Member News

Profit hunter Freddie Bennett talks about comfort zones, rejecting the corporate grind and how to dream, disrupt and deliver! Freddie’s baaaack! Series 2 of Leadership & Life Chat kicks off with a former guest, professional adventurer and profit hunter, Freddie Bennett! Freddie first joined James and Mark back in early 2021 on Impromptu Business Chat, chatting about how he uses the lessons he’s learnt in life to advise and inspire businesses on how to motivate their teams and embrace change. Since then, Freddie has had some major life changes, including packing up and moving his family to New Zealand, so the team invited him back to find out why, and talk about his new book and career change – tapping into customer bases to discover new lines of profit. Freddie has worked with some of the biggest companies in the world and conquered some mammoth personal demons along the way, having left the corporate grind behind him. He speaks passionately about choosing your battles, whether we really need to smash our comfort zones, his own theory on the relativity of time, and how we should all be more aware of our own waypoints! He also discusses how we should embrace the seasons of change in our lives and businesses, and how we can reject hustle culture. Listen here! GET IN TOUCH! We would love to hear your thoughts on today’s episode, email us at podcasts@larking-gowen.co.uk. We would also love it if you could rate us 5 STARS on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, this really helps people find us! You can also now watch us on YouTube! Click here Thank you to our sponsors Larking Gowen, Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors – check out their website to see how they could help your business www.larking-gowen.co.uk © Larking Gowen LLP Photo credit: Larking Gowen LLP

Chantry Place has announced the return of student night, which will take place on Thursday 6th October 2022 from 5pm-8pm. Big names signed-up to take part in the event include H&M, Schuh, Apple, Wagamama, The Real Greek, Levi’s, Lisa Angel and many more with discounts of up to 50 per cent on the night exclusively for students. The Centre is also providing entertainment, including a DJ, photobooth and chill-out zone with beanbags and games. The first 200 students through the doors who head to the lower ground floor to find the Chantry Place marketing team, who will be based opposite Boots on the night, will also be able to get their hands on a goody bag. Plus, there will be a competition exclusively for students attending on the night to win £300 plus Apple AirPods!* Other highlights include free samples from Lush, a chance to win on the spin to win wheel in Schuh, Lisa Angel will have goody bags for the first 50 customers, Bubble CiTea will give out special scratch cards and Wagamama will offer samples. Paul McCarthy, general manager at Chantry Place, said: “45 retailers are currently confirmed to take part in the event and all students are welcome to enjoy our late night shopping event. Chantry Place offers so much for students and we can’t wait to welcome current students along to see what we have to offer and enjoy the night, as well as new freshers to see the exciting retail mix and food offering that we and Norwich offers.” To discover the full list of retailers taking part, click here. For more information about Chantry Place, please visit www.ChantryPlace.co.uk or follow their social media @chantryplacenorwich *The winner must have a valid student ID to claim the prize. If unable to provide proof, the competition will be redrawn and given to someone with a valid student ID. All offers and discounts are correct at time of writing but may be changed or withdrawn by the retailer.

The Captain & Crew at Fawcett HQ are simply delighted to announce that Captain Fawcett has been shortlisted for the British Chambers of Commerce Awards as ‘The Global Player’ for 2022. This most prestigious recognition comes due to the King’s Lynn based company’s nomination from the Norfolk Chambers of Commerce. 80% of Captain Fawcett’s ‘First Class Gentleman’s Grooming Requisites’ are exported worldwide into over 48 countries and the company has been relentless in expanding its already significant horizon to secure new markets, such as USA, China & India, despite the ongoing European export difficulties posed by Brexit. Captain Fawcett founder Richie Finney says “All at Fawcett HQ are chuffed to bits with this most prestigious recognition from the Norfolk Chambers of Commerce and as such shall be found celebrating with a cup of Rosie Lee & a slice of Victoria Sponge! The Norfolk Chamber of Commerce is of huge value to Norfolk business of all sizes. From advising sole traders and start-ups to providing international trade support for companies exploring global markets, they are an outstanding source of support and expertise. In addition to offering superb networking opportunities and sharing business acumen, the Norfolk Chamber gives a voice to local and regional issues at a national level. I suggest any serious business considers joining their local Chamber of Commerce, thereby playing a part enhancing economic growth in their region and helping influence decisions made both locally and in Westminster. Meanwhile, well done to all the other highly regarded nominations. Huzzah!”

