Member’s Newsletter February 2024
Dear member,
Message from the CEO
Hopefully you are doing well in this New Year, but I am also aware that many of you are experiencing significant trading pressures due to elevated labour and other costs. It is extremely frustrating that it has taken until the third week of January for IBEC to realise that many small businesses face existential choices. Our Chair Marc O’Dwyer wrote to the Taoiseach about increasing labour costs last July. It has been clear to our members for a long time how damaging the increases forced this week will be. However, we are happy to work with IBEC on any agreed program of measures to alleviate the burden for small businesses We have yet to see the promised report from the Department of Enterprise on the commercial effects of cumulative increases to labour costs, but we will continue to press for it. The €257m Increased Cost of Business Grant (ICOB) promised in Budget 2024 (and capped at a maximum of €5,000 for any business) stands in poor contrast to the €2.5bn being paid to increase the pay of 385,000 public servants. Especially when you consider that ICOB must be spread among the 365,000 SMEs employing 1.4m Irish workers. The cost of the minimum wage adjustment alone is €3,152 per employee who was on the minimum wage last December. Having kicked the border control down the road since it signed the Trade and Cooperation agreement with the EU in December 2020, the UK has finally committed to introducing its Border Target Operating Model (BTOM). This will involve the imposition of intrusive checks on the movement of plant and animal products from 1st February. You will get a good idea of the implications of BTOM in this article. Do not presume that food products imported from or exported by you to the UK will be the same as before, and you need to talk to your supply chain partners to ensure you do not have disruption to your sales to or purchases from the UK. As I advised last month, the Revenue Warehousing scheme matures on 1st May: by then you must repay your warehoused debt in full or enter into a “phased payment arrangement” (PPA) with Revenue. Do not ignore or delay this, as the Revenue is entitled to disregard businesses which are not compliant, or which are not fully up to date in their tax affairs and returns. Lastly, I look forward to seeing you at our rescheduled 30th Anniversary Lunch on 22nd March. You will remember we had to abandon our first attempt in November after a bomb scare! All those who bought a ticket or table last month will have their booking honoured in full for 22nd March, but you MUST book your ticket(s) once again using the relevant discount code emailed to you before Friday, 16th February. To book single tickets, click here and to book a table of 10, click here.
Crumlin Family Practice Branigan Electrical Inver Hire & Sales
Magister PCI Group Photocall Picture Agency Ltd. t/a Photocall Ireland & Rolling News Perenco Limited Occupational Hygiene & Safety Services Limited
Brand Tactics Ltd. Fresh N Yummy Ltd Capital Plaster Moulding Company Limited HBTC Ltd t/a Branching Out Tree Care Leacam Technology Consulting Limited XcelleratE CaaS
Gallagher Quigley Estate Agents Ltd Red Torch Ginger Group 5 Star Facility Services
ISME welcomes new members
Re GDPR
ISME news
ISME 30 Years Anniversary Lunch Rescheduled Our highly anticipated 30th-anniversary business lunch that initially took place on 17th November 2023, had to be abandoned midway due to unforeseen circumstances. However, in the true spirit of resilience and adaptability, we are delighted to announce the rescheduled event on Friday, 22nd March 2024 at Clontarf Castle Hotel. Reception at 12.30pm, lunch at 1.00pm. This rescheduled event will be attended by some 300 business owners and their staff to celebrate the founding of ISME in 1993. Comedian Barry Murphy will be on hand to provide Après Lunch entertainment, and there will be great opportunity to network with other members. Special Guest speaker to be announced soon! All buyers of tickets for the interrupted lunch in November are welcome back on March 22nd free of charge but must make sure to book your tickets here once again using the discount code emailed to you before Friday, 16th February to confirm your attendance. New attendees are welcome to book their tickets from Friday 9th February onwards.
New Affinity Programme Take a look at the most recent addition to the ISME ADVANTAGE Affinity programme from ISME Member business Me2You Order over €5,000 and get €50 gift card free. Other offers include discounted acceptance rates for all new ISME member merchants/retailers joining Me2You gift card. Me2You is Ireland’s exciting multi-store gift card offering amazing choice with thousands of partner stores and many exclusive spending environments. It is brought to the market by Retail Excellence Ireland to help support the Irish retail industry and Irish jobs. It is welcomed by many fantastic & exclusive retailers such as Tesco, Smyths Toys, Applegreen, Avoca & thousands more nationwide.
Advertise with The bISME The first issue of bISME in 2024 is going to be out on February and we are taking ad bookings now for this issue. ISME Members get reduced rate on ads, find out
ISME news
ISME Finance Finder: Free 30-minute Consultation Available The ISME Finance Finder, powered by Swoop, is offering a free 30-minute one-to-one consultation clinic. The consultations are provided on a no obligation and confidential basis. The Swoop team provide expertise and professionalism based on their deep knowledge of the lending market both in Ireland and in the UK. During the consultation they can address such key questions as: • Who are the key players? • What does it mean for your business? • What small business loans or funding is available for SMEs?
