Member Blog

LV Shipping was founded in 1921 in Vlaardingen, The Netherlands, by the Lensveld family , under the name J Lensveld & Zonen BV. The company originally used a horse and cart to transport sand and cement in supporting the growing Dutch infrastructure sector at that time. Now in its 4th generation of family ownership, Vlaardingen remains the company’s global HQ.

The company grew rapidly in The Netherlands, developing expertise in the project logistics sector and started trading in the UK in 1986 after securing an energy project in the UK North Sea.

The company has grown massively since that time and now incorporates ten UK offices from Aberdeen to Felixstowe, along with just under 200 UK staff. LV is still very much involved in the energy sector and has provided shipping, transport and general logistics support for many of the UK’s major oil and gas related projects, along with involvement in more recent years with all phases of the UK wind farm and renewable energy sector.

The company’s continued involvement in the energy sector has in turn led to wider global development with LV offices being set up in strategic locations such as Houston (USA) , Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) , Baku (Azerbaijan) , Damman (Saudi Arabia) , and Singapore.

Now in 2021 and with the onset of Brexit the company is set to continue its growth as it provides the full logistics package to UK companies looking to export and import to and from the EU. The company’s purpose-built warehouse and fulfilment centre at Maasvlakte (Rotterdam) is already home to several UK companies who have decided to have a base in the EU for their distribution needs and, combined with LV’s own ferry-trailer and transport services, along with in-house customs clearance and fiscal representation capabilities, the company has positioned itself as a genuine “one-stop-shop” in terms of UK and EU logistics services in the post-Brexit trading environment.

LV Shipping was founded in 1921 in Vlaardingen, The Netherlands, by the Lensveld family , under the name J Lensveld & Zonen BV. The company originally used a horse and cart to transport sand and cement in supporting the growing Dutch infrastructure sector at that time. Now in its 4th generation of family ownership, Vlaardingen remains the company’s global HQ.

The company grew rapidly in The Netherlands, developing expertise in the project logistics sector and started trading in the UK in 1986 after securing an energy project in the UK North Sea.

The company has grown massively since that time and now incorporates ten UK offices from Aberdeen to Felixstowe, along with just under 200 UK staff. LV is still very much involved in the energy sector and has provided shipping, transport and general logistics support for many of the UK’s major oil and gas related projects, along with involvement in more recent years with all phases of the UK wind farm and renewable energy sector.

The company’s continued involvement in the energy sector has in turn led to wider global development with LV offices being set up in strategic locations such as Houston (USA) , Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) , Baku (Azerbaijan) , Damman (Saudi Arabia) , and Singapore.

Now in 2021 and with the onset of Brexit the company is set to continue its growth as it provides the full logistics package to UK companies looking to export and import to and from the EU. The company’s purpose-built warehouse and fulfilment centre at Maasvlakte (Rotterdam) is already home to several UK companies who have decided to have a base in the EU for their distribution needs and, combined with LV’s own ferry-trailer and transport services, along with in-house customs clearance and fiscal representation capabilities, the company has positioned itself as a genuine “one-stop-shop” in terms of UK and EU logistics services in the post-Brexit trading environment.

We are looking for a senior/head chef. The right candidate will enjoy straight shifts, 4 – 4.5 days a week and £33,000 + per annum in our gastro venue just North of Norwich. We are interviewing for this unique opportunity now so contact us today on 01603 897 787 or email direct at info@blackswaninn.co.uk

Key responsibilities

• Organisation and smooth running of the kitchen operation whilst on shift.
• Working with the other senior staff members with the day to day running of the kitchen.
• Assisting in ordering, gross profit management and labour efficiency.
• Ensuring all health and hygiene procedures are fully implemented.
• Working in all parts of the cooking line.
• Supervising and training staff.

