Member News

Launched just a week ago, the Foundation’s Covid-19 Community Response Fund has received over 60 applications from local charities and grassroots community projects who together are forming a network of committed, compassionate people providing practical help and care for their neighbours. At a time when we must protect and care for those most vulnerable, this community action is vital to keep everyone safe and well in our communities. From delivering food and prescriptions, to tackling loneliness and isolation, Norfolk’s charitable groups are working hard across our county. Vital initiatives funded during the first week include:

• suppporting volunteers to deliver food to people who are isolated and in the greatest need
• purchasing emergency food supplies
• protecting our most vulnerable children while schools are closed
• helping with the cost of providing protective kit and travel expenses for the army of local volunteers
• supporting charities and community groups who would typically deliver face-to-face services and are now needing to use IT or phones to maintain contact and support the people they help.

Find out more about how people are being supported

We need more funds to continue supporting people across Norfolk Thank you to everyone who has supported the appeal so far. However, we still need many more funds to ensure that we can support the most vulnerable during these unprecedented times. Donate today to help people in your local community. Anything that you can give will make a real difference. Supported by the National Emergencies Trust The National Emergencies Trust has also set up an emergency fund to help people in their communities through local Community Foundations, who are routing funds to where they are most needed. Patron HRH Prince William is urging individuals and businesses to donate, which will work alongside our local fundraising to meet the most pressing community needs. Find out more   Many thanks for your support.

Brilliant Lessons Online – free training

Free online webinar: “How to run online lessons using Zoom”

Whether you are teaching physics or yoga, cooking or karate, English or maths, you can use Zoom to run brilliant, engaging, interactive and enjoyable.

Are you a teacher, tutor, trainer, or instructor that wants to run online lessons and classes?

If you are, then you will be interested in this free live online training event to help you get started, quickly and easily. Whether you are looking to run classes from 1 to 100, you will gain lots of ideas and short-cuts in just 45 minutes – all completely free.

Why Zoom?

Zoom is a great tool for running classes, lessons, and courses with lots of really great features. Here are just a few functions that you can see in action on this free online course:

1. Making it easy and safe for your learners and students to register and login.
2. Using a whiteboard and annotate function to increase interaction and fun!
3. Screenshare to run videos (within the lesson), share slides and pictures.
4. Breakout rooms. This is a great way to mirror the dynamics of a live classroom. Pupils can work individually and in smaller groups, fully monitored by you as the teacher.
5. Run quizzes, tests, questionnaires, and polls.
6. Share and receive ‘coursework’ and files from students.
7. A ‘chat’ facility to message either the group or any one person.

Getting started – free online lessons training webinar – 45 minutes

Here at Brilliant Customer Service, we have recently transferred all our classroom training into ‘live online learning’. And, in the process, discovered lots of tricks and techniques that we would be pleased to share.  For example, here are a few simple points can make a big difference. As well as the points above we can save lots of time and effort in

• Getting the technology right and setup correctly
• Designing your class or lessons for maximum attention and engagement
• Using all the administration and setup functions correctly

Register and attend for free – online

Live online training 45-minutes – free training on how run brilliant online lessons

This runs every few days or on-demand and is completely free for anyone looking to get up to speed with online meetings and events. It is ideal for managers, all staff, teachers, sales, customer service, trainers, and professionals of all types.

For more information: grp@brilliantcustomerservice.co.uk, visit www.busybeingbrilliant.com or call 07515 851 891

The new Hill Coaching Company website is a starting point.

It’s the starting point for Oliver’s vision of personal development and business coaching which is unlike anything that is out there already.

It is a version of coaching that gives you everything you need to become the best version of yourself. It is a version of coaching that doesn’t give you an ‘expert opinion’ or tells you what you should do. It’s a version of coaching that focuses on your talents and your strengths to help you to discover your own insights and to forge your own path to success.

Native Origin has been working with Oliver Hill since January to create this website, video content, photography and graphics. And working on this website has been an incredible opportunity to collaborate with some of the most amazing, creative and passionate individuals I’ve ever met. These individuals include Rob Lawrence, Kate White, Ian White and Chris Reeve.

But this website is just the start, and as a team, we have so, so much more to come….

If you’re interested, you can access the new Hill Coaching Company website here. 