This December we invite you to join us on one of the most glamourous nights of the year as we play host to a Christmas Night at the Theatre. Our magical festive package includes;

• Arrival Champagne Cocktail
• Red Carpet Arrival with one complimentary group photo
• A delicious festive Three Course Menu
• A bottle of wine & water on each table
• Table Decorations
• Disco, Dancefloor & much more

Therefore if you work for one of our corporate organisations, and are looking to organise a night for family or friends, why not book a table with us! We would be thrilled to welcome you through our festive doors. Tickets are priced at £50 per person Tables are available to be booked between 8 and 10 people Tables are available exclusively to organisations signed up to the Norwich Theatre Corporate Community (Sponsors, Associate Sponsors, Members) For more information or to book a table please call 01603 598556 or email corporate@norwichtheatre.org

Hope for Tomorrow is a charity dedicated to reducing many of the stresses and strains associated with cancer care by bringing it closer to patients. We build, own and maintain mobile cancer care units. The units are able to travel into the heart of communities to deliver cancer care closer to where it is needed, rather than patients having to make long and stressful journeys before and after their treatment. Currently, Hope for Tomorrow have 15 mobile cancer care units and 13 nurses support vehicles, provided as part of a unique partnership with NHS trusts throughout England. Now we’re launching a brand new unit, named Jewel, and we’d like to invite you to the launch. Jewel will enable cancer treatments to be delivered closer to patients in Great Yarmouth. Named “Jewel” after the American biologist, cancer researcher, distinguished professor, and top university administrator, Jewel Plummer Cobb. Jewel’s name was selected by employees of the pharmaceutical company, Bristol Myers Squibb – who generously funded the unit. Hope for Tomorrow are officially launching this wonderful new unit on Thursday 29th September at the Louise Hamilton Centre in the James Paget University Hospital, Great Yarmouth, NR31 6LA. We would love it if you would join us between 11:30am and 1:30pm to celebrate and learn a little bit more about Jewel.  

With the day of the forthcoming funeral of Her Majesty The Queen having been officially allocated as a Bank Holiday, many employers and employees might be left wondering what their entitlements and obligations are. At MAD-HR, we’ve been taking a look at some of the inevitable questions which may arise for both leaders and staff. Does the declaration of the funeral day bank holiday mean I am obliged to give all staff the day off? Not necessarily. It depends very much what your contracts dictate in terms of bank holiday entitlement. For example, your employee contracts may specifically refer to a set number of public holidays, and/or the requirement for staff to take days such as those covering the festive period, as holiday. What’s important is to clarify the expectation and entitlement to staff as soon as possible. Bear in mind that over and above any ‘legal obligation’, you may feel it is the appropriate thing to allow staff to take this significant day as an addition to their typical allocation. One of my employees wants to take the day after the funeral off, to allow them to attend the event in person, and return the following day. I’m a small business and really can’t afford for them to be non-productive for a second consecutive day. How do I manage this conversation? We have already been made aware of similar scenarios playing out for employers, for example, where staff have wanted to travel to London to pay their respects and have asked for additional time off unpaid. It would be sensible to have a 121 conversation with the individual and understand where they are coming from and what impact this might have on their current workload. If it is at all possible for them to do so, perhaps you can request that they take this from their available holiday days. Do also check how their absence will impact other staff, as you won’t want to cause unrest throughout your team. What if an employee would ordinarily have Monday off, how do they recover that holiday? This is will be down to the individual’s contract with you, and what is already in place over bank holiday Mondays throughout the year. Ordinarily, that person might be entitled to take their ‘off day’ on an alternative day. I feel under pressure from my staff to close down until after the funeral. How should I handle that with my team? We understand how employers can end up feeling pressurised into making significant changes at such a time. It would be far better to communicate with your staff why you have chosen to remain open, what leniency or changes you will implement in the coming days, and at the same time to ensure you reinforce how much you are compassionate and respectful of the way employers might be feeling. Read the full article here.

