Member News

The Norfolk Mead in Coltishall has confirmed there are a few available spaces remaining in May for their popular takeaway Afternoon Tea.

There is currently availability for Sunday 24, Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 May for the current takeout Afternoon Tea menu which features:

– Spectacular Sandwiches: egg mayonnaise and mustard cress; mature cheddar with apple and pear chutney; coronation chicken and rocket – Pork and apple sausage roll; plain and fruit scones – Incredible Cakes: passion fruit cheesecake pot; owner Anna’s chocolate brownie; hazelnut praline cake with orange mascarpone.   If you have a special lockdown occasion to celebrate, you can also add Prosecco and Wine to your order.   The delicious Afternoon Tea in a box is priced at £15 per head, plus £3 delivery. Prosecco is £15 per bottle, with house white, red and rose wine at £10 per bottle. Free delivery for orders over £50.    The Norfolk Mead have also announced an extended delivery area for orders as shown in the map above. Whilst we are working on a basis of 15 miles from Coltishall, we are happy to consider further deliveries given the number of requests we have had from the outlying areas. Please contact the team with any special requests at info@norfolkmead.co.uk   Or you can order online here.   Coming soon: look out for our June menu launch! The refreshed takeaway Afternoon Tea will include beautiful summer flavours including strawberry and lemon – keep an eye on our social media channels for more news!

Costs dropped and new benefits added to support franchisees’ practices.

Due to the unprecedent upheaval from the COVID-19 pandemic, TaxAssist Accountants around the UK have been working flat out to assist their clients with applications for grants, loans, cash flow projections and business continuity plans.

Karl Sandall, Group Chief Executive Director, explains: “Since the lockdown began, I’ve been so impressed with the network’s ability to carry on and get things done. They are very much on the front line, being the trusted advisors to over 77,000 UK clients.

“As a franchisor, our primary role is to do everything we can to support our franchisees. This, in turn means they can continue to do what they do best: providing a first-class service to their clients.”

To help their network of accountants further, the TaxAssist Accountants Support Centre has rolled out an initial package of support measures to help their franchisees navigate their way through the months ahead:

• Regular bulletins (daily – sometimes twice daily) providing ‘same day’ expert advice and guidance about the latest Government announcements for franchisees and their clients. • Comprehensive Coronavirus Hubs – for franchisees and clients – unparalleled in detail and timeliness compared to virtually all competitors. • Negotiated with key partners – software and IT – to ensure reduced costs in some instances, free training and updates and cost-effective renewal terms – to help all franchisees financially and operationally. • TaxAssist has written to the bank’s franchise departments (Barclays/HSBC/Lloyds/NatWest ) explaining the package of savings and support the franchisor has put in place for franchisees and the efforts being made to obtain some relief from the main suppliers to the network. This is to aid franchisees if they have any borrowing requirements. • To help franchisees who have joined in the last year, an enhanced marketing package is being provided which includes an earlier Sky TV campaign, Facebook advertising, Telemarketing and an increased spend on Google Ads, with extra online training and support. • Brand Awareness and Client Acquisition Media payments have been suspended for 3 months. This will be reviewed at the end of 3 months to see if it should be extended • Brand Awareness and Client Acquisition Payments have been reduced by 50% for 3 months, again this will be reviewed at the end of 3 months. • The Brand Awareness and Client Acquisition fund will be topped up from TaxAssist’s own reserves to ensure continuity of client leads if appropriate to spend. • The collection of the TaxAssist Accountants Training Academy subscription has been suspended for 3 months while training needs are still being supplied online. • The number of Training Webinars have been increased. • Virtual Regional Meetings will be run for no charge later in the year to replace the round of face-to-face meetings held each autumn. • Minimum Management Service Fees have been dropped for the remainder of 2020. • Partial refunds from the franchise fee have been made to new joiners in respect of accommodation and meal charges not incurred by the franchisor.

“Without doubt, these are challenging times” continues Karl, “but we will continue to monitor developments daily and take any further decisions that are right and necessary, with the overriding aim of being commercial, fair and responsible to all.

“As a franchise, we are in a unique position, with many of our franchisees holding around 40% ownership of the franchisor – proof the TaxAssist ‘family’ is working together to benefit all. I have every faith that by sticking together, we will come out of this stronger than the competition and able to capitalise on the opportunities that will undoubtedly be available at that time.”

