Member News

Norwich International Airport’s travel show, which is now in its sixth year, achieved record visitor numbers last weekend with circa 2,000 people attending, all keen to find out as much as possible about the wide range of holidays and flights available from their local airport.

Over 20 airline and tour operator exhibitors attended the event including KLM and Thomson with many commenting that Norwich International’s event is one of the busiest and most successful they attend across the UK and all were delighted with the response this year.

The evening prior, Norwich International, the airlines and tour operators hosted a local travel agents event with over seventy travel experts enjoying an informative, fun evening at Sprowston Manor Hotel. Andrew Bell, CEO, Norwich International Airport commented “This year’s show was undoubtedly the best we have put on in the six years the event has been running, with record visitor numbers. Its a fantastic opportunity for everyone within the Airport’s catchment area to meet airline and tour operator representatives and obtain first-hand knowledge and advice on the destinations they offer from our airport. Our travel show and travel agent event are the only time each year we have so many key travel industry personnel together collectively in Norwich and its testament to the support local people give to these events that they are willing to come. “

An added attraction at the year’s show was the unveiling of ‘Wish you were here’ the airport sponsored dragon which will be part of Break’s 2015 GoGo Dragon trail in Norwich.

The success of last weekend’s travel show comes as an added boost for the airport following recent announcements of new flights for holidaymakers in 2015 to Menorca, along with the news that Thomson Holidays will be offering twice weekly flights to Tenerife next winter.

We are pleased to announce that two of our divorce law practitioners,Amanda Owens, Solicitor, andEmma Alfieri, Chartered Legal Executive, have both been accepted to become members of the family law group Resolution.

Resolution is an organisation of 6,500 family lawyers in England and Wales who believe in a constructive, non-confrontational approach to divorce, separation and other family disputes. Resolution also campaigns for improvements to the family justice system.

A cornerstone of Resolution membership is adherence to their Code of Practice, which promotes an approach to family law that is sensitive, constructive, cost-effective and most likely to result in an agreement. The principles of the Code are widely recognised and have been adopted by the Law Society as recommended good practice for all family lawyers. The Code requires solicitors and other legal advisers to deal with each other in a civilised way and to encourage their clients to put their differences aside and reach fair agreements.

Amanda Owens, Solicitor and Head of the Family team at Steeles Law commented: “I am pleased that my colleague Emma and I have become members as, whilst we have always conducted our work in a constructive, non-confrontational manner, it is great to have our beliefs and working practices supported by Resolution, which can only be a positive thing.”

To find out more about the work that Resolution does, visitwww.resolution.org.uk.

To contact Amanda or Emma about adivorce, separation or other family matter, please emailfamily@steeleslaw.co.uk.

MigSolv, the specialist data centre consultancy, welcomed a class of A-level computing students from City Academy Norwich, the specialist digital technology and English school to see its state-of-the-art data centre on Barnard Road, Norwich.

Commenting on the visit, Alex Rabbetts, CEO MigSolv said: “I was thrilled to host a visit from one of the area’s top-performing technology schools and hoped the experience was invaluable to the students. As well as providing a fascinating tour of The Gatehouse students also got the opportunity to understand the relevance of the data centre, which plays a pivotal role in our digital lives.”

“Everything we do on our tablets, smartphones, wearable tech, laptops or anything in the Cloud goes through a data centre and back to a device. It was an intriguing session, a glimpse of the digital future, that I hope inspired many of them to think about exploring careers in IT or technology,” continued Rabbetts.

Jez Thompson, leader of learning at City Academy Norwich added: “We have always embraced innovation while being transformational with education at Norwich City Academy. The Gatehouse has a rich history in Norwich and the opportunity for our students to see its change into one of the country’s leading purpose-built facilities was one we couldn’t turn down. “Our computing curriculum has always embraced the constant change in industry and strives to marry technology advancements with the underlying academic principles of Computing Science”

A copy of Digital Fortress, a techno-thriller novel written by American author Dan Brown was presented to students.

The Gatehouse occupies 6,000m2 in 3.64 hectares of campus and provides affordable and reliable data centre space for regional and national businesses. Businesses, local, national and international can choose from a range of services that will help them do better business, expand globally and make them safer and more secure.

Previously, the site belonged to Aviva plc, the Norwich insurance group. The Gatehouse has won environmental accolades for its design: the EU Green Light and EU Code of Conduct awards.