Please view the full job description by downloading the PDF document below

We are thrilled to announce that our search engine optimisation (SEO) team is working with the superb team at Pulse Light Clinic. Offering a range of beauty treatments and procedures including laser hair removal (read more) and skin treatments, Pulse Light Clinic are very experienced practitioners in each service area on offer via their website.

We are working closely with their content, design and marketing teams to improve the overall online presence and positioning of Pulse Light Clinic.

Already performing well online, Pulse Light Clinic have a number of specific services we are working with them on to improve the positioning of in the medium to long term.

What We Are Doing

There are a number of actions and SEO practices we are undertaking with Pulse Light Clinic to help improve the performance and thus, the rankings and positioning of their website in both specific as well as more general areas.

Crawling and Understanding – A key tenet of SEO, ensuring a website of any nature can be crawled, read and understood by Google and other search engines is at the very heart of all good SEO work. Therefore, we are working with the marketing and development teams at Pulse Light Clinic to ensure the website is properly and effectively crawled, read and ranked by Google and other search engines like Bing, Yahoo and others.

Website Speed – All good and high performing websites will have well-optimised site speed. This refers not only to the literal time it takes for a page or pages to load, but also how pages load and how they load and ‘render’ on various different devices. Most websites will for example, perform better on desktop than mobile initially, due to how different device’s speed is optimised.

Content and Messaging – Pulse Light Clinic have already paid a lot of attention to how their brand and website is perceived both online and offline. Therefore, we are working closely with their team to ensure any additional SEO value is obtained when it comes to their content and messaging online.

Online PR – Another key element of SEO is the online PR of any business and company. With regards to Pulse Light Clinic, being as well-renowned in their industry as they are, we are working with them to obtain further positive PR, which will help to further both the brand and business as well as the overall SEO and online performance.

Technical SEO – Although very much something which is done on a case by case basis, it is always important that the foundational elements of all good websites with regards to their SEO is accounted for and well-optimised.

The Sainsbury Centre is delighted that their 2021 exhibition programme is now on sale. You can read about all their upcoming events in the new summer brochure, or see highlights below. Explore this hub of art, culture and great coffee right on your doorstep at the UEA campus.

Bill Brandt | Henry Moore 18 May – 22 August 2021 Tickets £13/£12 concessions

A major exhibition tracing the parallel and intersecting careers of Bill Brandt and Henry Moore. Bringing together almost 200 works including sculpture, photographs and drawings, the exhibition explores the interdisciplinary range of these two artists and how they both responded creatively to the turbulent times in which they lived.

Book here

Leiko Ikemura: Usagi in Wonderland 11 July – 12 December 2021 Tickets £8/£7 concessions

Japanese-Swiss artist, Leiko Ikemura, presents a selection of paintings, sculptures, drawings and photography in her first UK exhibition. Ikemura has chosen 50 works that span three decades of her career, exploring fragility, transience and slow evolutionary change through fantastical figures and primeval landscapes.

Book here

Grayson Perry: The Pre-Therapy Years 19 September 2021 – 30 January 2022 Tickets £12/£11 concessions

This much-anticipated exhibition has been moved to autumn 2021. Displaying the earliest works – pots, plates and sculptures – that first made Perry’s name, the exhibition will shine a light on his experimentation and exploration of the potential of pottery to address radical issues and human stories.

Book here

Rhythm and Geometry: Constructivist art in Britain since 1951 2 October 2021 – 30 January 2022 Tickets free but must be pre-booked Drawn from the Sainsbury Centre collection, this exhibition celebrates the abstract and constructed art made and exhibited in Britain since 1951. The exhibition includes work from the beginning of the 1950s to the present-day, comprising around 120 objects across sculpture, reliefs, mobiles, painting, drawing and printmaking.

Book here

Much is being said, and indeed broadcast about post-pandemic Mental Health (MH) issues, but the messages are mixed. As a result of the pandemic there has been a considerable rise in MH issues. According to The Health Foundation, worry about the future and feeling stressed or anxious are among the most common issues affecting wellbeing. Naturally, this has also led to an increase in MH concerns amongst the young people at our Alternative Provision (AP). As a ressult, we have had to increase the support we give.

