Member News

Please click onto the document to read this week’s market summary.

In this article, we explore the concept of workplace wellness, the benefits for business and some of the practical steps you can take to support your team’s wellbeing.

Red the full article here

A new collaborative project between Big C, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) and Spire, is delivering special care packages to local cancer patients who face surgery during the pandemic. The new care packs, which are filled with useful items, home comforts and information on support from Big C and the local community, are being delivered to NNUH patients at Spire. These are NHS patients, requiring time-sensitive surgery, having treatment at Spire under agreement due to Covid-19. 20 packages will be delivered per week, half for women and half for men. £10,000 for the project has been funded by the NNUH charity.  Dr Melanie Pascale, Director or Charitable Operations at Big C said, “We know that undergoing treatment can be a difficult time for those diagnosed with cancer, especially given the current situation with Covid-19. The care packages are a way for the NNUH and Big C to remind those affected by cancer that they’re not alone and support is available. We hope they will bring some comfort to those receiving them.” Naomi Reid, Ward Reception Team Leader and Clinical Administrator at Spire Hospital said, “Thank you Big C, the packages are just lovely and what a wonderful thing that you do.” Trudy Garriock, Specialist Nurse at Spire said, “I gave out two of the lovely packs yesterday and both the patients were overwhelmed. Both commented how generous it was and thought the contents were fabulous.” Julie Cooper, Head of Grants for the Norfolk & Norwich Hospitals Charity said, “This is a fantastic opportunity for us to work together with Big C to support NNUH patients, and we are really pleased that we have been able to use part of our NHS Charities Together Covid Grants to do so.”   To learn more about the work Big C does to improve the lives of those affected by cancer in Norfolk and Waveney, please visit www.big-c.co.uk

New recruits have recently joined the Business Development, in-house Payroll and Tax Consultancy and Finance teams, with two Senior Managers taking on new roles in Compliance and International Development.

While the Norwich-based TaxAssist Accountants Support Centre staff may still be working from home, this has not hindered recruitment, with a number of teams recently bolstering support to the franchise network with new additions and promotions.

Karl Sandall, Group Chief Executive Director says: “I am pleased to report that as a result of the exceptional support of our franchisees and their clients, careful financial husbandry and an outstanding technical platform, our business is in a good position, and as such, we can continue to recruit and enhance the support functions within the teams at the Support Centre.

“I would like to congratulate the staff who have been promoted and extend a warm welcome to the new members of the team.”

Kelly Chick, has joined the Business Development Team as Senior Marketing Manager. Kelly has an extensive background, having worked for a brand and marketing agency, and has experience of working with B2B and B2C businesses. Kelly will take responsibility for driving marketing campaigns to increase new business for TaxAssist Accountants franchisees.

The two in-house teams which offer bespoke services for franchisees, continue to go from strength to strength. The Payroll Team has been joined by IPPM-qualified Jo Dye and Marta Dorszewska, a CIPP qualified payroll technician. They join an experienced team of three. Diane Deller, who heads up the Tax Consultancy Team has recently been joined by Claire Ellis. Claire, who is ATT qualified, is an experienced tax practitioner and will further enhance the range of services that the team provides.

The Finance Team has taken on an additional Finance Manager, Erika Torrez Barrientos ACCA who is an experienced management accountant. Erika will focus on management accounting and reporting, as the growth of other Group businesses, including Services, London, USA, and our other growing international operations and UK plans, requires increasingly greater and more complex financial controls and support.

Senior Manager Tim Duffield FCCA has been promoted to Group Senior Compliance Manager. His new role will see him taking on the responsibility for advising and guiding the directors and Senior Management Team with overseas compliance matters and best practice, as the Group continues to develop its international interests. Tim will also continue to support the franchise network with a range of Technical Manager duties.

Richard Chatten-Hague QFP, DipFM has been promoted to Senior Manager, Global Franchise Support & Vice President, Franchise Support. Having held senior roles in both the Franchise Recruitment and Business Development teams, supporting the network in the UK,  Republic of Ireland and Australia, Richard has responsibility for managing global franchise recruitment strategies and providing initial and ongoing training and support to international Master Franchisees,  US Area Representatives and their network of franchisees.

Coronavirus is still with us

Norfolk County Council have released a new campaign around the correct use of face coverings following the latest Government advice.

View poster for shops to encourage people to wear face coverings inside stores.

The Health and Safety Executive have released their latest annual report on workplace fatalities in the UK. Every year the Safepoint team creates an insightful infographic roundup of these statistics to help create a better understanding of these numbers and how they reflect the current safety climate.

See the infographic roundup here

Here’s the latest update from Greater Anglia, including news about changed guidance on travel on public transport, performance, new trains and further station improvement projects.

