Message from / The CEO ISME Welcomes / New Members ISME / News HR / Update Training Courses / Course Update and new partnership with UCD Professional Academy announced
MESSAGE FROM THE CEO
Dear member, We have now seen a dreadful month of war in Ukraine, with no sign that conflict is drawing to a close. In Ukraine itself, the war comes at a terrible human cost. Outside Ukraine, we are witnessing potentially 10 million refugees seeking shelter, with potentially 100,000 or more of those coming to Ireland. This will add to pre-war inflationary pressures. This will naturally translate into pressure on wage rates, although we must not allow the emergence of a wage-price spiral. While the ECB predicts that inflation will pull back to around 5% by the end of the year, that is significant in an economy that has not seen any material inflation for more than two decades. What should you do, and what can you do? • •
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Talk to your bank (if possible) and look at your short/medium term working capital needs. Talk to your accountant. Your accountant is not just for your annual returns- they are a source of business expertise, and you should be willing to pay for their professional advice. Your business will not experience an issue that they have not come across before. We are about to experience levels of inflation we have not seen since the 1980’s. This will force you to address your cost base, and your prices. Start those conversations with customers now. You will be asked for wage increases by your staff. Anticipate those conversations now, if they haven’t occurred already. Any conversation about wages is a good time to address efficiency and productivity- is there more your business can do to produce efficiently and so mitigate inbound cost increases?
Given the inevitability of continued inflation, at least in the short term, we should also expect interest rates to creep up in Q2 and Q3. Our advisors suggest an ECB rate of 1.5% is likely by early next year, which will drag all faxed and variable rates up with it. Plan this into your figures now. On the legislative front, Statutory Sick Pay and Pensions Auto Enrolment are on the way for workers. These will escalate the cost of labour significantly over the coming years, you need to start planning and budgeting for them now. Lastly, this is also a difficult time for many employees, especially those on lower wages. Good communications with your staff are never more important that when there is uncertainty, so make sure you are available to them and keep them informed.
Neil McDonnell | CEO | neil@isme.ie
NEW MEMBERS: NEW MEMBERS
New members:
AMK Hillside Dev Ltd ta Hillside Nurseries An Duine Beagan Aspire Financial Services Backbench Publishing Solutions Limited Breffni Mushrooms C Sullivan Stone Limited Dublin Dental Clinic Dundalk Bookbinding EQS Group Limited Flyco Ltd. Green Lane Childcare Limited Green Rebel Group HR Space Inchicore Community Drug Team Ltd Mindseed Ltd. Peaken Properties Limited t/a Brubakers Radius Components Limited Ticcbox
NEWS NEWS ISME is coming to the North West We are delighted that our first in-room event in 2 years will take place in The Landmark Hotel, Carrickon-Shannon at 3.30pm on Thursday 7th April. The programme will include a discussion on key local issues, a session on PR Insights for SMEs from Heneghan Strategic Communications and will finish with Pitch my business networking event. We invite all businesses in the North West to attend this free event and you can book your place here.
New Website Development & Design Affinity Programme ISME Members will receive a 30% discount on website subscription, that’s €25 ex VAT per month. The subscription with XYZ offers a simple way to create brochure, e-commerce or wedding/event websites without any technical skills required. It features an eCommerce store, bookings, CRM, Live Chat App to manage your business. You also get access to a personalised web designer to help create, design and maintain the site; a selection of templates and free graphics and photo Library. All of the hosting and support is managed by XYZ. Read the full details here. XYZ is an Irish website generating platform that allows users to generate websites large and small within minutes to sell their products and services online. They have designed and developed over 1,000+ websites, apps & add-ons for small start-ups to large global brands. To access this offer, ISME Members can log into the Members area and click here.
ISME’s Monthly HR Update Series This 10-part series with Cait Lynch, ISME’s HR Advisor and Tracy O’Brien, ISME’s HR trainer, has been developed to help business owners and their staff deal with HR responsibilities in order to navigate the ever-changing HR landscape. The next webinar in the series is: • Contracts and Handbooks Wednesday 27th April, 8.00-9.30 am, book here. These events are delivered via Zoo with 45– 50-minute presentation followed by a Q&A session. Questions can be sent in advance when completing the registration form when booking the course. Each course is €30. To book click here.
View on demand If you missed our recent webinar on Returning to Work: New Guidance for Employers & What the Courts are Ruling with barrister Katherine McVeigh, you can view a recording of the seminar here. You can also view • Managing a remote or hybrid workforce with Tracy O’Brien & Cait Lynch here. • Absence Management, Income & Sick Pay with Tracy O’Brien & Cait Lynch here
NEWS NEWS Economic consequences of invasion of Ukraine
ISME responds to reports of Defamation Act Reform
ISME notes the latest release by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) on the economic consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and that it makes sober reading for everyone. While inflation was already rising before the invasion, we are now seeing severe impacts on consumer prices, particularly on basic food products and on fuel. Read in full here.