If you are interested in finding out more about joining TaxAssist Accountants, Virtual Discovery Days are being run for the next few months. Click here for more information.

As a generalist commercial recruiter, we at R13 are having tons of conversations with a huge variety of business and individuals all of the time. And that hasn’t stopped now during this crisis – we’re still making ourselves available, as far as possible, to chat, to share stories and info and generally to offer support to the people around us.

During this pandemic (and who thought we’d be saying that at the start of the year?!?!), we wanted to offer our skills in the spirit of helping others, and also generally to just be kind in a time when things can be feeling a bit pants. We racked our brains about what we could do, came up with some zany ideas, but nothing which really felt like us….

Then we came upon an initiative set up by a guy called Mark Gaisford. We’d been following Mark for a while on LinkedIn and he shared an idea called #nofeefriday. An initiative whereby we would use the power of our network to support someone who’d lost their job as a result of Co-Vid19 with no strings or charges attached. BRILLIANT. And much as I hated the idea of putting my tired, haggard face out there on a video, the sentiment behind it spurred me on and I was intrigued to see what we could do if we really got behind it.

So, I had to find a willing accomplice. I’d been chatting to Charlotte Khor for a week or so. Her story resonated with me. She’d moved to the UK only a year ago. She’d handed in her notice at work to go and start a new job in a marketing agency, but as a result of CoVid the offer got rescinded. I made the proposition to her of recording a chat and sharing it online. Of course she was a bit nervous, but she was game. We did a couple of takes. We made a couple of amends, and came up with something we were happy with. Something which gave an insight into Charlotte both professionally and personally. (PS – she’s LOVELY).

And then came the day to launch. Just try saying No Fee Friday. It ain’t that easy!! But we got there and the video launched. We all got behind it – my network, R13’s network, Charlotte’s network. We proactively shared the post with people we thought could help and who were influential online. The support for Charlotte was amazing, and a big shout HAS to go to every single person who got behind it, who watched the video, who shared it, who tagged others in it. We got to over 3000 views in 2 weeks. Mind-Blown.

And we got Charlotte an interview. EXCITING. Then a second interview. WOOHOO! Then she only went and got the job!!!!! Charlotte’s got an amazing opportunity with the team at Herrco via an intro I made on the off chance to their MD. The job wasn’t even advertised. We are all beyond excited and delighted. And to be honest with you, that’s been the professional highlight of my lockdown. Using our specialist skills to help someone out, for no other reason than just to be kind. And in the spirit of Mental Health Awareness week, I can hand on heart say, that is one of the most cathartic; one of the most genuinely satisfying moments EVER.

So I guess the moral of the story is that we’ve all got our struggles at the mo, as we have at other times in our lives. But if you can inject a little kindness, offer a little help, then why not do it? We’re all in this situation and the feeling of everyone pulling together, even people you do not know, is heart-warming. One of the team posted something really poignant and I’d like to end on that note. “This is why I love working for R13 Recruitment Ltd, it’s the ethos that the whole business shares, putting people first! Congratulations on your new role Charlotte Khor.”

You can watch the video here

We’ve always championed businesses and organisations of all shapes and sizes, especially those local to Norfolk. Years of seeing potential, not size has meant that we have a broadly diverse client base, something we’re very proud of and thankful for.

As sign of that gratitude, we’re offering something back – some free advice and expertise on how to boost your digital marketing and extra support for those smaller businesses during this tough period. 

Stripping out digital complexities

Digital doesn’t have to be complex or over-burdening.

Our digital expert, James, has put together a few simple tips for how you can use digital to out-think your competition. The workshop covers websites, SEO, PPC and Social Media – hopefully inspiring you to use ‘now’ as the perfect time to get digital. Make a cuppa, sit back and soak up some knowledge.

Watch James’ Digital Marketing Workshop here:   We support Small Business

If you run a small business and are thinking about how you strengthen your position going forward, then we would like to help.

Naked Marketing loves small businesses, we believe that great potential lurks in ideas of all shapes and sizes. As a small business ourselves, and like many others, the ripples of the Covid-19 pandemic have left us thinking more about the future and how our business reacts to a changing environment – one of those key considerations is brand.

Your brand is the most powerful marketing tool you have. It represents your business, your staff, your customers. If having the time to step back and analyse has left you feeling that your current brand doesn’t really do this well, or your business has had to change so significantly that your brand is now outdated, then we think we can help.