As you may have heard, late last week, the government lifted the guidance on only using public transport if necessary.  That means anyone can take the train and other public transport for any purpose – commuting, business and leisure – from now on, which is good news. We’re fully focused on providing a convenient and safe service, as we start to see more passengers travelling with us again.

We are a running a full service on most routes, with almost 93% of the normal service now operating again, including more Norwich to London intercity services. Only the Stansted Express (currently operating with a half hourly frequency) and the Norwich to London intercity services are not yet back to a full service, reflecting current travel patterns. We’ll continue to monitor demand on a daily basis and plan for the phased re-introduction of the remaining intercity and Stansted Express services when appropriate.

As a reminder, it is mandatory for customers to wear a face covering when using public transport, to help reduce the spread of coronavirus. Children under the age of 11 and people with a disability or medical condition which means they cannot wear a face covering are exempt from wearing them.

It’s also still important to observe social distancing. We’ve introduced a wide range of measures to make it easier for customers to do so at stations and on trains – including floor markings, one-way systems, new signs and queuing systems. We have also now installed hand gel dispensers at 20 of our busiest stations.

Norwich Business Improvement District (BID) wants to help businesses re-purpose their waste to create new resources. Norwich is one of 2 locations in the UK working on the European ‘Interreg 2 Seas’ project: an EU funded initiative which aims to ‘upcycle’ 20% of all the waste produced by businesses in the 6 participating locations.

On June 24th Norwich BID launched this ambitious project, aiming to establish a working circular economy for the city. The ‘Upcycle your Waste’ programme will run over 3 years, and aims to support Norwich’s SMEs in reducing their running costs, by handling and transforming their waste into new resources for the community. The project is entirely free for businesses to participate in, and is a truly ground-breaking piece of work when it comes to creating a more sustainable future for Norwich.

Stefan Gurney, Executive Director of Norwich BID said: “Norwich BID is excited to be launching this project in Norwich, and to be one of only 2 locations in the UK involved in the Interreg 2 Seas programme. We’re pleased to be able to offer SMEs in the city ways to save money and time when it comes to handling their waste, but – more than that – we’re exceptionally proud to move the city further towards a more sustainable future. This project is the first of its kind here in Norwich, and has ambitious targets for the future. Over the next 3 years, we want to help our businesses create new systems for waste management that will keep resources working within the community for years to come.”

How the project will work

• In the first stage of the ‘Upcycle your Waste’ project, Norwich BID is engaging with businesses in the Norwich area to interview them about what would make it easier for them to participate in the project, and what challenges they might face when it comes to re-purposing their waste. Before the end of summer, Norwich BID aims to interview 100 businesses of all types.
• The second phase of the project will take place in the Autumn, until early 2021. During this time, the goal is to analyse the various types of waste that 300 businesses are producing.
• Throughout 2021, Norwich BID will be building a business case for the city’s upcycling, and provide support and capacity for every business involved to re-purpose their waste.
• At the end of the project in 2022/23, we want to have put in place methods and means for businesses to put their waste to better use. Norwich BID is aiming to create something positive for the environment and the economy, by ensuring that resources can be re-purposed and the city’s contribution to landfill is significantly reduced.

Project benefits

• The project is completely free for SMEs to participate in, and ultimately should save businesses money by identifying new sources of income from their existing rubbish!
• Resources from SMEs will be upcycled and put straight back into the economy. Things that are normally thrown away will be put to good use to benefit people and businesses.
• This project is a huge leap for the city in creating a more sustainable future for Norwich. A ‘circular economy’ means that resources are constantly in use and waste is kept out of landfill, which is vital in ensuring society’s impact on the environment is minimal.
• ‘Upcycle your Waste’ also aims to improve the efficiency of waste-handling, especially when it comes to production and manufacturing. Businesses will benefit from easy-to-access means for upcycling, as well as professional advice on their waste throughout the project term.

• Norwich BID wants to create a collaborative community when it comes to creating a circular economy for the city. Partners will be part of a pioneering new movement for their city, which should have lasting impact for years to come.

The project is currently in its first phase, and Norwich BID is asking businesses in greater Norwich to get in touch for a 20 minute conversation about what will make the project work for them.

Norwich BID projects officer Victoria Nieto Felipe said: “Over the past 4 months we’ve seen some powerful examples of how our community can pull together in the face of big challenges. As Norwich – along with lots of towns and cities – plans for the future, we want to do everything we can to make sure the way we use our city is sustainable. I’m excited to be working on such a meaningful initiative and encouraged that other cities across the world have seen really positive results from projects like this one.”