The St Edmunds Society welfare team saw the number of interventions they conduct increase by 320% from Jan/Feb to Mar/Apr. Many of these interventions were providing support around MH and isolation for our young people. Social isolation, anxiety and depression were the key concerns coming out of sessions with students after lockdown.

A Young Minds study found that 67% of 13-25 year olds believed the pandemic will have negative effect on their MH long-term. Where the percentage of our students who had good coping strategies and positive MH was the majority, it is now the minority.

“I want these thoughts to stop. I don’t know how to cope with my problems, and I don’t feel like I have anyone to talk to.”

Student – St Edmunds Society   Mental Health Support in Mainstream Education

The government are investing heavily in MH services across the UK. Gavin Williamson announced more than £17 million in funding to improve Mental Health and wellbeing support in schools and colleges during May’s Mental Health Awareness week. This is to help the recovery from the pandemic and the funding will be used to train senior MH leads in schools. We recognise that this is extremely vital support for young people. However, it fails yet again to identify support for those young people who attend an AP, many of whom are at risk of, or suffer with MH. This government support will only partially tackle the MH crisis amongst young people nationally. It neglects to acknowledge those in AP, who are often placed there because MH prevented them from accessing or participating in mainstream education in the first place.

“The focus in a mainstream school is achieving academic qualifications. Students who are not able to engage in this style of learning are cast aside as inferior and they are left feeling outcast and isolated from their peers.

Many schools do not acknowledge intelligence in other forms, so those students internalise that feeling of being inferior. By the time students come to our AP, they have felt this way for a long time. Those feelings are hard-wired.”

Rio Bygrave, Welfare Support Manager at St Edmunds Society   Charity Support for Mental Health

As a charity, we rely heavily on charitable donations and grants to continue to offer our services. We have been turned down for fundraising applications time and time again as we do not ‘meet the criteria’. Recently, this was because the young people we work with do not have ‘severe Mental Health issues’. We do not believe this to be the case, as self-harm and suicidal thoughts are common amongst our students.

“Self-harm will often be a coping strategy that a young person has used for a long time and has become a comfort. With issues like this we support with external referrals. We offer the young person a lot of time and nurture. When a student reports having suicidal thoughts, we ensure they feel listened to, and show them that we are proactively seeking support for them. We are able to make them feel validated.”

Rio Bygrave, Welfare Support Manager at St Edmunds Society

Our welfare team are able to support students who reach out to them. They are often able to spot the signs of MH early. We look to provide support around prevention of a MH crisis, rather than a reactive approach. It is frustrating to be told that the MH issues we work with are not ‘severe’ enough for funding, when the work we do is to mitigate MH issues at an early stage and prevent these young people from reaching crisis point in the first place.

Furthermore, we have been turned down for funding as we are not providing open access to MH support for the community, as we are a school-based service. However, when it comes to government funding, we are not classed as a school and therefore not eligible for this funding either.

Currently, the waiting lists for counselling in Norfolk is 18 months or longer. During this wait, young people are feeling lost, helpless and let down by the system they rely on. Our welfare team support every young student with their wellbeing, but external support is only available for these young people when their needs are critical, and they are a risk to themselves. Whilst on the waiting list we often see young people desperate for help and their needs escalate due to not receiving the right level of treatment when it is necessary.

We desperately want to better support these young people at St Edmunds Society, instead of referring them to other agencies. As a universal service, supporting students with higher MH needs has become normal and regular, yet as a charity the funding and training to allow staff to do this effectively isn’t there.

  Mental Health in Alternative Provision

Sadly, it is an inescapable fact that many of our students originate from disadvantaged families, have poor educational attainment or are living in poverty. These Forgotten Children are usually marginalised, often vulnerable and can at times be exploited and coerced into criminal exploitation. Many see themselves as failures without any academic prowess and a disengagement with society through their lack of educational achievement.