Branding can be complex and it can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. We’re not a big agency that sells pages and pages of corporate strategy. Small businesses need clear, useable ideas and professional design that exposes their greatness and helps them stand out in a crowd.

If you’d like some undressed, no-obligation advice on how to make your brand work harder for your business, then drop me an email at dan@nakedmarketing.co.uk or call us on 01953 850211

One of the most popular questions we recruiters are facing right now, is If I want to hire, how am I going to interview possible candidates during and after lockdown? Well, the remote interview is part of the answer.There is no doubt that recruiting techniques are going to change even once lockdown has lifted. Remote working is going to become more popular and that means hiring remotely with it. This in turn brings benefits that you can hire someone from anywhere in the world as long as they are equipped to take on the role from their own home – opening up your pool of candidates much further.

What does all this mean? It means that if you are a hiring manager, familiarising yourself with remote interview techniques, might be a good idea. Here’s some of our top tips.

SETTING UP VIDEO INTERVIEWS

Remember, sometimes technology does fail and not everyone has the best technology at home for these sorts of scenarios. However, whatever platform you use to conduct the video interview, make sure you it is accessible – use a free platform that anyone can download. We have provided some ideas on what pieces of tech you could use here.

Make sure that you send the candidate clear instructions on how to access the meeting, when to and who they will be interviewing. Your recruiter will do this for you, but if there are specific instructions on operating the video software, it is crucial you let your consultant know.

CONDUCTING VIDEO INTERVIEWS

Replicating a normal face-to-face interview, but over video call is very easy and if the candidate really wants the role, they will treat the procedure with as much professionalism as if it is an in-person interview.

Therefore, your standards of dress code, punctuality and professionalism should be exactly the same as an interview in the office. Likewise, you should represent the company culture as close to how it would have been in the office. This is especially true if you are recruiting for a role that will not always be based remotely.

Body language and eye contact is a big factor during a face-to-face interview when you are trying to decide if the person will be a good fit for your existing team and your company culture. The great thing about video interviews is that you do not lose this, but you do have to work a little bit harder to get it as a lot of people prefer to look elsewhere than at the camera. When you are interviewing, try not to stare at your screen and instead speak directly to your camera, this way you come across as more personable and if the candidate mirrors your eye contact that is a good indication.

PHONE INTERVIEWS

If the role you are recruiting for involves a lot of telephone duties, a telephone interview is the perfect way to ascertain whether each candidate has the right manner and comes across well over the phone.

Of course, you cannot gauge a person’s body language over the phone, but you can listen carefully to the candidate’s tone of voice. We may not realise it when we are talking, but we show a lot of our emotions in the way we speak. For example, someone speaking very quickly can be a sign of nervousness as can the overuse of stalling words, like um.

Often during remote interviews participants speak over one another, so when you are interviewing be mindful of this. Pausing between the candidate finishing their response and you asking your next questions will account for any lag due to varying internet speeds and gives the candidate a chance to elaborate if they wish to.

ASK FOR HELP

Before lockdown began, the recruitment industry was already changing and remote interviews were becoming much more popular, especially with the dominance of jobs that can be done online. In fact, it has always been a part of Select’s resourcing process to conduct a first stage interview with all our candidates and the majority of these happen remotely.

As a result, our consultants are well versed in conducting video and telephone interviews and they are always willing to jump on an interview with you as a silent observer to provide you with an impartial opinion of the candidate and your interview procedure.

THINKING AHEAD

Proactive recruitment is always the best type. Now is the time to start thinking about whether you have the staff you need to help move your business forward once lockdown is over.

You have to factor in the possibility of notice period when you start hiring. If the ideal candidate comes along and they have to work a 12-week notice period, but you need them in 4 weeks, you are going to miss out one way or another. Putting the hiring procedure into action sooner rather than later means you can counteract this challenge.

If you have a remote interview lined up and you want to provide your candidate with some helpful hints and tips, we have some prepared for you, take a look here. If you are one step ahead in the process and have already hired and would like some advice on how to onboard a remote employee, take a look at our advice piece that covers just this topic. If you ever need a listening ear or helping hand with your recruitment, our consultants are here for you, whenever you should need us.