Norfolk and Waveney cancer charity, Big C, has launched a range of services designed to support those affected by cancer during the Coronavirus outbreak.

The charity will be providing support packs for local people affected by cancer in isolation due to Coronavirus. They will include home comfort items along with advice and signposting to Big C’s free telephone helpline and online Virtual Centre.

Director of Charitable Operations at Big C, Dr Melanie Pascale, said, “Those in our community affected by cancer are already facing challenging circumstances and are now experiencing added worry and anxiety due to the Coronavirus outbreak. In addition, some people with specific cancers who are considered to be extremely vulnerable are now being asked to take extra shielding measures. We want to do everything we can to help them at this time. Big C has been providing support in Norfolk for the past 40 years and we will continue to do so.”

Alongside the Support and Wellbeing packs, starting from Tuesday 24th March, Big C is launching a ‘live chat’ facility via their website, where local people affected by cancer will be able to access support from 11am to 3pm Monday to Friday.

Telephone counselling sessions and telephone appointments in partnership with the Citizens Advice Bureau will also be available. The Big C Virtual Centre will offer ‘Keep Moving’ physical activity and mental wellbeing videos, wellbeing and ‘checking in’ videos, interactive ‘Ask the Nurse’ support and video link to Big C support team members. An emergency delivery service is also available for those most in need to help with small amounts of shopping or delivering prescriptions.  

Dr Melanie Pascale added, “I would like to thank our wonderful staff for their amazing efforts as a team to deliver this support and continue the care they are so passionate about.”

Anyone wishing to access support can call the Big C Support Team on 0800 092 7640. The line is open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. All calls are free of charge.

Big C, Norfolk and Waveney’s cancer charity, has launched a new fundraising campaign due to many of the charity’s planned events being postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Big C’s ‘Challenge 40’ is calling for local people to raise money for the charity by exercising either at home or by using their ‘once a day’ exercise outside in line with government advice.

2020 is Big C’s 40th anniversary year, so from April 1st until May 31st the charity is asking local people who are able, to complete 40 minutes of exercise or activity, every day for forty days. This could be a run, cycle, walk, an exercise routine at home or some gardening.

Carole Slaughter, Head of Fundraising at Big C, said, “We are all living in uncertain and changing times and many of our spring and summer fundraising events have had to be postponed.

We have therefore launched a new fundraising initiative which reflects the current situation and we’re asking our army of amazing supporters to raise funds for us in a different way. This is important now, more than ever, for those with a cancer diagnosis already facing enormously challenging circumstances and now experiencing increased anxiety and worry due to coronavirus.

We also hope it might be a fun focus for people spending much more time than usual at home! We do however know that times are tough for many currently and therefore we are asking for a £10 donation, with the option of also enlisting the support of friends and family to raise a little more. Any amount will make a big difference to those locally affected by cancer.”

Carole Slaughter continues, “We’d urge everyone to take part and focus on keeping fit, while supporting Big C to continue providing vital care and support for those people affected by cancer during these challenging times.” Big C is committed to everyone’s safety and health during the Coronavirus outbreak. Please follow government guidelines around social distancing and specific advice if you are in a vulnerable group. Please only go out once a day to do your 40 minutes exercise.

For the latest government advice on coronavirus please visit www.gov.uk/coronavirus

To sign up for Big C’s Challenge 40, please visit https://fundraise.big-c.co.uk/event/challenge40-for-big-c/ to pledge your support and a £10 donation.

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  

During the current Coronavirus situation, Norfolk Chamber of Commerce Strategic Partner, LV Shipping Ltd, remains operational with a mix of office and home working, throughout all their ten UK bases including their Great Yarmouth facility; given the nature of their business (freight and transport) the company comes under the government’s “key workers” system.

For more information on the services LV Shipping Ltd can offer, visit their website: https://www.lvshipping.com/

Scam Alert – Emails referencing ‘Government Coronavirus Grants’ – 26 March 2020 We are warning businesses in Norfolk to be alert for emails referencing ‘Government Coronavirus Grants’ after receiving reports of examples circulating containing links to ‘check your eligibility’. Businesses are reminded that genuine advice and information can be obtained from the Business Support section of the Gov.uk website. If you become aware of any attempts at this type of scam it can be reported to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040. Sign up for our business scam alerts at: https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/business/trading-standards/scams

It doesn’t matter if you have 10 employees or 1000, with your team working remotely your business is more at risk. 

