Member News

East of England recruitment consultancy firm, Pure Resourcing Solutions (Pure), has launched the first live peer-to-peer salary comparison website in the UK. www.comparemysalary.co.uk is designed to add a greater level of transparency to the taboo workplace conversation topic – how much do people really earn.

www.comparemysalary.co.uk has attracted over 1,200 salary entries from professionals in HR, financial services, executive management, accountancy, marketing, IT and office support since launching just a few weeks ago, quickly establishing the site as offering the most sophisticated, accurate and up-to-date salary data for London and the East of England.

The site considers more than just a person’s job title and location. It also looks at the benefits a person is receiving, their years of work experience, the number of people reporting to them, their highest level of education, and the size and industry of the firm they work for. www.comparemysalary.co.uk provides employers and job seekers alike with a holistic insight into regional activity.

Best of all, the data is confidential and free for anyone to access!

Gill Buchanan, Director at Pure, explains: “The website is the first of its kind in the UK but we have made it exclusively available in London and the East of England to support both local employers and employees. It takes the concept of the traditional paper-based salary survey to a whole new level of efficacy and value. There is an increasing trend for people freely exchanging valuable information online – this website taps into that.

“Employers can use it in their market research to get a much clearer idea of what employees expect to be paid, and the benefit packages other employers are providing. This is key knowledge in retaining and attracting good quality staff.”

Gill adds: “Naturally, it’s good news for employees who want to know what their peers are earning, and what benefits are available, so they are fully prepared for the job search and salary reviews.”

Alison Brown, HR and Training Manager at Fraser Offshore Ltd in Great Yarmouth says: “It is quite simply the most comprehensive and simple-to-use tool that I have come across as an employer and recruiter. Often market/ salary surveys are dated by the time you receive them, the data is broadly banded and the value of these surveys deplete as the year roles by.

“This tool provides me with instant comparators which, being based on real time reporting and actual salary and benefit data, as opposed to ‘between’ ranges, is more accurate and far more detailed. I can see me utilising this to assess the level of offers that we should be making, for identifying innovative remuneration strategies that we may not have thought of, and for reviewing company remuneration arrangements to ensure that we remain an employer of choice within our industry. Truly impressed!”

www.comparemysalary.co.uk operates on a ‘give to get’ model. Employees provide anonymous salary data by answering questions about their current role, and in return they get access to all the salary information shared by others. People can generalise their job title if it is highly unique or easily identifiable.

As salary data is entered by members of the community the site works on an honesty system. There is really no incentive for contributors to mislead people about what they earn. Any inflated or inconsistent salary entries can be ‘flagged’ as suspicious by other members of the community or by Pure, and quickly removed from the system to ensure the accuracy of data is maintained. The site also makes use of the median (as opposed to the average) to report cumulative salary results, helping to lessen the impact of any ‘extreme’ salary entries.

One of the other key differences of the site over the traditional ‘once a year’ salary survey is that salary data is continually added by site visitors on a daily basis, with the salary database updated in real time and available for instant searching.

Gill concludes: “As salary entries to the site continue to grow, our hope is that the site becomes an indispensable research resource that is continually referred to by job seekers, current employees and employers alike.”

To visit the site to contribute your salary or conduct a free search of the salary database, go to www.comparemysalary.co.uk. For more information, contact Anna Hill, Pure’s Marketing Manager, on: anna.hill@prs.uk.com or 01223 209888.

Timez Design was instrumental last year in raising just over £10,000 for the Prince’s Trust.

Timez design was actually started with a loan from the PT in 1998. it was therefore a huge thrill to raise money for them. This was not the first time we have been involved in raising money for the Trust and guess what? We are doing it again this year.

We will try and keep you updated on this forum but please do give us a call in the mean time if you think you’d like to help.

The Prince’s Trust is an amazing organisation which helps thousands of young people every year.

SaxonAir are thrilled to announce being nominated for the Best Private Jet Hire Company in the National Luxury & Lifestyle Awards this year. The National Luxury & Lifestyle Awards is a British awards ceremony held by the Chelsea Monthly Magazine celebrating the best luxury products, brands and services.

