Business News

BRIDGING THE SKILLS GAP IN UK ENGINEERING

The latest UK data highlights 170,000 Engineer vacancies are unfilled, up from 90,000 just a few years back. Projections show both a continuation and worrying acceleration of this upward trend, with unfilled vacancies projected to rise above 250,000 within the next 5 years.

SO WHAT’S BEHIND THE NUMBERS, AND WHO’S DRIVING THIS?

Much has been documented regarding the supply of skilled engineers to industry. From early stage academia involvement in STEM subjects, increased University graduate programmes through to the retraining/ upskilling within the current active workforce. Much has been done and continues to be done to improve numbers in these areas. However, successes gained in these areas are overshadowed by the one single overwhelming issue: the baseline reduction of Engineers leaving the workforce.

ENGINEERS LEAVING THE WORKFORCE

This is not just an engineering but rather symptomatic of today’s wider workforce. However the demographic of certified engineers is already heavily skewed toward the more mature age group. So a problem that’s simply been stored up and become more acute, more quickly than most areas of the workforce. It’s only recently become truly visible, manifesting itself as an ever-decreasing pool of skilled engineer

SO WHAT’S THE ANSWER?

Firstly, we need to change! But not just a small change. We need to think BIG and differently. As business leaders, we need to target staff retention as a key metric, we truly need to “walk-the-walk” on inclusivity and operational flexibility, we need to constantly challenge ourselves and our teams to become more social as an enterprise and create more meaningful and engaging work experience. But equally, there is another way where employers alone DON’T have to shoulder ALL of the responsibility?

A COMMUNITY OF SKILLS ON DEMAND FOR INDUSTRY

As a business lead, you will have a core team of full-time employees to operationalise your business. This is the basis for success. However imagine a parallel work-force, operating alongside your business in those times of peak demand, supplying that special skill-set, on-demand, just for a week (or so) to solve your “burning” short-term issue and then when the “gig” is complete, they leave and you’re not left carrying unnecessary fixed overhead nor recurring costs. Would you take it? Taking the “lift” away from employers and “democratising the future workspace” would provide a new national freelance talent pool of the very best engineers that simply wouldn’t otherwise be available and would have left the industry! Your local action would affect diversity and inclusion at a national level. Now that’s a BIG change. The model for this new way to work is already built. Would you like to help us all change convention? For those interested to know more, please feel free to check out

www.giganeer.com

SPRING STATEMENT AND TAX RISES

There has been a lot in the press made of the squeeze on household spending and the Chancellor was under much pressure to help with this when he approached the dispatch box on 23 March. His increase of the primary threshold for National Insurance is meant to be his key answer to that issue, but it is worth noting that from a business perspective this increasing threshold is not being mirrored to the secondary threshold for National Insurance and hence the 1.25% increase to Employers’ National Insurance is going ahead in full. When this is combined with the 1.25% increase in dividend tax from April 2022, and the 6% increase in corporation tax from 2023, a business owner’s take-home pay may be over 10% lower than 2021/22 as a result of tax alone, and of course that is without the effects of inflationary rises that may not be fully passed on in the selling price. Those with large staffing costs will be hit hardest, as the 1.25% extra National Insurance applies across the payroll bill. Businesses were promised some continuing attractive tax reliefs on investment in plant and machinery going forwards, but details were light with the Chancellor going away to investigate how best to manage this. I was also somewhat concerned by the comment about making the tax system ‘simpler, fairer, and more efficient’. This to me was at least a hint that the government could move ahead with the long awaited reforms to capital gains tax and inheritance tax, as arguably the bits of the tax legislation that could be perceived to be ‘complex and unfair’ would be the reliefs to these taxes which business owners benefit from. Although the Spring Statement was never meant to be a budget, there was little in there to help concerned business owners get through the next 12 months, with business taxation being simply another inflationary pressure to add to the long list of other inflationary pressures currently out there.

MAKING THE MOST OF THE APPRENTICESHIP LEVY

Any business with a payroll of £3million or more will be contributing each month to an apprenticeship ‘levy pot’. The pot is available to all businesses, whether levy payers or not. If you are a small business and don’t pay the levy, you can still use apprenticeship funding to significantly reduce the amount it costs you to train apprentices. Apprenticeships are a fantastic way to develop inexperienced new employees quickly, or to provide development to more experienced or older staff (there is no age limit for apprenticeships). If you take into account the current incentive payments (see below) it could cost you nothing to train your apprentices, and you may well be better off. If you’re a levy payer, you will contribute 0.5% of your payroll above £3million to the pot, and the government then tops this up by a further 10%. That money is for you to use, provided it’s to pay for apprenticeship training; if you haven’t used it within a couple of years, it gets returned to the Treasury. If you spend more than your levy pot on apprenticeships, the Treasury will then ‘match-fund’ any further training, meaning you still won’t pay the full cost of the apprenticeship.

