewarded for their individual contributions towards a team victory. Try to replicate this by acknowledging and celebrating employee achievements, and you\u2019ll reinforce a sense of belonging and motivation.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Ensure you have solid connections between leaders and teams by adopting continuous conversations. Not only will this drive business performance, but it also gives people the opportunity to gradually progress throughout the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">In fact, 82% of HR leaders believe continuous conversations will replace annual appraisals entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"use\">Use data to adapt to uncertainty<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Uncertainty is the only thing in business you <em>can<\/em> be certain of. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">As an HR leader, it\u2019s vital you support your team in adapting to whatever challenges the world throws at you\u2014whether that\u2019s economic shifts, changing consumer behaviour or disruptive competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Managing these conditions requires resilience, and that starts in the minds of your people. You need them to stay level-headed, think strategically, and respond with confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Stuart says that to make your team adaptable, you need to empower them with hard data. Even as an experienced player, he still relied on data to reach the top of his game in all conditions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">He says: \u201cPart of my job as an open bowler was to adapt to conditions as quick as I could. Both instinct and data really took over there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">\u201cYes, I\u2019ve got experience in my instinct of where the top of off stump is, but I still got messages from the analysts with exactly the number of meters I needed to bowl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">\u201cThe more data I could get, the quicker I could adapt to different situations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Here are three ways to help your people prepare for whatever the world bowls at them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" type=\"1\" start=\"1\">\n<li><strong>Data-driven insights<\/strong>: Tap into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/human-resources\/\">HR data<\/a> to gain a better understanding of the performance of your people. As a leader, you need to be analysing when and why performance drops, as this will help you address the situation and solve problems before they spiral.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Scenario planning<\/strong>: Though you can\u2019t predict the future, scenario planning offers you a way to be as prepared as you can. This involves creating possible business scenarios and laying out strategies and plans for how you\u2019d respond. This gives your team clear direction when they need to pivot, which they\u2019ll be able to do quickly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Continuous learning<\/strong>: If your people are continuously learning and acquiring relevant skills, they\u2019ll be able to manage unexpected challenges. So, embed this into your culture, and commit time and resources to training. This will ensure a skills gap won\u2019t be a barrier when you need to quickly adapt.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"final\">Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Much like cricket, business is a team game. Each person needs to perform at their best if you\u2019re going to win. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">As an HR leader, it\u2019s your job to give people everything they need to reach their potential and sustain success with a high-performance culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">By removing the fear of failure, fostering stronger connections, and using data to adapt to uncertainty, you\u2019ll bring the winning wisdom of sport to the competitive field of business.<\/p>\n \n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">The future of performance management<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p class=\"\">In this report, discover what HR and business leaders really think about managing performance, and learn how technology and data can play an important role.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-ed670305-5f42-4ed7-9cd1-a359cc64d69b\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download the report<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/GettyImages-1011227656-1-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"woman in office\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/08\/GettyImages-1011227656-1-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Join more than 500,000 UK readers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-b1a63862-3fa0-4a5e-bb67-c76b88bbc6b8\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<section class=\"more-topics alignfull has-grey-light-background-color wp-block-sage-post-topics\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-4\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"more-topics__title h2\">Browse more topics from this article<\/h3>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-8\">\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"post-tags__list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/hr-processes-medium-businesses\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHR processes for medium businesses\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/hr-process\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHR processes for small businesses\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/hr-payroll-benefits\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHR, payroll and benefits\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"alignfull wp-block-sage-related-posts\">\n\t<section class=\"related-posts card-grid has-dark-background-color\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--featured h1\">Explore more wisdom<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-0 post-30011 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters tag-hr-payroll-benefits tag-looking-after-your-employees tag-payroll business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business card-post--is-clickable\"\n>\n\t<div class=\"card-post__media-wrapper\">\n\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1215\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-608166817-1215x810.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"Women in a shop environment working on Black Friday promotions\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-608166817-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-608166817-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-608166817-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"card-post__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__label\">Recommended<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-05-08T16:53:28+01:00\">8 May, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">12 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/how-many-work-hours-in-a-year\/\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tHow many working hours in a year UK 2026\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"card-post__description\">\n\t\t\t\tWorking hours aren\u2019t just a fixed number. Here\u2019s how to calculate realistic UK working time for 2026, including leave, bank holidays, and different working patterns. \t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__non-featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--more h4\">More on this Topic<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-1 post-4062 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters category-strategy-legal-operations tag-hr-process tag-need-to-know tag-payroll tag-tax tag-vat business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business 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\/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-03-11T00:39:05+00:00\">11 March, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">&lt; 1 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tTax year dates and deadlines UK 2026\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-3 post-28899 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters tag-hr-processes-medium-businesses tag-hr-process tag-hr-payroll-benefits tag-midsized-business tag-payroll tag-workplace-technology business_type-small-business business_type-medium-sized-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/the-hr-and-payroll-leaders-report\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/The-HR-Payroll-Leaders-Report-CTA-Image-684x384.jpeg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/The-HR-Payroll-Leaders-Report-CTA-Image-684x384.jpeg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/The-HR-Payroll-Leaders-Report-CTA-Image-768x518.jpeg 768w, 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owners\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former England cricketer Stuart Broad shares a series of cricket ground tactics that HR leaders can adopt for employees.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1398,"featured_media":16983,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"sage_hide_published_date":false,"sage_hide_read_time":false,"sage_hide_share_buttons":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[240,41,234],"business_type":[4,3],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[69,71,73,74],"imagine_tag":[92,217,96,109,218],"coauthors":[370],"class_list":["post-16881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people-leadership","tag-hr-processes-medium-businesses","tag-hr-process","tag-hr-payroll-benefits","business_type-small-business","business_type-medium-sized-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Ryan Grundy","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/11\/Stuart-Broad-2.jpg","imagine_tags":{"92":"HR and Payroll","217":"HR processes","96":"Medium businesses","109":"Small business","218":"Top HR resources"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice UK","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1398"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/16983"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16881"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=16881"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=16881"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=16881"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=16881"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=16881"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=16881"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=16881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}