Lucy Coleman, Editor at Chelsea Monthly commented ‘The list of brands nominated this year shows that there is a consistent rise of luxury consumers. The majority of luxury consumers define luxury now by the e intrinsic values such as quality, exclusivity and craftsmanship, over external factors like brand visibility. Most luxury consumers are advocates for brands they like , with 90 percent speaking about brands, with their key motivations being superior quality, design and customer service‘

Voting closes on July 29th and the winners will be announced at the poll winners party in Mayfair on the 31st.

If you would like to vote for SaxonAir please follow the link below. Once you receive your password please return to this original link to log in and vote, thank you!

https://chelseamonthly.com/nlla/voting/

Following the recent announcement of their rotary AOC, SaxonAir Helicopters offer the addition of the Airbus Helicopters EC155 to its fleet. The EC155 will be exclusively marketed alongside SaxonAir’s existing range of helicopters and is operated in collaboration with DanCopter.

The EC155 B1 variant has excellent overall capabilities featuring a completely redesigned cabin providing 30% more passenger space than previous helicopter models and an endurance of over 1 hour 30 minutes flying time at full passenger capacity. The EC155 will be offered in a corporate layout configuration with a capacity of up to 10 passengers and is operated multi-crew under full instrument flying conditions both day and night.

Max Randall, SaxonAir Helicopter Operations says, ‘We’re really looking forward to working with DanCopter on bringing this unique and versatile helicopter to the UK and European charter markets. The aircraft is fantastic at moving large amounts of people into private sites in a quick and comfortable manner, for example sporting events and music festivals.’

The aircraft will be based within SaxonAir’s headquarters at the Klyne Business Aviation Centre at Norwich Airport ideally placed to also facilitate the offshore and onshore East Anglian energy sector.

Operating out of Norwich the aircraft is a short flying time from London and an example flight time between London and Manchester is less than an hour door to door.

To charter the EC155 contact SaxonAir’s dedicated helicopter charter department by calling +44 (0)1603 518115 or email heliops@saxonair.com.

What are the New Food Information Regulations?

Essentially they are about giving Food Information to the consumers of your foods! but it is not just about Food Labels or Food Packaging it is about staff knowledge & interaction with the consumer

The Food Iinformation for Consumers, Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, apply in the UK from 13 December 2014 to all caterers

Caterers must be ready to give information to their customers on food allergens used in their dishes. We have had labels on packaged foods for some time, and the law applying to them will be changing too- think May Contain and hidden small print!

But the biggest change is that those who supply unpackaged goods- caterers, deli’s, cafes, sandwich bars, pubs & resturants will now need to comply

The requirement is to provide information to consumers on what is in the food, some 2 million (FSA fiqures) people in this country suffer from a Food Allergy; this is both frightening for those suffering- the worst case scenario would be an analphylactic shock/ fatality but can be seen as an opportunity for business!

The regulations are not daunting if a company is already managing its Food Safety!

The Statutory Instrument has now been issued so we now have the detail. We have recently assisited the Food Standards Agency with training Enforcement Officers (Environmental Health and Trading Standards)

We have already been advising clients on how to comply, and we have run an open free workshop- we have another workshop scheduled for 14th October, but are also able to offer a Level 3 Award in Food Allergen Management for Caterers (both as an in-house course, or an open course is running on 17th September in Norwich), and also consultancy on this issue. A cieh eLearning course will be available from October, but we are also able to help trainn staff. It has been included on our Food Safety Courses for some time now.

So if you are interested in knowing more please be in touch www.redcat.gb.com

Norwich Sunblinds each month donates to a charity a £1.00 for each blind, curtain and roman fold sold. The month of June 2014 was NNAB and £1060.00 was raised.

We were greeted by Julie Lythgoe from the NNAB who Fiona Garwood and Lesley Brinkley from Norwich Sunblinds presented the cheque to on behalf of the NNAB.

The front gardens looked absolutely beautiful and they are hoping to follow this through to the intregal garden which the residents use to sit in.