INCENTIVE PAYMENTS

In case that’s not enough of an incentive, the government is encouraging take-up of apprentices with two different incentive schemes. The first is an ongoing incentive, which pays a bonus if you employ apprentices who are aged 16-18. Secondly, as part of the Covid recovery programme a recruitment incentive was introduced, which is now in its third iteration; this pays you an additional £3000 for each apprentice you recruit before 31 March 2022. It’s an opportunity to make use of money that is frequently returned to the Treasury unused, and is really not to be missed. If you have no need to spend your levy (for example, all your employees are highly qualified or there are no suitable apprenticeships for your industry) you can transfer up to 25% of your levy funding to another business, which could be in your supply chain, or for a business in an industry that you want to support. Any business can apply through the ‘pledge page’ for funds to pay for apprenticeships. Further information about hiring an apprentice can be found here.

www.gov.uk/employing-an-apprentice/ get-funding

For you and your business

WHISTLEBLOWING: WHAT EMPLOYERS NEED TO KNOW

With Covid-19 highlighting concerns ranging from workplace safety to furlough fraud, it is hardly surprising to have seen a rise in workers ‘speaking out’ about such issues.

However, what amounts to whistleblowing is a complex and technical area of law with lots of angles, and it is not always obvious that a worker is whistleblowing. But if a whistleblowing complaint is not spotted or is mishandled, an employer may find themselves on the receiving end of costly litigation. It is therefore crucial to understand what whistleblowing is. In broad terms, whistleblowing is a worker disclosing information about past, present or imminent wrongdoing in the workplace or an attempt to conceal the same – typically to their own employer or a regulator. The disclosure of information can be oral or in writing and need not be formal which is why a whistleblowing complaint can be easy to miss. Workers disclosing such information must believe that doing so is in the public interest and that belief must be reasonable in all the circumstances.

A worker acting purely in self-interest will not be protected, although they could well be protected for blowing the whistle about breaches of individual employment rights where the disclosure is also in their own personal interest. Whistleblowing legislation protects workers, including employees, from being subjected to any detriment on the grounds that they have made a ‘protected disclosure’. Employees are further safeguarded against dismissal. And if the principal reason for an employee’s dismissal is that they made a protected disclosure, they shall be regarded as automatically unfairly dismissed. This is crucial, and employers need to know that there is no cap on the amount of compensation which can be awarded in such cases, where interim relief is also available in some circumstances.

Organisations should therefore be encouraged to see effective whistleblowing procedures as part of their good governance strategy. Effective whistleblowing procedures can uncover hidden occupational issues, and dealing with a complaint promptly will help to avoid issues escalating, therefore mitigating litigation risk and reputational damage. Fostering an open culture can also create better working relationships with loyal employees more likely to make an internal report than complain externally or publicly. Employers must also remember that prohibiting staff from speaking out is not allowed. Any provision in an agreement, including a worker’s contract, trying to prevent them from whistleblowing will be void, as will non-disclosure agreements in settlement agreements which seek to gag workers from making a protected disclosure. Here at Thursfields, we believe that good governance and a clear, meaningful whistleblowing policy encourages a culture where wrongdoing can be addressed quickly and potentially before any litigation, regulatory action or damage to reputation.

We have a team of experienced lawyers who can support businesses by providing bespoke management training and drafting effective policies. We also undertake investigations and defend whistleblowing claims.

Lisa Kemp

Lisa Kemp

Associate Director, Employment & HR Law

lkemp@thursfields.co.uk 0345 20 73 72 8

Tel: 0345 20 73 72 8 | info@thursfields.co.uk | www.thursfields.co.uk

How your business will benefit from outsourcing your IT

We all know how important IT is to running a business. We only have to look at the way the working world is changing to understand that having the right IT and technology in place can quite simply make or break your business. That’s why many businesses turn to outsourced IT services for the range of benefits they can provide.

What is IT Outsourcing?

IT outsourcing is the business practice of using an external provider to manage your IT function and can include a range of services including IT helpdesk, software development, infrastructure solutions and software support. Many companies are also outsourcing the management of their cloud services, such as, Office 365, data storage, back-up and disaster recovery. Outsourcing to the cloud is usually cheaper and provides a greater degree of both flexibility and security.

IT costs:

Keeping your IT Support costs in line or saving money will certainly be high on the agenda for most organisations and can be achieved in several ways. Fixed costs, where you only pay for what you need or use allows for effective budgeting whilst the cost of updating and supporting IT software or hardware is greatly reduced. Additionally, the assurance that your IT is maintained and monitored safeguards against any costly surprises.