 High levels of Mental Health in our Alternative Provision can originate from:

• Social Exclusion – these young people have not been in school long enough to form friendships. They are not able to form peer relationships due to low self-esteem or forming them online, so they feel isolated and are more vulnerable to exploitation and grooming.
• Feeling of Rejection – they are often made to feel rejected or not good enough at school, due to not achieving qualification.
• Toxic Masculinity Culture – young males are taught to ‘be a man’ and ‘don’t show weakness.’
• Young Carers – higher levels in Alternative Provision, often lead to knock on effects of social exclusion.
• Safeguarding Issues – higher levels create problems with students’ behaviour and poor coping strategies, leading to schools not being able to manage behaviour, which leads to poor MH.
• Perception of AP – students believe that by attending alternative education they are ‘stupid’ or go to ‘a naughty school’. These thoughts often lead to low self-esteem.
• Traumatic Experience in School – bullying/anxiety around being singled out as a ‘naughty child’. This can lead to anxiety around attending a school and pattern of avoidance.

Our staff spend a lot of time unpicking the safeguarding concerns that young people demonstrate in their behaviours. Each category of abuse comes with short-term and long-term effects. The ‘lost generation’ are currently growing up with these behaviours. As a result they are outcast as being ‘a problem child’. In a critical time where self-image and self-understanding are being distorted, this has a massive impact on their MH. 

“Lockdown was like pushing ‘a reset switch’ on the work I had done on improving my Mental Health and self-esteem.”

Student – St Edmunds Society

Sadly, hearing this in our AP is not uncommon. For those who were already struggling, lockdown unravelled their routine and made it hard to access the things they did pre-lockdown. Many have struggled to adapt from isolation back into a routine, back into crowds and being around their peers. The stresses around achieving vocational qualifications, despite long periods of working from home, out of a vocational environment have also had a massive impact.

Disadvantaged young people could be worst affected as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. The most important thing is to raise awareness for these young people and ensure no child is left behind. We have to change people’s mindsets and make them understand that every child matters. Addressing this issue is vital because nobody else provides for them. It will benefit the entire community to support these young people, both now and longer-term.

‘Levelling Up’ applies to all, especially those struggling in education and struggling to find their place in society.

  Help Us to Help Them

If you want to support these young people, you can make a donation to St Edmunds Society by visiting www.paypal.com/gb/fundraiser/charity/3223483.

Perhaps you would be able to donate some of your time? We always have volunteer opportunities available. Please Contact Us for more information.

Writing a good website design brief is the essential first step to creating a new website. Our “How to write a website design brief” article with a PDF template download is a great place to start.

https://www.bigfork.co.uk/blog/how-to-write-a-website-design-brief/

All businesses and all websites go through a redesign at one point or another. There is never a perfect time to redesign or a perfect time to launch the redesign when you have it, but it is an important part of all websites and businesses. We have recently worked with the design team at Keren’s Nursery, who are an Ofsted Outstanding rated nursery in London, with 3 branches.

With a new site and design and a website that performs better than ever, there are a number of lessons to be learnt from a redesign.

Think About Your Audience

It may sound obvious but it is something often overlooked. Every website and business will have a different audience. Even for websites in the same industry, it is likely their key audience and clientele will be slightly different from that of their competitors. Thus, it is crucial to understand what your audience want when it comes to things like:

• Imagery
• Colour schemes
• Site features
• Services offered
• Information presented

Website Performance

One of the most overlooked elements of any website is how it performs. For example, a slow website is much more likely to cause potential customers and clients to leave and not come back.

Therefore, think about the speed and performance upon interaction of your website. There are some technical and sometimes complicated things to think about here but there are also some simple things you can do to improve the overall speed, performance and day to day running of your website:

• Enable browser caching
• Make your website mobile friendly
• Avoid using large image and media files
• Try to avoid using JavaScript (JS)
• Use a search engine-friendly content management system (CMS)

What Are You Writing About?