While ISME welcomes the announcement of measures proposed to reform the Defamation Act, we are concerned they do not go far enough, and will not address the adverse finding made by the European Court of Human Rights about our defamation laws.
EU trade sanctions in response to situation in Ukraine On 9 March 2022, the EU adopted additional sanctions in response to Russia’s illegal and unprovoked military aggression against Ukraine. These sanctions build on, and expand, the earlier sanctions. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment have a summary of the key trade provisions of the EU sanctions enacted to date that you can visit here. The Department has prepared an associated Guidance Notice.
Recent media coverage indicates that Minister McEntee will shortly publish a report on defamation reform, which will include proposals for a Defamation Amendment Bill. Her report includes a recommendation to include antiSLAPP provisions (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation), which will be welcomed not only by the media, but by associations such as ISME which are regularly threatened with vexatious lawsuits as a result of lobbying activity. In order to be effective, an anti-SLAPP provision needs to be robust, must fully reverse the burden of proof onto the plaintiff, and should include penalisation of the plaintiff where a court finds their lawsuit to have been abusive or vexatious. Read full details here.
NEWS NEWS Promote with ISME The next issue of The bISME is out in May and we are taking booking for ads now, view details here. We offer reduced rates for members. Don’t forget our Shop Local B2C and B2B platforms, advertise your products and services by completing the form here. This is a great opportunity to promote your business and inclusion is free with your ISME Membership. Take a look at the portal here You can also upload your business news and job vacancies in the Members Area. For further information please email Marketing@isme.ie
ISME in the news Discussing the Auto-Enrolment Pension System were Siobhan Ni Ghairbhith, St Tola Goat Cheese, a member of ISME’s National Council on Clare FM on 30th March, Listen back here and Neil McDonnell on Morning Ireland, RTÉ Radio 1 on 29th March, listen back here. Neil McDonnell spoke about the pandemic legacy on The Business, RTÉ Radio 1, Listen here. Neil McDonnell column “Trying to get champagne from a lemonade economy” appeared in the Irish Examiner on 13th March, Read here You can view a selection of ISME’s media coverage January ─ March here.
InterTradeIreland’s Are you an established company in Ireland seeking to grow your business and in need of funding? InterTradeIreland’s Funding Advisory Service is aimed at SMEs who are looking for new or alternative sources of funding to finance business growth. This short session delivered by Grant Thornton on behalf of InterTradeIreland will give you the opportunity to find out about the main sources of funding for growth suitable for your business and will include information on both traditional bank funding and the newer types of funding that are now available in the market. Book your place here View other events in April here.
HSA’s COVID-19 Response Plan Supports The COVID-19 Response Plan template and Good Practice checklists, available to view here, have been prepared to help employers, business owners and managers to continue running their workplaces safely, and to help workers, in particular the Lead Worker Representative understand what they need to do to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. The template and checklists have been drafted, based on the Government’s advice and the Transitional Protocol – Good Practice Guidance for Continuing to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19.
Free online training supports from the SEAI Best Barbering School 2022 awarded to JFM International Barber Academy ISME Members JFM International Barber Academy based in Cork and Marbella, has been awarded the coveted Irish Enterprise Award “Best Barber School” 2022. Read the full story here.
To help your business get started on your energy saving journey, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has developed free online training supports. The SEAI Energy Academy can help you reduce your energy costs by 10% or more by educating employees on changing their energy use behaviours and effective energy management. To register click here
NEWS
HR UPDATE Code of practice on Equal Pay and Harassment introduced by Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission On 9 March 2022, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission published two new codes of practice for employers in respect of workplace harassment and equal pay.
The Equal Pay Code With the imminent rollout of Gender Pay Gap Reporting for many businesses, as well as other existing regulatory ESG requirements for certain sectors such as financial services, the Equal Pay Code includes a set of guidelines and recommendations for employers to refer to when conducting remuneration reviews and implementing new structures. The Equal Pay Code reminds employers that while the phrase "equal pay" is most commonly used, it is important to note that the relevant obligations under the Employment Equality Acts 1998-2015 (the EEA) about equal pay refer to "remuneration" which is inherently broader than basic pay and inclu The Equal Pay Code recommends employers incorporate a job evaluation model as the most effective method of eliminating pay inequality. A detailed review process is set out in the Equal Pay Code, which includes steps such as collecting job data, analysing jobs, analysing pay data, and implementing corrective measures where issues are identified. The Equal Pay Code reminds employers that a detailed process should be in place for employees to ventilate concerns regarding pay inequality and discrimination, including both informal and formal avenues of resolution.
The Harassment Code The Harassment Code does not create new obligations for employers. However, it does provide a useful nutshell summary of the law relating to harassment and sexual harassment as well as best practice steps to combat such behaviour. It reiterates that the intention of the perpetrator of sexual harassment or harassment is irrelevant. The effect of the behaviour des allowances, bonuses and other non-cash benefits. A key theme of the Harassment Code is the development and implementation by employers of policies and procedures which establish working environments free of harassment.