Qualified & Experienced:

It’s understandable that many businesses simply don’t have the budget to employ an expert in every available field of IT. When a business chooses to outsource their IT, they are buying into a range of expertise, with technicians who are experienced, certified and trained to offer top level support and guidance that might otherwise be unattainable.

The latest technology:

Just keeping up with the latest technology is a job in itself. IT outsourcing companies have direct access to the latest news and updates and can help you take advantage of new advances and trends. What’s more, IT projects that would ordinarily take weeks, or even months to prepare and implement, can be deployed quickly and seamlessly by a team of qualified experts.

Better productivity:

Employees only have a limited amount of time and attention that they can divide amongst all of their business’ IT demands. Whether you have an in-house IT person or you’re juggling multiple roles in the business, valuable time could be lost attending to menial IT tasks or trying to understand complicated IT projects. Outsourced IT services can transfer the responsibility of maintaining your IT systems, freeing up your time to spend on more meaningful projects.

Compliance & Security:

Every business carries risk. But nominating just one employee to look after your data and system security could prove to be a compliance risk. With the increasing variety of online threats, businesses need to be confident that they can keep up with changing security risks, and the technology needed to counter this. Outsourcing your IT to a partner who is accredited and adheres to strict security regulations and practices means you’re better protected.

EBC Group have been helping businesses with their IT for over 30 years. We provide a full range of award-winning outsourced IT services to support your business with their IT needs. We can work with you to fully outsource your IT or work with an existing team on specific aspects. To find out more, visit www.ebcgroup.co.uk or contact us on 0121 3680154 or hello@ ebcgroup.co.uk.

The simplicity of one Managed Service Provider for all your technology needs

BEST OF WORCESTERSHIRE CELEBRATED AT THE TOURISM AWARDS 21/22!

Businesses in Worcestershire are celebrating after the Visit Worcestershire Tourism Awards!

A total of 37 finalists were shortlisted by expert judges, with 12 winners being awarded for their service to the sector. Sponsored by Love to Visit, the glamorous awards evening, hosted by award-winning comedian and author, Dominic Holland, took place at the stunning Stanbrook Abbey Hotel. The event attracted over 200 guests and included a Worcestershire inspired menu. Two years since the industry was forced to close due to the pandemic, the evening represented a chance to commemorate the resilience and determination of all tourism businesses across the county. Rowley Farm Holidays were awarded the Winner of Winner’s Award for their excellent accommodation offering and great contribution to net-zero targets. The accolade was a surprise award to the evening acknowledging the highest scoring finalist and outstanding feedback from the judging process. Dominique Bray, Business Growth Manager for Visit Worcestershire said “We are delighted with the success of our first inaugural Tourism Awards at Stanbrook Abbey. We could not have asked for better feedback from the guests in attendance, which is a great reflection on the work and effort put in by the Visit Worcestershire team. I am truly thrilled for all our winners and those who received ‘highly commended’. We are all looking forward to seeing how far the winners progress at the National Awards in June”. The awards ceremony was the first to be hosted by the new Visit Worcestershire team and the event is now set to be an annual occasion in the tourism annual calendar. Following the awards, three Worcestershire businesses have been shortlisted for the national VisitEngland Awards for Excellence highlighting some of the best tourism businesses across the country. All shortlisted businesses will receive either a bronze, silver or gold award gaining national recognition for their fantastic contributions to the visitor economy.

FINALISTS – VISITENGLAND AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

New Tourism Business of the Year

– Rowley Farm Holidays, Worcester

Resilience and Innovation Award

– Severn Valley Railway, Kidderminster

Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year

– Treeopia, Tenbury Wells Entries for the 2022/2023 Visit Worcestershire Tourism Awards are now open and Visit Worcestershire are asking all tourism and hospitality businesses in the county to get involved. Further details will be announced via

www.visitworcestershire.org/

tourism-awards/ and on relevant social media channels.

LIST OF WINNER’S

Self-Catering Accommodation of the Year

Treeopia

B&B and Guest House of the Year Award

Willow Pond Holiday Properties

Hotel of the Year

The Elms Hotel & Spa

Camping, Glamping and Holiday Park of the Year

Hopleys Family Camping

Pub of the Year

The Flyford

Taste of Worcestershire Award

The Cottage in the Wood, Malvern, 1919 Restaurant

Experience of the Year

Astley Vineyard

New Tourism Business of the Year

Rowley Farm Holidays

Small Visitor Attraction of the Year

Attwell Farm Park

Large Visitor Attraction of the Year

West Midland Safari Park

Ethical, Responsible & Sustainable Tourism Award

Little Al’s Kitchen

Resilience and Innovation Award

Severn Valley Railway

Winner of Winner’s Award

Rowley Farm Holidays