The Charity for July 2014 is PACT Animal Sanctuary, the largest ‘all animal sanctuary and rescue centre in Norfolk and Suffolk

TVC will be exhibiting at the 53rd BINDT Conference and Exhibition held at the Palace Hotel, Manchester 9th – 11th September 2014, including the ASAMS Subsea MPI Inspection Equipment.

The BINDT annual conference is the foremost conference for the Non Destructive Testing and Condition Monitoring industries. The table top exhibition is held within the conference and allows member companies a valuable opportunity to demonstrate new technologies available to delegates and representatives of a variety of engineering and fabrication industries.

For further information on the exhibition, please visit: https://bit.ly/1oDY4Gv

As we celebrate the success of our first Women’s Leadership Programme (WLP) we’re really pleased to see that our delegates have been inspired to get out there and forge ahead with their careers. Since the initiative has proven to be so valuable to the ladies that took part, we thought it’d be a great idea to share some of the lessons learned with you too!

But first, a little bit of background on our unique initiative.

WLP offers aspiring female professionals a unique opportunity to develop their careers within a challenging and supportive environment. Its dual approach sets it apart from other women’s development courses.

How? Well, programme participants are supported by senior sponsors, who usually come from the delegates’ own organisations. The programme, with the help of the sponsors help the women identify and tackle obstacles at work, and influence organisational culture resulting in a workplace that encourages women’s senior careers. This way the programme not only develops participants’ skills, but it also aims to influence their organisations so more women get more opportunities to become effective leaders.

If you’re an ambitious woman with your eye on a top job, read on for some important leadership advice…

1. Be proud of who you are!

WLP aims to encourage delegates to just be their authentic selves as they progress in their careers. Why? Well, if you ‘pretend’ to be someone you’re not to get to the top, you may well end up making decisions that’ll make you and others unhappy. So, ditch the idea of adopting an ‘alpha male’ attitude – instead, be the best version of yourself, and be proud to contribute ideas that come from your experience of being a woman.

2. You control your destiny

Don’t wait for success to knock on your door. Have the self-assurance to push yourself forward instead of expecting someone else to recommend you for that coveted senior position. Plan your future as if it’s absolutely going to happen, and don’t be afraid to remind your employer now and then what you’re capable of. Remember to balance this kind of confidence with sensitivity and intelligence – there’s a difference between genuine self-assurance and arrogance!

3. Sharing with your peers

If you tend to shy away from talking about concerns that are bothering you, you’re not alone. Many women avoid talking about work-related problems with their peers, but by not dealing with their worries, their careers could splutter to a halt. A remedy is to find a mentor to answer your questions and listen to you without judging. This could unlock huge leadership potential in many women who’ve previously been held back by their own fears.

4. Think beyond your boundaries

All of us are creatures of habit: we can fall into using the same old strategies to tackle problems. To improve your chances of a successful career, learn to think beyond your usual approach. What hasn’t worked before? Why? How can you shift your perspective to try something new? Being more resourceful can get you places, and your creativity will get you noticed. After all, it’s very likely that the Hilary Clintons of our world have had to apply out-of-the-ordinary tactics to achieve their vision!

WLP has been developed by both Pure and People & Performance Ltd, and each course is split into two sessions of two days each. To get involved in future programmes, simply get in touch and we’ll tell you everything you need to know. Drop a line to Anna Hill, Pure’s Marketing Manager: anna.hill@prs.uk.com. We hope to see you there!

UFS Ltd – Family Business – Established 1963 – Based in IP24 Thetford, Norfolk

Daily European Road Freight Services / Worldwide Seafreight and Airfreight Services / Warehousing & Storage

We will again be exhibiting at Norfolk Chamber of Commerce B2B at Norwich City Football Club on Wednesday 15th October 2014

Are you already an exporter or importer? Are you looking to export / import but need advice? We can help…..come along and say hello to our Sales Manager, David Cowell

www.uniex.co.uk

The law with respect to Allergen Management for Caterers is chaning in December.