City Academy Norwich is a secondary school in Norwich, England. It opened in September 2009, replacing Earlham High School. It is located near the University of East Anglia in Norwich. The Academy, an 11-16 school, is a local partnership, led by City College Norwich and working with University of East Anglia, Norfolk County Council and Norwich School. The academy specialises in Digital Technology and English.

MigSolv was founded in 2002 as Migration Solutions and became Europe’s leading specialist data centre consultancy, providing advice based on real life experience in all aspects of data centre design, operation and, as the name suggests, migration. In 2011 the company acquired its own data centre, branded the operation as MigSolv, and now operates a colocation facility offering very high quality, low cost and totally flexible data centre space to clients seeking exceptional service from the people who wrote the majority of data centre operation best practice in use today. For more information about MigSolv please visit www.migsolv.com

We’ve had the great pleasure of working with local company KSG on their Sequin Art products for a number of years now and 2014 saw our busiest time yet in preparation for Winter half term and Christmas, both key periods for craft-toy sales.

KSG and JMS both wanted a ‘step up’ for the 2014 campaign and so we aimed high, bringing to life the ‘Sparkling World of Sequin Art’ with 3D animation. From a living room setting 3 girls and a mum are transported to a magical world where the Sequin Art creations come to life and interact with their makers!

Written and Directed by Luke Witcomb, the commercial consisted of a two day shoot with living room and green screen sets – both of which were built and filmed in JMS’ TV studio. In post Motion Graphics Artist Hugh South set to work bringing to life sequinned dolphins, leopards, butterflies, dinosaurs and even Paddington Bear, with what must be at least a million sparkles! Despite the complexity the post-production had to be completed in well under 3 weeks as the German retailers needed their version (a 20 seconds cut down) broadcast asap. Working a bit in reverse JMS produced the cut down first, with German end-frame and soundtrack, delivered in HD to Super RTL in Germany ready for airing.

We then moved straight onto production of 6 sponsorship bumpers for Sequin Art’s sponsorship of CITV’s ‘Share A Story’ programme over Half Term. Bumpers complete and delivered (along with Compliance and Hardings Tests) we then moved onto finishing the production of the UK 30 seconds TV commercial in time for broadcast on several channels including ITV and Nickelodeon. And finally we were back doing a second retailer-tagged version for Germany and a pre-roll for Germany’s Disney Digital.

You can view the commercial in the video below or catch it on CITV throughout January!

We’ll leave Stephen Ducker of KSG to have the final word on what has been a busy, sparkling, fun-filled time at JMS.

“We are absolutely delighted with the results of both TV commercials and the six sponsorship bumpers. You have really pulled out all the stops for us this time… they look great… I am so pleased in fact I am dead chuffed with them.”

A familiar face returns to Bramley Lakes.

2015 sees the return of Kat Tindall as General Manager of Bramley Lakes Learning and Development in Norwich. Kat brings a diverse range of experience to Bramley Lakes having spent the majority of her career in consultancy and corporate Learning & Development roles.

In addition to taking responsibility for running the centre, she will work with the facilitation team to continue developing innovative leadership programmes that make a real difference to clients’ team effectiveness. Her considerable experience in Graduate Development, Assessment Centre design and delivery and Executive Coaching means that Bramley Lakes can continue to offer solutions that support the whole employee lifecycle with a consistent set of behaviours and values.

“Having worked for Bramley Lakes in the past as both a Facilitator and Business Development Manager it is exciting to be back heading up the centre at a time of growth” Kat said. “The really great thing is that in addition to the Leadership programmes and Team Building events we deliver as our core, we are working on more and more Recruitment Assessment Centres and Graduate Development programmes. Whilst this is a reassuring result of the improving employment picture, to me it more importantly signals that more organisations are assessing behaviours and attitudes at the point of recruitment which will improve their retention and team effectiveness. I am looking forward to reconnecting with the East Anglian business community and feel proud to be working with a passionate team who live our values and the models we share every day.”

When not at work, Kat enjoys acting and singing, cooking up a storm for friends and family and exploring the North Norfolk coast that has been her home for the last 8 years with her Husband Chris and 5 year old son Sam.