Breakwater IT are proud to announce that we have achieved Gold in Microsoft Cloud Productivity, Collaboration and Content and Small and Midmarket Cloud Solutions Competencies.  These achievements demonstrate our technical expertise in building, integrating, securing and deploying the latest Microsoft solutions. To achieve this status, we must showcase our skills and performance abilities over a 12-month period.  Our engineers must complete Microsoft Exams to contribute to the Gold status. This supports their continual development and ensures their knowledge is up to date. We can therefore provide the highest level of technical know-how when it comes to advising on and integrating Microsoft 365 solutions. Each competency demonstrates different areas of expertise we can offer: Cloud Productivity – We can provide technical expertise in the most complete set of commercial-grade productivity offerings on the market today.  Cloud Customer Relationship Management – Enables us to support you in talking to your customers in smarter, more personal ways. Small and Midmarket Cloud Solutions – We can help you take advantage of SMB momentum to adopt Office 365 and its best-in-class productivity and security.  Get in touch today to see how we can support you: www.breakwaterit.co.uk | enquiries@breakwaterit.co.uk | 01603 709300

COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown is disrupting the way that most businesses operate. Many companies have shifted focus from long-term to short-term to survive this unprecedented situation and returning back to normal will be a challenge for all involved.

One of the biggest challenges managers face is being able to manage and lead their staff from a distance. For employees, especially those furloughed, it can be difficult to remain engaged with their employer. Employees are a company’s most valuable asset and their skills and abilities will be vital to being able to succeed and thrive once the lockdown ends, therefore progression of staff at this time can only be an advantage.

Turning Factor can now offer a range of online courses, providing structured CPD for all levels of staff. Many courses are also suitable to support completion of accredited qualifications offered by major awarding bodies.

FREE Course: COVID-19 Management Our online Coronavirus awareness and home working training course is designed to help educate on infection avoidance and remote working best practices.

This course is FREE with the purchase of any Pathway.

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Short Courses

We have over 120 short courses (between 20-45 minutes in duration each), grouped into 18 business relevant CPD pathways. 

Unique logins enable you to access your CPD through the ULZ via PC, Laptop and mobile devices. Learn at your own pace with 6 months access to each pathway, or 12 months access if you decide to study all subjects.

Pricing:

1 Pathway – £80 + VAT All Pathways – £120 + VAT

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CPD Pathways Change Management

Communication & Social Skills

Customer Service

Get your coffee, get comfortable and join us next Thursday 28th May to hear from Andrea Hardiman of ‘All About The Message’ at our Coastal Connect morning. Book your place here

Adjusting to any crisis is tough – it’s a bit like being on a rollercoaster!

We all react differently and sometimes it’s difficult to know what to do for the best. I’ll be sharing some of my ‘mindset top tips’ that have helped me adapt during the lockdown.

I’ll also reveal the ‘marketing checklist’ I’ve been using for both for my marketing and my clients. From a ‘Start-Stop-Continue’ process to adopting a softer tone to marketing communications and connecting with existing customers, these are small steps to help you be ‘marketing ready’ for the future.

Andrea’s passion for marketing and her love of storytelling naturally led to a career in communication and where people are at the heart of her work.

Her mission is simple – to enable success and engage others through inspiring, creative marketing which successfully connects companies to their customers. 

As an award-winning marketer and founder of Norwich Marketing company ‘All About The Message,’ she knows how to help companies effectively tell their story and create marketing that influences and engages with their customers.

Marketing strategy is what really makes her heart sing. She listens to a company, understands their market position, recognises their competitors and finally creates for them a unique marketing strategy, so their voice is heard.

There is no ‘marketing scattergun’ approach here. Through her 25 years marketing experience, with some global brands, Andrea understands how to fashion stand-out stories and construct realistic, fresh and straight-forward marketing strategies aimed at both new and existing customers.

A straw poll conducted by local solicitors Ashtons Legal suggests that only 13% of businesses have seen their revenue unaffected by the pandemic. Forty-three percent think it will take them between seven and 12 months to get their revenue back to normal levels while a further 20% believe it will take them over a year.  The survey also revealed that 86% feel their businesses will be increasingly willing to allow regular home working when we enter the ‘new normal’ phase as the pandemic recedes.

The survey took place during a free ‘Returning to Work in a COVID19 era’ webinar hosted by employment lawyer Jessica Piper and HR consultant Lucy Pakes. The webinar was seen live by over 100 business people across the region and remains available online for others to view.