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, a period of national mourning commenced with the announcement and will continue until the end of the day of the State Funeral, which is to take place at Westminster Abbey at 11am on Monday 19th September 2022.  King Charles III has confirmed that this will be a bank holiday. During this time, the Government has issued guidance and outlined principles for the public, organisations and businesses for observing the mourning period, including information on ceremonial events in central London.  This was published Friday 9^th September. It is acknowledged that mourning is very personal, and so the guidance advises that individuals, families, communities, and organisations may want to mark Her Majesty’s passing in their own way. There is no expectation on the public or organisations to observe specific behaviours during the mourning period. The guidance can be found here. Further guidance The best source of information is the Government website. In addition, it is expected that your own Local Authority will also be updating their own websites on local arrangements, including any events they may organise which might impact on your business or local travel. The Royal Household will set out arrangements for Lying-in-State and the State Funeral. Businesses are encouraged to follow further updates on the Government website. and the Royal Website. MAD-HR statement As a team, we will now be acknowledging The Queen’s passing in the days ahead, and, given the expectation of national observances, we will keep all clients informed of any temporary disruption to our working pattern.  You can read our full statement here. Photo credit: MAD-HR

If you can barely remember the last time you got your employment contracts or handbook checked over, you’re not alone. These types of reviews are often towards the bottom of the list of a business owner’s priorities; however, it is nevertheless important. In fact, contracts and handbooks should be reviewed at least once every couple of years to ensure compliance. Why is this so important? With recent changes to legislation including the April changes, Right to Work checks and the ongoing obligations in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, maintaining your HR documentation allows you to tackle any issues proactively, helping you stay up to date, compliant and one step ahead of the competition. How confident are you that your documents are accurate, legal or fit for purpose?

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As a loyal subscriber to our newsletter, we would like to offer you a free health check review. Simply fill out a few details in our form and upload your current contract and handbook, and we will respond once a consultant has analysed your documents. It only takes a few minutes to complete, however, our FREE health check review may prove invaluable when it comes to keeping your business compliant. Submit your document here Image provided by MAD-HR

London, UK – CTS, the UK’s cloud and managed IT partner shaped for law, is pleased to announce the acquisition of leading iManage Partner, Tiger Eye. This exciting development furthers CTS’ vision of becoming the digital transformation partner for law firms, expanding its product portfolio to offer integrated application and platform support within a high quality service model aimed at delivering a new level of fee earner productivity. This acquisition strengthens CTS’ knowledge and heritage in the business and practice of law, enabling them to better transform the user experience and operational success of their legal clients. Tiger Eye is renowned for the team’s iManage knowledge and technical expertise, implementing, managing and optimising the iManage document management system (DMS), a key application used by 78% of UK Top 200 law firms. Delivering a uniquely broad range of iManage solutions and services, Tiger Eye offer technical support, out-of-the-box solutions, training, consultancy, custom development services, and much more to iManage users across the globe. Over the years CTS has achieved double-digit growth, and its partnerships with the world’s leading legal software and services vendors has been central to this success. By closer aligning Tiger Eye’s application specialism with CTS’ IT platform management expertise, CTS aims to uniquely add value at the application layer by delivering an integrated platform and application support model, ultimately driving fee earner productivity. “Our clients have emphasised the disjoint between platform and application services expertise. As a sector specialist we are uniquely positioned to bridge the gap. This is our first exciting step into the application services space, as we continue to shape our strategy to support clients on their digital transformation journey” said Nigel Wright, CEO of CTS. “We warmly welcome our new Tiger Eye colleagues, and the specialist knowledge they bring. As a leading and well-established iManage Partner, they have built a strong reputation in the legal technology community founded on integrity, technical expertise and quality delivery. Their focus on delivering high rates of client satisfaction perfectly complements our own. We look forward to meeting many of Tiger Eye’s clients at the upcoming iManage ConnectLive conference next month.” Dave Wilson, Managing Director of Tiger Eye said “Since we launched in 2005, collaboration and teamwork have been at the heart of Tiger Eye. We’re confident that, in CTS, we have found a business that values our signature collaborative ethos, and one that is passionate about the long-term success of both our business and our clients.” Geoff Hornsby, General Manager, EMEA for iManage added “We would like to congratulate CTS and our long-standing partners, Tiger Eye, on this news. This is an exciting development for iManage clients and we’re confident they will greatly value the benefits of this innovative new integrated approach between platform and application specialist.” Moving forward, Tiger Eye will continue to operate independently, keeping in place its experienced senior management team who will remain with the business to support the transition.    