Sadly, cyberattacks preying on Coronavirus fear seem to be spreading just as fast as the illness and with your staff working remotely you are more vulnerable. Scams being sent worldwide are offering cures, tax refunds, safety advice and asking for donations. 

Now is the time to act because prevention is much easier than cure and you need to adapt now that working situations have changed.  

SpamTitan, our email filtering service, has a market leading 99.99% Spam Catch Rate with a 0.003% false positive rate. 

SpamTitan is normally £2.50 per mailbox per month. But, to help protect you in this turbulent time we’re offering SpamTitan to you for FREE for the first 3 months.  

If you would like to discuss our advanced level of protection email us at quack@greenduck.co.uk or call us on 01284 700015.

The legal landscape in relation to employment law is changing on an almost daily basis with new schemes being invented rapidly by the government to deal with the coronavirus crisis.

With such changes being made, there has been a lot of confusion, so we have put together a list of the most frequently asked questions our employment team is receiving about furlough in the hope that this will help answer some of your questions.

This is based on our understanding of the Government’s guidance to date, as of 27 March 2020. This is an ever-changing landscape and if the position changes further we will update you.

The employment guidance for business portal

In addition to the Q&A’s, we are pleased to announce that the Ashtons Legal Online HR Portal, which contains all manner of HR documents such as policies, contracts, invitations to disciplinary hearings, amongst other things, now also contains a Furlough Leave Agreement.

All of these materials will be updated as the COVID-19 crisis continues and the government issues further guidance, schemes and updates.

If you would like unlimited one-year access to this portal, we are charging £125 plus VAT. Please get in touch at COVIDEmpLaw@ashtonslegal.co.uk or call 01473 261394.

Your questions answered

The legal infrastructure around furlough is changing on a daily basis. The content of these answers have been sourced from the government’s update given on 26 March 2020 and may continue to change. Please contact a member of the team for bespoke legal advice.

1. What is furlough leave?

Furlough leave is a type of paid leave which the government announced on 20 March 2020 to help businesses retain their staff during the coronavirus crisis. It is a scheme where the business can opt to send their staff home and whilst they are not working, agree with staff that they will be paid 80% of their gross salary.

The business must furlough staff for a minimum of three weeks. The 80% (or £2,500 cap) is paid by businesses and then will be refunded by HMRC once their portal goes live, which is expected to be by the end of April.

2. When does the scheme run until?

The scheme is to be backdated to 1 March 2020, for any staff already on lay off or made redundant as a result of the crisis. The scheme is currently intended to last until 31 May 2020.

3. Who is entitled to furlough?

Full-time employees, part-time employees, employees on agency contracts and employees on flexible or zero-hour contracts, that were on the payroll as of 28 February 2020. For the purposes of this note “employee” covers all these individuals.

4. What can individuals do whilst furloughed?

Individuals cannot perform any work for the organisation that has furloughed them. They can, however, perform training or voluntary work for the organisation, so long as it does not provide services or generate revenue for the organisation.

Individuals can continue to work other jobs (as each organisation has its own responsibility to furlough if necessary) and can volunteer for other organisations.

5. What is the 80% (or £2,500 cap) comprised of?

As at 26 March 2020 the 80% will be based on the employee’s regular salary plus their associated Employer National Insurance contributions and minimum automatic enrolment employer pension contributions on the subsidised wage. The government has confirmed that fees, commission and bonuses should not be included.

The calculation is based on an employee’s actual monthly wage, before tax. If the employee has variable earnings then:

• for those employed for 12 months prior to the claim – the claim is for the higher of either the same month’s earnings last year, or the average monthly earnings for the 2019/20 tax year
• for those employed for less than 12 months – the claim is an average of monthly earnings of their period of work.

Employees are only entitled to National Minimum or Living Wage if they are working. If the 80% will drop them below that threshold you can pay the lower rate if they are not working. However, if they are required to complete any training (including online training) during this period they will have to be paid NMW / NLW even if that includes the employer topping up. The current rates and rates applicable from 6 April 2020 are here.

The employer and employee can agree to the reduced wage of 80% / £2,500, or the employer can agree to top up the salary to the full rate.