Ashtons HR Consulting also carried out a twitter poll the previous week on the issue of working from home, with an even higher result. Ninety-one percent of respondents felt that their business would continue with more home working in the future.

Ashtons is one of many professional services firms across the region that has continued to provide a full service to clients by making effective use of a range of video-conferencing technologies to suit the individuals’ needs and is using webinars to communicate with a wider commercial audience.

Jessica Piper comments: “Businesses are facing a wide variety of different challenges in providing their employees with a safe return to work but all those attending our webinar were asking questions that suggest they are committed to getting it right.”

Lucy Pakes from Ashtons HR Consulting adds: “We are also seeing an array of questions around the interaction between furlough leave, holiday pay and redundancy.  Bringing people back to work in a cost-effective but compliant way at the time that best suits their business is currently a priority for most.”

Anyone wishing to sign up for future Ashtons’ webinars or wishing to view those already recorded can do so at www.ashtonslegal.co.uk/events/webinars .

Discover King’s Lynn, The King’s Lynn BID is this week launching a number of actions to help Town Centre businesses get ready to re-open their premises in the forthcoming months. Free signage for premises and webinars on risk assessment and becoming COVID-19 Safe are amongst the support being offered. 

“To say that most town centre businesses are having a hard time at the moment would be an understatement,” says BID Manager Vicky Etheridge. “One of the roles of the BID is to support business, the Board and I are clear that we will do what we can to assist businesses with the process of re-opening. These are some of the short-term practical things that we can offer.”

The help being provided will be funded by a grant that the BID expects to receive from central Government in the coming weeks. The Minister for High Streets, Simon Clarke, announced a £6.1m resilience fund for BIDs in England on 1st May. The fund has been set up to assist BIDs with running costs and enable them to carry on their important role at this critical time.  “We were really heartened to read the Minister’s words of support for BIDs, “says BID Chair, Sharon Edwards of Mapus-Smith & Lemmon. “As he said in his statement, BIDs have a unique role to play in championing town centres, supporting local business and leading the renewal of our high streets. We anticipate receiving around £10,000 from this fund and will be putting it all back into activities that support our levy payers.”

The BID is funded by an annual levy on businesses within a defined area of King’s Lynn town centre. This year’s levy bills for the period April 2020/21 are yet to be sent out in recognition of the difficulties that many businesses are facing. “We are working with the Borough Council to set a date to issue the bills and offer monthly payment plans. We recognise that many will not be able to pay this year and we have budgeted for that, without a BID there is no organisation or single voice that has the business community as its primary focus. The BID will be even more important to champion business needs and importance of a vibrant town centre as part of the recovery process. The Board and Vicky are really keen to hear business ideas about what recovery might look like and how the BID can best support them. We will be contacting levy payers about this shortly, in the meantime, do get in touch with Vicky.”

To find out more about the webinars, signage and other support available please contact Vicky Etheridge, BID Manager on 07387 752 226 or email; info@discoverkingslynn.com

As you start to return to work and your business gets up and running again we at Norfolk Fire and Rescue service just want to remind you about a few things you may not have considered to ensure you, your staff and your property are safe from fire.

• Are you currently employing fewer staff than usual or have new temporary staff?
• Is any part of your building unoccupied or locked up that people would normally have access to?
• Has the way you check your fire alarm system, fire extinguishers or emergency lighting changed?
• Do you currently have higher than normal stock or waste levels?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes then please review your fire risk assessment. We have attached a short leaflet with some advice on what to consider. If you have any queries or want some more advice please don’t hesitate to contact us (details below.) We hope you are doing everything you can to stay safe during this difficult time and thank you for your efforts to ensure the safety of your premises and staff.   Fire Protection Department – Norfolk Fire & Rescue Service 0300 123 1669 hq@fire-norfolk.gov.uk

This week at Layrd Design we have reviewed the current government guidelines for implementing safe working and social distancing into the workplace.

We have produced the document below which explains how this could be achieved within a typical office space. The example space could still allow for approximately 76% of their employees to work from the office in some capacity.

Please download this free example guide to help with your space and contact us if you need help implementing any of the measured shown.

01223 952992

info@layrddesign.co.uk

www.layrddesign.co.uk

Let’s make this work.