Content research is a fundamental part of any website and marketing campaign. After all, you need to speak to your audience and customers in a way your competitors do not. Therefore, make sire to spend the time undertaking the necessary content research so that whatever you write on your website is relevant and of interest to your audience as well as any audience of your competitors. Also, make sure all your content is optimised for search engine optimisation (SEO). Bear in mind that SEO-optimised content does not need to have a whole bunch of keywords forced and stuffed into the content.

What Does Your Website Do?

This may seem obvious but is easy to forget. For example, if your website is selling physical items, it will be important that the checkout process is seamless and adding items to a basket should be fast and easy. In the case of a service, data capture and utilisation are likely to be very important. You will need to ensure that users who contact you and your company can be effectively filtered and leads followed up for a potential sale.

When it comes to the imagery and any visuals, these are very important however, make sure that they do not obstruct or get in the way of the core features of the website.

When it comes to search engine optimisation (SEO), there are a number of ‘ranking factors,’ basic online practices and factors which ae accepted by marketers, Google and other search engines to help your website rank and be found that bit better online. Accepted and well-known factors include the likes of good, well researched and useful content on websites, maintaining a fast website (with regards to loading speeds) and using a logical or brand-related web domain.

However, there are some differences and considerations that are specific to particular industries and types of websites. Google specifically refer to ‘your money your life’ for example which, as the name suggests, covers websites in niches that may influence and affect people’s money and their life.

Common examples include healthcare, medicine, loans and insurance, money-related services (such as transferring money abroad) and even mental health (source: GlobMed).

There are various key reasons as to why these industries are singled out in this way over others. In the case of money-related services and offerings, like loans and the direct provision or brokering of personal or commercial finance, bad decisions in these areas may lead to financial ruin for people who fall foul.

In the past and in the UK (before 2014) there were numerous nefarious companies who exploited Google’s algorithm and were able to rank for certain types of loans. This led to people being provided loans by loan sharks and less than reputable companies.

In the case of health, wellness and medicine, the implications of bad information or less than accurate information being disseminated online, the implications can, again, be huge. For example, in the case of diagnoses or understanding a particular disease, illness, syndrome or otherwise, the wrong information, in the worst cases can prove life threatening.

When it comes to health and medicine, only reputable sites, including the likes of the NHS in the UK and the CDC in the USA as well as other sites with clear and reputable medical credentials should be read and taken into account.

Google and other search engines understand this and with the very premise of any search engine (including Google, Yahoo, Bing, Baidu, Yandex and others) being the delivery of accurate and helpful information, this is a key tenet to their business and what they do. Therefore, search engines (and in recent times social media outlets) work very hard to ensure their algorithms weed out the bad and inaccurate information, rather promoting the accurate and legitimate information.

The importance of your money your life is getting ever greater, with more people and companies than ever able to publish more than ever over a huge number of platforms including social media networks, blogs and websites and other internet forums.

There’s no doubt that every consumer wants to know whether or not the smartphone handset they have decided to get is going to be the best value for them. Today, there are tons of different mobile phone handsets available with something for everybody whether you’re looking for a basic handset you can use to keep in touch with friends or want the latest handset on the market. If you want to save money on your next mobile phone handset and want to make your phone-buying process more environmentally-friendly, you might be thinking about investing in a refurbished handset rather than buying brand-new.

What Happens During Refurbishment?

If you are considering buying a refurbished mobile phone handset, it’s important to be aware of what goes on during the refurbishment process. This involves returning a used smartphone to either a manufacturer or a repair shop who will fix any major or minor issues with the handset. Once the refurbishment process is complete, the phone will once again be able to function as a new phone would. For the best results, it’s worth only opting for smartphones that have been refurbished to a high standard by professional, manufacturer-approved technicians.

