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Chamber membership provides access to key information, expert advice and legal protection, enabling you to stay informed, legally compliant and free to focus on what you do best – building your business.
Flex working requests must work for businesses and employers
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Proposed changes to employee rights, to legalise flexible working requests on the first day of a new job, must work for businesses and employees alike, says The HR Dept. The SME human resources outsourcing expert has broadly welcomed a Government move to speed up the process of giving employees more flexibility around working hours and location. But the company, which provides support to more than 6,500 SMEs around the UK, said the arrangement needs to work for businesses too. Arrangements such as job sharing, compacted hours, annualised hours or phased retirement may suit both male and female employees but may not be in the best interests of the business. The HR Dept suggested that smaller businesses in particular may struggle to absorb resulting costs of communications, contractual and policy changes. And it also raised concerns over productivity, retention and recruitment, which can disproportionately affect smaller businesses when compared to their larger competitors. Under the proposals, which were put out to consultation, employees would no longer have to wait for six months before submitting requests for flexible working. In turn, employers would have to respond to requests more quickly than the current maximum of three months, and offer reasonable justification for refusing any requests. The consultation is part of the Government’s Good Work Plan programme, under which The HR Dept has represented the views of UK SMEs since it was set up in 2018. Caroline White, director The HR Dept Cambridge and North Herts, urged the Government to consider the implications for SMEs, which employ 60 per cent of the UK’s private sector staff. “My concern is the impact any new rules will have on the smaller businesses we represent in the Cambridge and Hertfordshire areas. “While we of course recognise the benefits to employees of proposals to support better work life balance, there are always knock-on effects of new legislation and it is usually smaller businesses which feel those the most. “Greater flexibility over working hours and place of work can of course help smaller businesses attract and retain the best employees. However there are also costs to consider, for example with internet security, health and safety implications once the home becomes the workplace, new technology requirements and additional training requirements. “There may be resentment from those without children towards the flexibility given to those with. In a small business this is hard to manage. At an incredibly challenging time for small businesses in particular, with many struggling to stay afloat, changes need to be properly thought through before implementation in law. “Currently, the rules allow for rejection of a flexible working application based on costs, administrative concerns, productivity or recruitment issues. Will these be seen in future as justifiable reasons for refusing a request? “Business owners must balance an understanding that flexible working request laws consist of a right to request, not a right for the employee to have whatever they want. At present the onus is on the employee to demonstrate how a change in their employment contract would impact on the company. Hopefully that will remain the case. “Owners must take these seriously though, or risk tribunal – particularly if care of children or disabled people are involved, bearing in mind the potential for discrimination claims.” Caroline White said it is important to recognise the variety of flexible working patterns available: “Hybrid working – a mixture of office and home-based working – is becoming more common but flexibility doesn’t just mean where you work. It includes giving the employee more say over which hours they work, supporting parents with requests at school holiday time, allowing flexibility for carers, giving breaks when required, potential job sharing, and so on. “These ideas were first mooted in the 1980s. Maybe it’s time to redesign these concepts for the 2020s with SMEs at the forefront. As ever, it’s those smaller businesses which are least catered for in the national debate, even though they make up 60 per cent of our nation’s employees.”
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Reap the benefits of bringing personality to your LinkedIn page
Okay, it’s time to get personal - well, when it comes to LinkedIn at least! Some will say that LinkedIn has become too much like Facebook – it’s not about B2B interactions any more, but simply people looking to get engagement by sharing the most emotive content (whether that’s related to work or not). But to get meaningful engagement on social media, LinkedIn included, we know we need to be producing content that really appeals to people. Here are six tips from Amy Bull – head of content at Peterborough-based PR and digital marketing specialists Media Matters – that you could try to show the personality behind your business, increase engagement and make LinkedIn work harder for you as a marketing channel:
1. Celebrate milestones
Don’t be afraid of ‘blowing your own trumpet’– particularly if you’re doing it in a way that celebrates the achievements of your hard-working team. Sharing good news and milestone achievements about anniversaries, awards and business growth can be a big morale boost for your team, whilst also demonstrating to a wider audience the knowledge within your business – positioning you as experts in your field.
2. Run a ‘meet the team’ campaign
Ask your team members if they would be up for taking part in a mini ‘meet the team’ campaign on your company’s LinkedIn page. This could be as simple as sharing a few facts about a team member on your page – helping people to ‘get to know’ who’s behind your business. This can really help show the personality behind your business, particularly in the world of remote working.
3. Share advice directly from your team
Ask a knowledgeable team member to answer a question in a few sentences and share this advice on your page. This could be top tips from a customer services representative on maintenance for one of your products or the head of a department focussing on something relevant to your sector that’s hit the headlines recently. And if they are feeling particularly brave, why not ask them to do this in video format?