The New Year signifies an opportune time to reflect on the previous 12 months and plan ahead for the upcoming year (and beyond). With January drawing to a close, it’s time to pin down the right resolution for you in 2015. Leathes Prior Solicitors has come up with some suggestions we can help you with, to provide a little extra support when the initial enthusiasm for the New Year begins to wane. Our resolutions aim to cover various aspects of life; compiled to highlight important considerations which may not necessarily spring to mind, but are capable of having a significant positive impact on you personally, your business and on those around you:-

1.Location, location, location: Although the post-festive period has a reputation of being a time to scrimp and save; talks of an improving housing market, the recent changes to stamp duty land tax rates and the introduction of help-to-buy schemes mean that now is a good time, whether you’re making a move or you’re a first-time buyer, to take advantage and start planning.

2.Move on up: Make this year the year you take action and utilise one of the many options out there for business start-ups and expansion. You may choose to operate as a sole trader, partnership, limited company or franchise; each one has its unique benefits and tax implications – but just make sure you fully consider which option will best suit your circumstances.

3.The bottom line: Pursue your debtors! Now is the time to recover monies owed to you to improve the chances of getting paid before the end of the financial year. Not only will this improve cash flow in the typically slower months, but it will also result in a more impressive End of Year Profit and Loss Statement.

4.Peace of mind: Although it is never a particularly cheerful topic to begin the year with, having an up-to-date will is fundamental to achieving absolute certainty for those who are left behind. You should consider writing a will if you do not currently have one, or updating your existing will if your circumstances have since changed.

5.Failing to plan is planning to fail: Writing a will is only one part of estate planning; there are a wide range of options available to ensure assets pass tax efficiently. There may be other considerations such as preparing a Lasting Power of Attorney or putting in place an Advance Directive (Living Will) where early organisation would prevent future complications.

6.Review and renew: If you are responsible for a business, you should consider reviewing your standard terms and conditions of trade if you feel you have lost money in recent months due to gaps in your current wording. Having terms tailored to your business will ensure water-tight transactions and help prevent uncertainty and further unnecessary financial loss in the future.

7.The ‘A team’: Providing your business is eligible, you might wish to consider introducing a share option scheme to recruit, incentivise or retain key staff. There are a number of flexible tax-advantaged share schemes available, such as EMI (Enterprise Management Incentives) which offer employees the opportunity to earn shares in the business if they, for example, attain a specified length of service or hit performance-related targets.

8.Spring clean: When at the helm of your business, it can be easy to forget (or simply not have the time) to review current contracts, policies and other agreements. It is important to check your business is compliant with the current legislative requirements. To help with this, we offer a FREE legal audit of your business to review such documents and systems and provide a report detailing your level of compliance at no cost.

If you want to take on board any of these resolutions or simply learn more about the topics dealt with above, please get in touch with our team of experienced solicitors on 01603 610911 or email info@leathesprior.co.uk.

Note: The content of this article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Specific legal advice should be taken in any specific circumstance.

Are you recruiting for a new role at the moment? Are you having problems finding the right candidate? Maybe there’s a candidate shortage in that area. Perhaps you could consider employing someone from a different professional background.

Whether it’s insurance, retail or technology, understandably, you want candidates to bring the best possible expertise for your particular industry. You need them to help your organisation develop and become stronger in the marketplace.

But in some industries such as IT, we’re seeing significant skills shortages around the UK. There are times when employers and recruiters need to look beyond sector-specific experience and consider applicants who can transfer their skills to the vacancy.

The benefits include an employee bringing fresh ideas and perspectives, enabling the organisation to grow and develop in new ways.

But how can you identify a candidate with good transferrable skills and qualities that’ll fit the bill? Well, we’ve listed a few ‘signs’ to look out for to help you find the right person.

1. They’re good leaders

If you’re recruiting at management level, you’ll be looking for a candidate who has worked in leadership and management roles before. Such experience can be gained from a variety of jobs in different industries. For example, a store manager is likely to have managed customer-facing staff in a fast-paced environment, handled sensitive customer and staff issues, and possibly driven their team to hit targets. This sort of talent can be transferred to other roles where tenacity, focus and a goal-orientated personality is required.

2. They know how to manage projects

Unpack many project management roles and you’ll see that many of the skills can be applied to lots of jobs. Excellent budget management, strategy development, and monitoring and evaluation skills are invaluable to a whole range of roles. If you receive a CV that doesn’t exactly match your expectations, but there’s good project management experience on it, it may be worth exploring further.