There are several different types of refurbished phones available. If you want a cheaper deal, you could go for a phone that has some cosmetic signs of wear and tear like small scratches and scuffs on the body, or if you want a phone that looks and feels brand-new, go for a handset that has been refurbished to a higher standard, including all cosmetic issues dealt with. As long as you choose a phone that has been refurbished by a professional and is covered with a warranty, there should be nothing to worry about. So, what are some of the best reasons to purchase refurbished for your next smartphone handset?

Save Money

Buying a refurbished phone allows you to save money in many different ways. Perhaps you have always wanted to get a high-end smartphone but cannot justify paying a lot of money for one upfront or don’t want to be tied into a long smartphone contract for the next two years. In this case, buying refurbished can certainly help you save. You can get high-end, new smartphone models at a fraction of the price that you would normally pay for them brand new. And, since many refurbished phones are for sale to purchase outright, you will have more freedom over how you choose to pay for the usage.

You can look for cheap SIM only deals that will help you save money on the minutes, data and texts that you use on a month-to-month basis. Lebara’s cheap sim only deals are available on a thirty-day rolling basis with no obligation to stick around for any longer, allowing you to be flexible when it comes to how much you pay for your phone monthly and easily change how much you pay for based on what you need at any given time. In addition, Lebara offer international minutes included with all plans and there is no credit check required to sign up, making it ideal for customers with poor credit who might struggle to get other options.

Like-New Phone

As long as you do your research and purchase a smartphone that has been refurbished to a high standard by the manufacturer or an approved seller, you will have a smartphone that functions and looks like a brand-new phone. While there might be some small differences such as unbranded packaging or alternative charging cables, the phone itself will appear new and you will definitely still get that new-phone feeling when you take it out of the box and set it up, at a fraction of the price that you would actually pay for a brand-new handset.

Better for the Environment

If you are concerned about the environment and want to make more eco-conscious choices with your future purchases, buying your next handset refurbished is the way forward. Refurbished handsets are much better for the environment, not least because they are giving used handsets a new lease of life and preventing them from going into landfill. Dumped smartphones have a nasty effect on the environment, so the more that this is prevented, the better. Buying a refurbished smartphone handset is one of the most environmentally friendly steps that you can take these days when buying new tech. Refurbished handsets reduce the demand for brand-new smartphones, which in turn helps to keep the damage to the environment caused by factories down.  

Quality-Certified

As long as you choose to purchase your smartphone from a manufacturer or an approved retailer who has a good reputation for refurbishing phones to a high standard, you can be sure of the quality that you are going to get. A smartphone that is refurbished to a high standard will be repaired in a way that means that it can work just as well as you would expect a new and unopened smartphone handset would. A good manufacturer or retailer who refurbishes phones will put them through a wide range of different quality checks before listing for sale to ensure that the quality of the phone is perfect and that there are no problems.

Warranties and Guarantees

While you can purchase a second-hand smartphone from a friend or on Facebook Marketplace, the issue here is that if something goes wrong with your handset in the future, you don’t have many options to consider unless you are paying for additional gadget insurance. On the other hand, many refurbished smartphone handsets will be covered by a warranty for the first few months or even years, which is provided by the manufacturer or retailer. With this, you have the peace of mind that if something goes wrong with your refurbished phone you will easily be able to have it repaired or even replaced if necessary, for no additional charge.

Refurbished Phones Work Well

Many people out there mistakenly believe that a refurbished smartphone handset is unlikely to function as well as a brand-new phone. However, this is not always the case. In addition, many refurbished handsets are not phones that have had serious issues in the past, but often phones that people have decided to get rid of because they are upgrading to a new one and have no use for the old handset that is usually working quite well aside from some general signs of wear and tear. But even if you do buy a handset that once had serious problems, you can rest assured that it will have been refurbished to a very high standard and any issues will have been fully repaired so that there is no trace of them left and the phone is restored to a like-new standard. While some cheaper refurbished phones might have a few scratches or scuffs on the body, this is usually the only sign that it has ever been used before, and you can usually easily hide these with a protective case.