4. Enable your employees to be active on their own profiles
Don’t forget that it’s not just about your company’s LinkedIn page, but what your employees are doing on their profiles too. You’ll want your employees to be positively engaging with your company posts but also reinforcing the good work you’re doing on your page with posts of their own. Consider investing in some LinkedIn training to help equip your team with the knowledge – and confidence – to start sharing on their own profiles.
5. Share the results of your hard work
When you see engagement increasing on your LinkedIn page, share this achievement with your team. Let them know that it’s their involvement and own content creation that is helping to fuel that engagement. It brings to life just how effective LinkedIn can be as a platform and naturally encourages more people to ‘get on board’!
6. Show the faces behind your business
Don’t be camera shy! Whether you’re on a team outing together, or you’re sharing the latest product advice from a sales representative, use photos to help people put a face to a name. It can be as simple as sharing a great headshot photo of a team member alongside a relevant post or capturing a few action shots from a team building day
Chamber membership provides access to key information, expert advice and legal protection, enabling you to stay informed, legally compliant and free to focus on what you do best – building your business.
The pandemic is still with us and Covid 19 has not gone away. Case numbers are still high in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and hospitalisations and deaths are still happening. It is anticipated that Covid-19 will be circulating in our communities for some time to come. Encouraging employees to get vaccinated is a vital way that local employers can keep their workforce healthy and reduce absence due to illness. The Covid-19 vaccine is safe and effective and has been incredibly successful at reducing severe illness and hospitalisation. Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council together with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group are providing pop up vaccination centres at workplaces. Find out more about the COVID-19 vaccination programme in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough via: www.cambridgeshireandpeterboroughccg.nhs.uk Employers have a key role in increasing vaccine uptake: • Providing information about vaccination alongside supportive policies and practices can promote confidences amongst employees • Workers who are hesitant at first may become more confident after seeing co-workers get vaccinated • Mobile clinics can return to a workplace at different times on multiple occasions • Staff members do not have to be registered with a GP or have an NHS number to get a Covid-19 vaccination • The Covid-19 vaccination is free of charge for all. Dr Gary Howsam, Chair of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “The COVID-19 vaccination is still our best protection from Coronavirus. We’re asking all employers in our area to encourage their staff to get the vaccine, to stay safe and stay working. “It’s now easier than ever to get your COVID-19 vaccine in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, with the Vaccinators on Tour providing daily walk-in clinics as well as a number of pop-up sessions in the area. Simply visit www.thevaccinators.co.uk to find a walk-in venue near you, or if you prefer to book your appointments you can still do this through the National Booking System via www. nhs.uk/covidvaccine or by calling 119.” For an up-to-date list of current walk-in centres and pop-up clinics in your area visit: www.thevaccinators.co.uk For translated materials in multiple community spoken languages see: bit.ly/3fqxaWZ Also available is a ‘workplace vaccine information pack’. This resource gives trusted vaccine information to employees and includes support to communicate with your staff members about the benefits of vaccination: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/pyw6u7gwfsdeyc0/AAAHTviHQQnR0OOXU7rIwM0a?dl=0 Alongside a visit from the pop up vaccination team you can also access free trusted vaccine confidence training for Line Managers https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/covid-19-vaccineconfidence-training There are also free, bespoke Q&A sessions for staff. Email Vaccinations.CV19@cambridgeshire.gov.uk for availability. • Staff members do not have to be registered with a GP or have an NHS number to get a Covid-19 vaccination • The Covid-19 vaccination is free of charge for all Other useful sources of information: CIPD have a helpful guide on preparing for workplace vaccination https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/fundamentals/emp-law/ health-safety/preparing-for-covid-19-vaccination ACAS have a free e-learning module on how employers can best support staff to get Covid-19 vaccinations https://elearning.acas.org.uk/
What is Cyber Essentials and do you need it?
Our government believes all businesses need Cyber Essentials, large or small, and we agree with them. Cyber Essentials is a government-driven initiative providing guidance to help you measure your company’s defenses against cyber threats. The basic scheme is an online self-assessment and will help your business validate its cyber security setup. If passed, you receive a certificate, which will give you an advantage over your competitors. It helps demonstrate to your clients and customers your commitment to cyber security and that you are safe and compliant. The assessment must be conducted every year. The standard cost of the basic Cyber Essentials certification is £300 (plus VAT). Cyber Essentials Plus takes the assessment to another level and is assessed by government approved bodies. The price of the Cyber Essentials Plus is dependent on your organisation, size, and security setup. If you are looking for prove to yourselves and your customers that you take IT security seriously, you should consider the Cyber Essentials certification. To find out more, we are happy to answer questions and either help you or point you in the right direction. Please do not hesitate to contact us on 01223 901900, email us at ask@cambridgesupport.com or visit www.cambridgesupport.com