Norwich is working with six other partners in four countries across Europe (Economisch Huis Oostend, Kent County Council, Katholieke Hogeschool Vives Zuid, OD IJmond, City of Roubaix, Technische Universiteit Delft) with the aim of getting 20% of our collective pre-existing waste stream upcycled.

Norwich BID is still in the process of interviewing 100 businesses across the Greater Norwich area. Any business who would like to be involved in the Upcycle Your Waste project can do so by sending an email to projects@norwichbid.co.uk.

TaxAssist Accountants has been shortlisted for the Franchisor of the Year accolade at the bfa HSBC British Franchise Awards, to be held at the Vox, Birmingham, on 30th November.

TaxAssist Accountants is the UK’s largest network of small business specialist accountants, with more than 385 shops and offices servicing 76,000 clients. It is also the UK’s leading tax and accountancy franchise, with previous British Franchise Association (bfa) successes including winning Franchisor of the Year in 2010, as well as Bronze in 2015 and Silver in 2008 and 2009.

It will be competing with five other well-known franchise brands before a judging panel of industry experts and receiving a nomination is an achievement in itself, proving the business works ethically and in the best interests of franchisees and staff.

Karl Sandall, Group Chief Executive said: “At a time of such economic and social turmoil, it is very welcome good news to have once again been shortlisted as a finalist for this prestigious award, and very rewarding for the 60 strong Support Team to have their hard work and achievements recognised in this way.

“We received fantastic feedback from our franchisees and their clients on the support provided prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we look forward to putting forward a very strong case as to why we should win to the judging panel.”

Pip Wilkins QFP, CEO of the bfa, said: “TaxAssist Accountants has been a long-serving member of the bfa, adhering to an airtight, ethical operation. In 2019, network sales grew by 9%, as did client numbers and recruitment figures as, despite a struggling high street, the business excelled.”

Andrew Brattesani, Head of Franchising, HSBC, said: “TaxAssist’s initial training for new franchisees and ongoing support is rigorous, with other courses available and optional for franchisees and staff, such as the Management Development Diploma, which has had a very good take up.”

If you are interested in joining TaxAssist Accountants, it is holding monthly Virtual Discovery Days where you can spend a day with the team to find out more about the business opportunity and support on offer. Visit the website www.taxassistfranchise.co.uk for more information.

Tiger Eye Consulting Ltd, experts in Document, Email and Knowledge Management, are delighted to announce that they have been awarded with the silver ‘We invest in people accreditation, an accreditation awarded to only 20% of organisations assessed by Investors in People.

The award recognises that principles of wellbeing, workplace support and work life balance are in place, but also that those within the organisation are making active efforts to ensure that everyone in the organisation feels the benefits of Tiger Eye’s investment in people.

The team of 23 at Tiger Eye are delighted to receive recognition for their wellbeing and employee support scheme ‘PAWS’ which they have worked hard to design over the past few years. The award recognises the work Tiger Eye have carried out to achieve the second of Tiger Eye’s three company objectives, which is ‘to provide a work environment that actively seeks to mentor and grow local talent, giving them the chance to learn and develop their skills’.

Paul Devoy, CEO of Investors in People, commented: “We’d like to congratulate Tiger Eye. Silver accreditation on ‘We invest in people’ is a remarkable effort for any organisation, and places Tiger Eye in fine company with a host of organisations that understand the value of people.”

Commenting on the award, Tiger Eye’s Managing Director Dave Wilson said: “With their pride, passion and positivity, it’s our team that sets us apart from other businesses. We believe that the success of our organisation is down to those who work within it, so we’re really invested in supporting our staff in every way we can. We’re thrilled that we’ve been Investors in People have recognised our achievements and we look forward to continuing to develop and improve our approach.”

About Investors in People   Most of us will spend around 80,000 hours at work in our lifetimes.   For something that takes up that much of our time, we think people deserve to get more out of it than just a regular pay cheque.    That’s why we’ve already helped more than 11 million people across 75 countries to make work better.  And you know what, we’re just getting started…  

Can you afford to spend £6500 dealing with the impact of a cyber attack?

According to Techradar that is the average cost of a breach in the UK. Whilst we hear most about hackers targeting big businesses the majority of targets are SME’s. The reason hackers prefer them is because they often don’t have the resource or the know how to adequately protect themselves.

That’s where we come in. To help SME’s from falling victim to cyber crime we are now booking 15 minute no obligation Cyber Surgery calls with one of our Security Consultants. We are happy to answer any Cyber Security questions you have, even if you aren’t sure where to start!

Click the link below to set up your call.

https://labsec.co.uk/cyber-surgery/

Did you know that nearly half of all care workers leave within a year of starting? Care work can be incredibly challenging – both physically and mentally.

The team at Safepoint have analysed this sector to answer the question: How safe is the health and social care sector?

Read more here.