6. What about tax?

All employers remain liable for associated Employer National Insurance contributions and minimum automatic enrolment pension contributions on behalf of furloughed employees, but the grant claimed from HMRC can include this.

Wages of furloughed employees will be subject to income tax and National Insurance as usual (on the reduced rate). Employees will also pay automatic enrolment contributions on qualifying earnings unless they have chosen to opt-out.

7. When will my business be reimbursed for the wages paid during furlough?

HMRC hopes to have their online portal available by the end of April. It is not clear what their response times will be but given the present situation with COVID-19 it could take a while after the online portal opens for payments to be made.

8. What if someone is working their notice period right now, can I furlough them?

An employee who is working their notice period is still an employee, therefore, they can be furloughed along with the rest of the staff.

9. Can I rotate staff on furlough, for example, one week normal working, one week furlough?

Employees must be furloughed for a minimum of a 3 week period. There does not appear to be anything in the guidance that suggests they could not be rotated after that minimum period.

10. What about staff on maternity leave, sick leave etc?

Staff currently on sick leave and in receipt of sick pay should remain on sick leave until the end of that period, and can then be furloughed if agreed.

Staff on maternity leave, adoption leave, shared parental leave or paternity leave the usual rules for statutory payments apply.

11. How should I deal with someone on maternity or paternity leave who now wishes to return to my business to claim 80% (or £2,500) furlough pay?

Women on maternity leave must take the minimum maternity leave period off work (2 or 4 weeks as relevant) following the birth of their child. Following this if they wish to return to work they can do so in line with the usual notice periods.

12. Can I make staff redundant whilst they are on furlough leave?

The usual processes and procedures regarding redundancy remain in place. Therefore, a redundancy process can run alongside furlough leave.

The government has confirmed that furlough leave will only be available until 1 June and at that point your business must make a decision as to whether you bring back furloughed employees, implement another form of leave that you may have the contractual right to engage (e.g. unpaid lay off), or make them redundant.

If you are making 20+ staff redundant please take legal advice on collective consultation requirements.

Further information

For specific advice for your business, please get in touch with our specialist Employment Law team through this website or by calling 0330 404 0778.

Our partners at Ashtons HR Consulting are also on hand to assist you.

This information is correct at 3.30pm on 27 March 2020.

TaxAssist Accountants has rolled out a series of new initiatives to its network and created a dedicated Coronavirus Hub on its client website containing the latest support available for businesses affected by the pandemic. 

In a week of unprecedented turmoil and change caused by the global COVID-19 outbreak, staff at the TaxAssist Accountants Support Centre pulled out all the stops to ensure its network of accountants and their 76,000 clients are kept up to date with the very latest developments.

Karl Sandall, Group Chief Executive, said: “I cannot praise the team highly enough for the work that has been put in over the last week. From the technical team who have digested and created content for the hub, to the business development team who worked tirelessly to communicate to clients on behalf of franchisees, centrally sending around 250,000 emails in total.

“We have ensured the 60 members of staff at the Support Centre, who are all now working from home, have access to all the equipment they need to maintain our usual high levels of service and support to our network of accountants. They can then in turn, confidently advise and guide their clients with the very latest information to help them and their business. We also have assurance from all major key partners that they can also work remotely and maintain services.

“All franchisees continue to have access to Employmentor, a service that provides guidance and help with all employment related law issues, which is provided free of charge by us.”

The TaxAssist Coronavirus Hub will be continually updated, and the Support Centre team has been delivering the following for the network:

• Video tutorials and guides for franchisees on how to have client meetings using video technology to maintain service to new and existing clients.
• Video messaging from the Chief Executive and other Directors to provide guidance and support.
• Advice and tips on how to network on the online networking communities.
• Daily social media content covering further announcements from the Government.
• A dedicated section within the Franchisee Support Site to collate and access all COVID-19 related content.
• Daily COVID-19 update bulletin emailed to franchisees issued from the Support Centre, which contains a detailed summary of announcements from the Government, practice advice and support, client communications, new marketing materials and using technology.
• Live webinars delivered to franchisees outlining the latest changes and practical guidance around planning points.
• Advice on how to support clients with short-term cashflow planning and the tools we have available to assist with this.
• SMS texting to communicate with prospects and clients to keep them informed of working arrangements.