If you want to save money and be kinder to the environment with your next smartphone purchase, there are plenty of reasons to consider investing in a refurbished handset instead of buying your next phone brand-new.

Maximising profitability should always be a top priority but, as the COVID-19 recovery continues, it’s more important than ever to retain as much revenue as possible. Outsourcing gives every business an opportunity to reduce costs and increase productivity, regardless of what industry you operate in. To find out how outsourcing can work for your business, take a look at these top tips now:

1. Conduct a Time Audit

Before you decide which processes to outsource, carry out an in-house time audit. This will give you the chance to see which workflows are taking up the most time and, therefore, which processes it will be most cost-effective to outsource.

By asking staff to record their actions using time management software, you’ll find it easy to access the data you need. As well as being able to identify the most time-consuming workflows, the information you gather will also enable you to determine if employees are routinely undertaking tasks that are outside their remit. If so, you’ll be able to ensure workflows are distributed more evenly to make the best use of your in-house talent.

2. Search for Specialist Services

Some business processes require more expertise than others, which is why it can be a good choice to outsource them. When it comes to tax and accounting, for example, there are a variety of compliance and regulatory issues you need to be aware of. Furthermore, your company’s financial management has a major impact on your tax liability and, therefore, your profits. By outsourcing to a specialist provider, you can ensure you’re operating in accordance with the relevant regulations and gain fiscal advantages.

With payroll outsourcing services, you benefit from the expertise of experienced personnel, as well as being able to reduce the workload of your in-house team. In addition to this, choosing a reputable service provider gives you the opportunity to access bespoke advice when you need it. If you want to restructure your company or refine your expenses policy, for example, you can access all the help you need from one specialist service provider.

3. Look for Long-Term Partners

When you outsource some of your business processes, it can be most advantageous to work with service providers on a long-term basis. This gives them an opportunity to get to know your company, and perhaps your staff. By doing so, they’ll be able to deliver increased value and align their work to your commercial goals.

Even if you only need to use a service on a sporadic or ad hoc basis, being able to work with the same service provider or team gives you the consistency required to maximise the benefits that outsourcing can offer.

4. Negotiate Flexible Contracts

If you’re going to outsource any of your workflows, be sure to negotiate flexible contracts when it’s possible to do so. Some service providers might try and tie you in to long-term contracts from the outset, which could be damaging if things don’t work out as you’d hoped. By retaining some flexibility, you can ensure that the services provided match your expectations and deliver genuine value. With a rolling contract, for example, you can cancel at any time, which means you can keep your options open and switch to a different service provider if you need to.

Reduce Operating Costs with Outsourcing

When you outsource some aspects of your business, you can significantly reduce your operating costs and boost your productivity. By supplementing your in-house team with outsourced services, you can achieve greater efficiency and productivity. In turn, this can increase your profitability and maximise the success of your company.  

Agile working is where companies offer their employees a variety of work settings to choose from, including working from home. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that most office workers can do this very successfully. So why, now that things are beginning to return to normality, are some businesses insisting their staff come back into the office full time?

For years, an employee’s productivity has been measured by the amount of time they spend sitting at a desk in an office. Then along came the pandemic. All of a sudden many of us were suddenly being asked to do our jobs from our homes, something previously often accompanied by sarcastic air quotes (oh, she’s “working from home” today).

Thankfully, this has shown us that employees can be trusted to do their work from home – in fact, many people are more productive without the drudgery of a daily commute and being stuck in an office all day. And even small companies managed to get the technology sorted fairly quickly and inexpensively. But many organisations are still telling us they now want all their staff back on-site full time – something which could actually cause more damage to their businesses than they realise.