3. They communicate clearly

An employee with excellent communication skills can build positive relationships quickly. And as businesses become ever more connected through digital channels, firms now need staff who can hold productive conversations on the phone, by email and by video. They also need to know how to listen. So, crystal-clear communication has become an essential ability for job applicants.

4. They are tech savvy

Following on from the above, knowledge of digital resources and other technology is very important. Regardless of level of seniority, your new employee should be able to transfer knowledge of various tools and software, which businesses now rely on.

5. They’re a keen (and quick) learner

Look at a candidate’s history to find out if they’ve ever experienced a steep learning curve or two. If so, even without the specific skills you’re looking for, they are more likely to be able to cope with taking on lots of new knowledge in a short space of time. And are eager to get their teeth into a job and hit the ground sprinting!

6. They have relevant personal qualities

Although a candidate may not have skills that exactly match your job description, they may still possess traits that are key to the role. Do they seem determined yet level-headed? Do they do a sport that demands a lot of concentration and motivation? Perhaps they enjoy independent travel in their free time, indicating a confident and curious personality.

7. They’re open to training

If you think an applicant needs a skills-boost, from the very first conversation with them, make sure you know whether they’re prepared to undertake training. With lots of passion and drive, a new recruit could really upgrade their knowledge for the job through carefully chosen learning and development.

Opening the door to job seekers with non-specific skills can bring fresh energy to your organisation, which in itself can help innovation and creativity. So, who may seem unsuitable on first glance, might actually grow into the perfect person for the job!

Holiday pay hit the news headlines last year following a significant decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal as to whether extra pay for working overtime should be included in holiday pay calculations.

In the combined case of Bear Scotland Ltd v Fulton & others, the EAT was asked to determine what constitutes ‘normal remuneration’ for holiday pay purposes, and more specifically, whether non-guaranteed overtime and other allowances have to be included in determining holiday pay. Now that the dust has settled, Nicola Butterworth, Associate Solicitor at Howes Percival LLP, explores the potential implications of this decision for businesses and considers what they should be doing now?

What is the issue with holiday pay?

The EAT’s decision, followed the earlier decisions of the Court of Justice of the European Union including British Airways v Williams and Lock v British Gas, which clarified that during paid leave, workers are entitled to receive any remuneration that is intrinsically linked to the performance of the tasks that they are required to carry out under their contract of employment for which a monetary amount is provided. These cases established that holiday pay calculations should include certain additional payments, such as commission, provided that they constituted ‘normal remuneration’. The consequence of these decisions is that businesses could face claims from workers for failure to pay such amounts.

What is ‘normal remuneration’?

The EAT confirmed that holiday pay must correspond to normal remuneration, which is that which is normally received by a worker.

Can overtime pay constitute ‘normal remuneration’ for holiday purposes?

Yes. It has been established for some time that guaranteed overtime pay must be taken into account when calculating holiday pay. In the case of Bear Scotland, the EAT distinguished ‘non-guaranteed overtime’ (overtime that the employer does not guarantee to provide, but which an employee, if requested, is obliged to perform) from guaranteed overtime and voluntary overtime. The EAT confirmed that pay for ‘non-guaranteed overtime’ should also be included in the calculation of holiday pay in certain circumstances, but only for 4 weeks’ of a full-time worker’s total 5.6 weeks’ holiday pay entitlement each year (pro-rated for part-time workers). Unfortunately, no guidance was provided by the EAT as to the mechanism that businesses should use to calculate holiday pay to include non-guaranteed overtime pay. The EAT did not specifically deal with overtime that is entirely voluntary, but it is anticipated that, in time, case-law will determine that voluntary overtime that forms part of a worker’s normal remuneration should also be included in holiday pay.

What are the implications of this decision for businesses?

The main impact for businesses is the potential risk of their workers raising claims for underpayment of holiday pay. While the EAT and new legislation (introduced earlier this month) has limited the scope for workers to recover underpayment of holiday pay by way of an unlawful deductions from wages claim, the requirement for business to include non-guaranteed overtime pay in holiday pay could mean an increase in their overall wage bill. For those businesses that traditionally use overtime to manage fluctuations in demand for their goods and services, this decision could have significant financial implications.

What should businesses be doing now?