Greater Anglia is informing passengers that rail strikes due to be held on Thursday 15 and Saturday 17 September have been suspended following the death of Her Majesty The Queen. The train company will now be able to run all services, including Stansted Express services, on Thursday and Saturday as there will be no industrial action by the RMT or ASLEF. The RMT announced yesterday (Thursday 8 September) that they were suspending their two strikes planned for Thursday 15 and Saturday 17 September, while train drivers’ union ASLEF said their strike due to take place on Thursday 15 September was being postponed. Greater Anglia managing director Jamie Burles said: “Greater Anglia will be playing its part along with the rest of the rail industry in helping the nation pay their respects to Her Majesty The Queen. “We are pleased the trade unions have taken this step so that we can run our train service as normal on Thursday and Saturday. Paying tribute to Her Majesty The Queen, Jamie Burles said: “Her Majesty has served our country with dedication and loyalty and she will be missed by everyone, including all of us at Greater Anglia. “We were fortunate and privileged to welcome her on our network on many occasions.” Greater Anglia will update its website and social media with any further updates from unions about strike dates. Image credits Greater Anglia

Norwich has a problem with in-work poverty – too many people who live and work in Norwich are unable to earn a wage which meets the cost of living. As an employer you can be part of the solution and become a Living Wage Employer. It is not only the right thing to do, it also makes perfect business sense. After you become accredited as a Living Wage Employer we would also strongly encourage you to join Norwich’s growing Living Wage movement and Action Group, where you can support our mission to make Norwich a city where every employee earns a wage that meets the cost of living. If that’s of interest to you, please contact Josephine Linton of the Living Wage Foundation here: Josephine.Linton@livingwage.org.uk Why pay it? Here’s what employers who pay the real Living Wage have to say:

• 95% of employers say their business has benefited
• 86% say paying it has improved the reputation of the business
• 75% say it has increased motivation and retention rates of employees

What is it? The real Living Wage is voluntarily paid by employers, set at a rate to ensure employees earn enough to meet the cost of living. The real Living Wage currently stands at £9.90 across most of the UK and £11.05 in London. Who else pays it? There are now 58 Real Living Wage accredited employers in Norwich – we want to triple the number of employers paying the real Living Wage to 150 by 2025. Some of the employers already paying the real Living Wage in Norwich include: Find out more and become an accredited Living Wage Employer https://www.livingwage.org.uk/good-for-business Image provided by Future Radio

Grants to support innovation projects and plans for growth are available to businesses in Norfolk and Suffolk via New Anglia Growth Hub. The Growth Through Innovation Fund offers grants of between £1,000 and £25,000 to help invest in innovation, research, and development and these can cover up to 50% of the total eligible costs for your project. Companies from a wide range of sectors have already benefitted from this fund and you can find out more here Businesses can also apply for funding of between £1,000 and £25,000 from the Small Grant Scheme. These grants usually cover up to 20% of your total project costs and you can find out how to apply here.  For more information about the free, impartial business support available from the Growth Hub, call 0300 333 6536 or email info@newangliagrowthhub.co.uk Image provided by New Anglia Growth Hub