Here are some of the reasons that, if you can, you should be offering some working from home and/or agile working options to all your office-based staff. (Don’t forget that employees who’ve worked for you for 26 weeks or more have a statutory right to ask for flexible working arrangements like home working – and you have to seriously consider these requests.)

Your people will be happier and more productive

Working from home can make staff more productive. There are generally fewer interruptions at home than in an office environment, so they get more done. They take less time off sick or on holiday. Often they work longer hours, especially if they’re saving time by not having to commute. And because they feel trusted, and that they have a greater degree of control over their own workloads, they feel more loyalty towards their employer. As James Loduca, director of global inclusion and diversity at Twitter, puts it: ‘Work from anywhere is a tool to deepen, not reduce, trust across teams.’

All of this improves employee engagement – and engaged employees do their best work, every day, wherever they are.

You’ll get better-qualified candidates applying for work

If you offer people the option to work from home or elsewhere, you get access to a much larger pool of people – because geographical boundaries no longer apply. You’ll also attract the best calibre of candidates. That’s because as agile working becomes the norm, people won’t even bother applying for jobs at organisations that won’t let them work the way they want to. According to a 2020 poll by the BBC, 50 of the UK’s biggest employers have no plans to return all staff to the office full-time in the near future. So businesses who don’t consider offering agile working are going to struggle to recruit the best talent in the job market.

It’ll save you money on office costs

Less people on site means you can save money on office space and supplies, rent, utility bills and so on. When people do come into the office, you can introduce hot-desking and provide more breakout spaces for collaborative working, rather than sticking with a traditional one-desk-per-employee model. Downsizing will also help you reduce your company’s carbon footprint – another thing that potential employees look for in a company before deciding whether to apply for a post.

You can expand your business

Employees working from home are often more likely to be willing to work flexible hours, for example, evenings or weekends. This could be useful if you want to work across different time zones, or just extend your opening hours.

How to get home working right as an employer

So now you know why offering agile working is a must for modern businesses. But it’s not just a case of immediately telling your staff they don’t need to come into the office tomorrow. Here are some ways to make sure you get agile working right for everyone involved.

• Have a policy: Every business has different needs, so deciding who does and doesn’t need to be in the office is likely to come down to individuals. But you should still have some kind of agile-working policy in place so everyone knows what the boundaries are. This will also help if you then ask line managers to decide whether their employees can work flexibly – some people are naturally anti-working from home, which can lead to teams being treated differently. A policy should help stop this from happening.
• Offer training: Managers are likely to need training on how to manage employees who aren’t in the office all the time – for example, how to check their people are performing without depending on the amount of hours they’ve worked. And staff will need training on how to manage their work-life balance – flexible working can blur the boundaries around working hours and sickness time which can impact negatively on employees’ health. So you’ll need to make sure everyone knows what’s expected of them. Encouraging open conversation is a must.
• Keep the lines of communication open: Make sure your home workers don’t feel like you’ve forgotten about them. Get regular video meetings in place – the pandemic’s shown us that the technology works (mostly). You’ll need to make sure everyone knows how to use the tech to stay in touch as well. Getting teams together for a face-to-face once a week or month (as long as that’s practical) is a good idea too.
• Don’t forget your health and safety requirements. You have the same health and safety responsibilities for home workers as you do for those in the office. That includes risk assessments for office set-ups and making sure you maintain any electrical equipment you give them (like laptops). The Health & Safety Executive has some good advice about this on their website.

Working away from the office isn’t for everyone – even if they can do it, some people simply prefer going to a workplace every day. But it certainly doesn’t decrease productivity and should no longer be seen as a soft option or, worse still, an excuse for ‘skiving off’. If you’re able to offer your employees some degree of flexibility in this area you absolutely should – otherwise you could find yourself struggling to recruit and retain the talent you need to run a successful business.

Need some help?

Feel free to contact us if you’d like some help or advice about recruiting and training remote workers.