Businesses should consider the impact of this decision and assess the potential liabilities that they face. Dependent on the holiday pay arrangements they currently have in place, businesses may decide to take action now to prevent claims for historic underpayment of holiday pay and to ensure that they are properly protected going forward. Subject to any future legal developments, the EAT decision is clear that businesses are legally obliged to ensure that all guaranteed overtime pay and, in certain circumstances, non-guaranteed overtime pay should be included in holiday pay calculations.

Howes Percival LLP is sponsoring and hosting the March 2015 Norfolk Chamber of Commerce HR Forum, which will focus on the impact of recent case-law decisions on the calculation of holiday and provide strategic advice for HR professionals tasked with handling this difficult issue, as well as guiding them through the new right to shared parental leave and the implementation of this regime in practice.

Thanks to the support of our fantastic clients, Reflection PR is once again expanding and recruiting a Digital PR Executive.

Working with companies in the leisure, tourism, retail and food and drink sectors, our agency is looking for someone with a passion for writing and social media and can support our client accounts and develop our digital offering.

It’s an exciting time at Reflection PR as we recently moved into our new office at The Old Church on St. Matthews Road in Norwich and continue to grow our business.

More information about this role and how to apply ishere.

Closing date is 27th January – we look forward to heating from any interested candidates.

When Anglian Home Improvements embarked on one of its biggest product roll-outs ever, Triple Glazing, it commissioned JMS to produce all video and TV content, in a wide range of genres, onto a multitude of platforms. As a special bonus all our productions were premiered to national and regional managers at BAFTA, which after two years of production, often in secrecy, we (blushingly) felt was rather an appropriate setting for a project which had called on all our skills – and then some!

Actually, it really is unusual for a project to call on quite so many of our skills at once:

• For launch – the National television advertising campaign blended live action with 3D, conceptualised by The Point, portraying typical homes in far from typical settings – a house wearing ear-defenders.
• For sales teams – a studio-based training production capturing the step by step process of explaining this very advanced product to a customer.
• For customers – a simple explainer – ‘Triple – what is it?’ in a pencil-drawing style designed to complement and expand-on the ‘white space’ concept of the TV campaign.
• For all Anglian Home Improvements staff – a 36 minute documentary on the Triple Glazing journey incorporating time-lapse of the huge new factory line being installed; Tomorrow’s World-style product-endurance tests; the company’s very first triple-glazing installation;and acoustic tests on location with a specialist camera incorporating an amazing 259 microphones.

For the documentary Anglian persuaded Eco-specialist presenter Philippa Forrester to take time away from her current home in Wyoming. And as if all that wasn’t variety enough, with Anglian as the headline sponsor of October’s Grand Designs Live at the NEC, JMS found itself re-versioning everything for LED screens, stand videos, on-line, and for the sales team’s iPads. After leading its industry for almost 50 years, Anglian Home Improvements knows how to keep its marketing fresh, engaging, and persuasive, and JMS is delighted to be an integral part of that process.

Parker Hydraulics and Pneumatics Ltd is proud to be an official Gates Fluid Power distributor. The Gates Corporation is the world’s leading manufacturer of power transmission belts and a premier global manufacturer of fluid power products. Their highly engineered products are critical components used in diverse industrial and automotive applications where the cost of failure is very high relative to the cost of our products.

Working in conjunction with Gates, we aim to provide a differentiated value proposition to customers by offering a complete portfolio of premium product and service solutions for both replacement and first-fit applications across various targeted end markets, which encompass process and specialty, construction, agriculture, energy, transportation, and automotive.

Gates sell their products globally under the “Gates” brand, which is recognized by distributors, original equipment manufacturers, and installers as the premium brand for quality and technological innovation, a reputation which has been built for over a century since their founding in 1911, all of which can be purchased from ourselves.

As an engineering leader with a strong foundation in research and development, Gates is committed to advancing the science of motion performance by developing safe, forward-thinking products, services, systems, and solutions, as well as fostering long-term customer and employee relationships. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Gates employs over 14,000 people across 106 locations in 30 countries.

“If it moves you, there’sa good chance Gates has a part in it. Gates, Powering Progress.”

There are so many benefits to using video to promote your business now. These benefits range from the technical and statistical to the behavioural and emotional – the range of benefits for you and your business in using a video to promote the business as a whole, or explain specific concepts and ideas and communicate your messages and ideas.

If you’d like to learn more about how About My Business Video can help you produce video for your business and for your marketing, we’d love to hear from you. You can call us any time for a free and no obligation chat on 01328 738 333 or 07977 493 774.

Michael Brook