We have been assisting clients with these new requirements and have run a free business workshop- see our website www.redcat.gb.com for the next date

But now we are able to off the HABC Level 3 Award in Food Allergen Management for Caterers! The first open course will be run on the 17th September in Norwich during the Norfolk Food and Drink Festival.

The course is delivered via a one day taught session, and delegates are then required to complete a work book.

This qualification will enable delegates to ; Understand the different roles in ensuring that food ingredients and allergens are effectively managed Comprehend the characteristics of food allergies and food intolerances Understand procedures relating to the accurate communication of ingredient information, from supplier to consumer Appreciate hygiene considerations with regard to allergen and ingredient control Develop or assist in the development of procedures relating to the control of contamination and cross contamination of allergenic ingredients

Contact us for booking details; we will also be launching the CIEH new eLearning courses; in Allergens, HACCP and Labelling later this month

The course will be delivered by Sarah Daniels who has recently been seconded to the Food Standards Agency to deliver training to Enforcement Officers on the requirements of the new Legislation.

Life is too short, do not make it any shorter

The new website for leading glass supplier, Ecoglass, is now live. Norwich website design agency Bigfork were appointed to design a new, modern website that positioned Ecoglass as a leader in the supply of energy efficient glass units. The new site has strong imagery and clear navigation combined with key messages and calls to action. A SilverStripe CMS makes easy work of website updates by the Ecoglass team. See the new site at www.ecoglass.co.uk

Bigfork – we make websites stand out 01603 513080www.bigfork.co.uk

ESE Direct’s Social Media & Web Content Co-ordinator, Laura Holland, takes a look through how social media began.

Social Media is still a very young platform only gaining traction in the last 4-5 years but it can trace its roots back as long ago as 1994 when GeoCities launched (for those, like me, who are old enough to remember) it allowed users to create their own websites and visit others (I had a Sailor Moon and Buffy page…er, anyway), it grew up to have 38 million users until it was shut down in 2009 (although it still exists in Japan as a hosting company).

August 4th 1997 human decisions are removed from strategic defence. Skynet begins to learn at a geometric rate…wait, wrong article…

OK so Skynet didn’t happen in 1997, but, the web started to grow, it had one million sites online and signalled the birth of blogging, it was also the start of instant messaging (AOL anyone?). Moving onto 1998 (the year of the Hamster Dance) and Google opens up as an internet search engine and index and in 1999 Friends Reunited was the very first social network to take off, reconnecting people with their old school and university friends.

Fast forward to the early noughties and in 2003 you had the launch of MySpace.com and LinkedIn. It was also the year that Apple introduced iTunes, as mp3 players gained in popularity. Podcasting would begin a year later in 2004 (the same year Facebook was created for students at Harvard).

A few years later, in 2006 and you had the launch of Twitter which was a social networking and microblogging site, allowing users to send and receive 140 character messages or tweets. YouTube had launched and MySpace was the most popular social networking site (maybe it was the dilemma of arranging your top 8 friends?) and Facebook expanded its membership to anyone over the age of 13.

Jumping to 2010 and Facebook now has over 400 million users while MySpace users have withered down to 57million (Poor Tom!) and the amount of people using the internet is 1.97 billion, that’s around 30% of the global population. It was also this year that more people got news from the internet than the traditional method of newspapers (OMG I need to tweet this!).

In 2011 social media was accessible for pretty much everywhere with apps available for smart phones and the recently launched iPad and other tablets on the market, more and more people were spending time online connecting with others. Because of this social commerce was on the climb, as was the concern over privacy with more people being more open about their lives, it flagged up issues regarding identity theft and private information available to all. 2011 was also the year that Google+ launched.

The next couple of years the rise of social media and the popularity of the smartphone and tablets have gone hand in hand, making social media accessible 24/7. Facebook now boasts over 1 billion users, Twitter over 500million closely followed by YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn.

It is no wonder that companies are now taking it seriously; it’s a great way of engaging with your customers and more importantly potential customers. It has only been very recently that companies are investing in Social Media teams but as the social media community continues to grow and evolve it is a worthwhile investment.