NEWS
HR UPDATE A key theme of the Harassment Code is the development and implementation by employers of policies and procedures which establish working environments free of harassment. The Harassment Code encourages the publication and communication of relevant policies and procedures in an accessible and user-friendly format to accommodate persons with disabilities and people whose first language may not be English. It also encourages employers to implement training for managers, supervisors and all staff on strategies to prevent harassment and recommends that this should happen during staff induction or through appropriate awareness-raising initiatives.
Are these Codes legally binding? While the Codes themselves are not legally binding, employers who choose to ignore the codes will do so at their peril. The codes are admissible in evidence in proceedings before a court or in proceedings under the EEA and in proceedings before the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) or the Labour Court. It is therefore highly likely that where claims related to pay equality and/or harassment come before bodies such as the WRC, the contents of the Equal Pay Code and/or the Harassment Code will be referred to in support of related claims, and may be used as a benchmark against which employers will be judged. Failure to properly implement good equality practices in the workplace can lead to significant adverse consequences for employers, including the incurrence of legal costs in defending claims, as well as the reputational harm that comes with such outcomes both in terms of media coverage and employee relations generally. It is therefore incumbent on employers to take notice of these codes, and ensure that their existing policies and structures are compliant.
LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT
Upcoming Short Courses Creating Videos with your mobile phone Date: 04-04-2022 to 05-04-2022 Instagram & TikTok for Business Dates: 26-04-2022 to 27-04-2022 Excel: Dashboards And Data Visualisation Date: 27-04-2022 to 27-04-2022 LinkedIn & Facebook Dates: 04-05-2022 to 05-05-2022 Creating a YouTube channel Dates: 25-05-2022 to 26-05-2022
Find out more >
LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT Announcing a new ISME Skillnet partnership with The UCD Professional Academy ISME Skillnet has partnered with The UCD Professional Academy to address Irish SME’s skill gaps. The Academy will offer our members and non-members, a world-class learning experience with career-enhancing qualifications. This exciting new partnership will provide flexible learning that fits easily into a busy SME’s life and easy access to industry-focused courses that deliver job-ready skills. As an alternative to on-campus learning, the academy will deliver all expert instructor-led courses via UCD’s interactive online study environment. Adam Weatherley, ISME’s Learning & Development Manager said: ‘’We are delighted to be partnering with The UCD Professional Academy. We see this as an important step to address the critical business requirements for Irish SMEs. The pandemic taught us many lessons and exposed the needs for robust business models, new skills requirements, and talent management. These programmes cater to these needs perfectly.’’ Aaron McKenna, Managing Director UCD Professional Academy added, "UCD Professional Academy is delighted to partner with ISME and the ISME Skillnet to deliver short, sharp, impactful courses and help your team thrive. Our team will work closely with Adam Weatherley, ISME’s Learning & Development Manager, to provide continuous learning opportunities SME business Find out for more > owners and their employees.
UCD Professional Academy is excited to grow the success of this partnership, and to help members join over 12,000 students who have developed the skills needed to take their careers to the next level." Each programme comes with a UCD Diploma in an area of your choice. The programme categories have been broken down in to five key titles, all of which align to ISME’s learning and development strategies: • • • • •
Leadership & Management Marketing (including Digital & social media) Digital and IT (eCommerce, Artificial Intelligence, Transformation Management) Business Programmes (Sales, Supply Chain, Finance, GDPR etc) Data Analytics for Business, Finance and Marketing
These programmes will be substantially subsidised by the ISME Skillnet by up to 50%. They will be highly affordable to companies that would often see these types of programmes out of reach financially. The cost for ISME Members is €625 and for non-Members: €675. To learn more about the programmes available, please contact us at skillnet@isme.ie with your expression of interest titled ‘’UCD Professional Academy’’.
ISME’s HR Update Series 2022 This newly created monthly HR update series has been developed to help business owners and their staff with HR responsibilities to navigate the ever-changing HR landscape. We will address new policy changes and provide learning on important topics to give businesses the confidence that they are following the correct procedures. Your HR experts are ISME’s HR Advisor Cait Lynch, and ISME’s HR trainer, Tracy O’Brien. Delivered via Zoom, they will give a 45–50-minute presentation, and we will facilitate a Q&A thereafter. Cost for the entire series of 10 updates €200. Sessions can also be purchased individually for €30. Information about the next session: Contracts and Handbooks | Weds 27th April 2022 – 0800-0930 • Understand which policies you need to update to ensure that your business is complying with recent changes to legislation • Find out where to put your policies – which ones must be in your contracts of employment and which ones form part of a staff handbook • Did you know that there are numerous pieces of legislation governing terms and conditions of employment? – find out how to ensure that you are compliant with all of these with two easy steps • Learn about the steps to follow to change terms and conditions
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