To view the TaxAssist Accountants Coronavirus hub click here.

If you are interested in joining the TaxAssist Accountants network, we intend to hold Discovery Days via video over the coming weeks. If you’d like to book onto a Discovery Day, we will require your CV and a completed application form which can be found on the website www.taxassistfranchise.co.uk

On 24 March 2020, the NHS announced that they were “rallying the troops” to encourage emergency volunteers to help the NHS fight the novel coronavirus.

Within 24 hours of their sign-up going live, they had over 400,000 emergency volunteers pledge to assist the NHS for two, three or four weeks. Such enthusiasm is promising to see in times like these and the government introduced The Coronavirus Act 2020 yesterday in order to navigate how situations like “emergency volunteer leave” should be treated.

What is emergency volunteer leave?

The Coronavirus Act 2020 passes legislation in place for the next 2 years. It enables emergency volunteers in health or social care to take unpaid time off work to assist the NHS. Volunteers who are currently employed elsewhere will provide their employer with a certificate which they will receive from the NHS (or another appropriate public body as set out in the Act), confirming that they will be an emergency volunteer for X amount of time.

The individual will be able to take the leave as certified if s/he provides the employer with the certificate and three working days’ notice. The period of leave will be 2, 3 or 4 weeks’ long and specified in the certificate. The initial volunteering period is over 16 weeks.

The employer cannot refuse the emergency volunteer’s request, however, they do not have to continue paying the employee whilst they are gone.

What if my employer refuses my emergency volunteer request?

Employers are not allowed to:

• refuse the emergency volunteer’s request
• treat an employee differently for choosing to take the leave or subject them to a detriment
• dismiss an employee because they became an emergency volunteer. If they do, this will automatically be unfair dismissal and the employee can make a claim against their employer.

What happens when I come back?

Once you have returned from emergency volunteer leave then you will be entitled:

• to return to your role on no less favourable terms than when you left
• to the benefit of all the terms and conditions of your employment contract
• to claim for any loss of earnings, travel and subsistence expenses from the Secretary of State.

The Secretary of State has yet to provide detail as to how these claims will be made or when they will be paid.

Further information

For specific advice for your business, please get in touch with our specialist Employment Law team through this website or by calling 0330 404 0778.

Our partners at Ashtons HR Consulting are also available to assist you.

This information is correct at 4.00pm on 26 March 2020.

Well these are unparalleled times never seen or experienced before. We are seeing clients mobilizing working from home who had never anticipated they would have the need to do so.

We have seen clients with businesses freezes and conversely clients who have boomed. We have a government hell bent on supporting business and the economy, but uncertainty still around what that looks and feels like.

And as a result of that many of our clients have turned off the tap in relation to their recruitment activities. The fact that what we are experiencing is brand new means no one knows recovery rates, no one knows when the air will be clear and normality will return…? And we get that, 100%. But that doesn’t mean we will stop being there for you.

Doesn’t mean we will stop chatting to you. Doesn’t mean we will stop offering you our advise, both on things recruitment related, and indeed not. The core thing is for everyone to support each other and for us all to do our bit for each other.

The thing that we can say, from what we have experienced over the past couple of weeks is that our clients who are continuing their recruitment efforts are benefitting from really great candidates who want to be considered.

The market is still buoyant. People are still open-minded to making a move, even more so where the company can showcase their capability to support and offer a certain level of structure in these uncertain times. Likewise, they are understanding of start dates which may not be in the immediate future. For the right move, they are open to wait.

We are seeing job seekers entering the market, through no fault of their own. Job seekers with excellent skills and experience. Job seekers who under “usual circumstances”, you may not ordinarily see within the marketplace. If your business is able to, this could be a fantastic time to secure super people with great skills to join you. Or to meet them, create a dialogue and then keep in touch for when things move forwards.

We’ve been able to support businesses with new technology and guidance in relation to conducting interviews remotely. We’ve supported businesses who are recognizing opportunities within the current climate.

We’re offering specialized payment terms for clients to ensure we can support their cash flow, which is going to be so key and integral to all businesses right now. We are and will continue to do everything we can to help you.

Our brilliant team are working remotely, as are Ruth and I and we are on hand to answer any of your questions and continue to support you in every way possible. So please, do not be shy in reaching out. We are here for you.