Plus • They can advise and review your business’s specific requirements? You may want to start or expand your business, improve cashflow, refinance debt, acquire a business, purchase property, stock or invest in a new market…then there are funding opportunities available to you.
Now may not be the time to apply for a loan but the Swoop team will look at your business to see if it’s loan-ready or give advice on what you need to do before applying for funding and show you the options available. There are 3 ways to connect and set up your free consultation: • • •
Click here to fill out a form Email isme@swoopfunding.com Phone +353 1 270 7658
Visit the ISME Finance Finder here.
Save Time, Money and Energy: All in day’s work with your LEO For small businesses, every day is a busy day with new challenges. But keeping your business competitive and productive is much easier with the help of your Local Enterprise Office. Simply click on the link below and enter a few contact details and your Local Enterprise Office Advisor will be in contact to find the best support for your business to start saving time, money and energy: www.allinadayswork.ie
ISME news ISME HR Hub – your HR support To support Members to deal with the ever-changing world of HR and employment law, we have created a portal to give you access to guides, templates, contracts, policies and more to support you in managing HR in your business. We have curated the information based on the HR Life Cycle: Attraction, Recruitment, Onboarding, Policies & Training, Performance Management and Exit. You can also find information from government agencies and other third parties in our General Information & Resources page, links to the top downloads and view our selection of blogs including Statutory Sick Pay FAQs and EU Directive on Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions. To find out how it works and looks, click on the video about the portal here. To use the ISME HR Hub log into the Members Area, click on the top left button.
Watch Back: Employment Law Update Advisory You can view the Employment Law Update webinar with Katherine McVeigh, Barrister-at-Law that took place on Friday 26th January, by clicking here Some of the areas we covered in the webinar are: • Protected Disclosures – amendments and recent case law • Employment Status – self-employed our employee – implications for employers following the Karshan/ Domino’s Pizza case. What does this mean for employers? • Sick Leave – new legal obligations on employers and recent interpretation from the courts in two key cases • Employees on probation – what does an employer need to know? • Mandatory retirement ages – important recent developments in the courts • Recent important case law
ISME news
ISME Surveys ➢ Q4 2023 Trends Survey How did your business find the fourth quarter of 2023? In an ever-changing business environment, we want to hear from you on how your organisation has been impacted by completing our Trends Survey for Q4 2023 here. Please share this survey with your network.
➢ Q4 2023 Bank Watch Survey Please take our Bank Watch Survey for Q4 2023 based on your experiences of accessing finance and engaging with lenders here. The Bank Watch Survey provides us with the latest up to date information on SME's access to finance. The findings of these surveys will be circulated to media and will feed into relevant groups and committees ISME sit on. Reports will also be uploaded to the ISME website, view previous reports here. Please share this survey with your network.
Health & Safety Authority Update • Psychosocial Risk Assessment: Guidance for Exposure to Sensitive Content was developed by the Health and Safety Authority and the State Claims Agency. It was developed in order to assist organisations employing people in roles which expose them to sensitive content as part of their assigned duties or other employees who are unexpectedly exposed in their role. • Exposure to Sensitive Content Risk Assessment Template was developed by HSA to support organisations employing people in roles which expose them to sensitive content. • SunSMART Employee Information sheet is written primarily for employees and safety representatives to raise awareness about the risk of skin cancer from sun exposure. • New Code of Practice for Indoor Air Quality provides practical guidance as to the observance of the provisions of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 299 of 2007), as amended by S.I 255 of 2023. This Code of Practice comes into operation on 26th May 2023. Notice of the publication of this Code of Practice was published in Iris Oifigiúil on 6th June 2023.
• Use Chemicals Safely – Read the Label information sheet provides information about how to read the label on containers – in particular, understanding the dangerous properties of a chemical. The information sheet also provides information about hazard pictograms. • Using Chemicals safety at home and in the garden information sheet provides guidance about the safe use of chemical in both the home and garden. • Information Leaflet: Risk Assessment of Chemical Hazards is intended to help employers in assessing the risks that relate to chemical agents in the workplace and in determining adequate precautions or control measures to safeguard health and safety.
ISME news
New Courses Available from the HSA ➢ New Ergonomics Risk Assessment Course A new course Introduction to Ergonomic Risk Assessment is now live on hsalearning.ie. This course is intended to raise awareness and provide an overview of ergonomics and its relationship to the risk assessment process. The course is available at: https://hsalearning.ie/mod/page/view.php?id=36 Please also note the suite of supports developed by the HSA in the Manual Handling/Display Screen Equipment space. For more, please see here: https://www.hsa.ie/eng/topics/manual_handling/ ➢ Health and Safety in the Workplace for Apprentices
The Health and Safety in the Workplace for Apprentices course is now live on hsalearning.ie Please see: https://hsalearning.ie/mod/page/view.php?id=1536 The course provides a general overview of safety, health and welfare and the key areas that apply to apprentices at work. The course is free and takes 20 minutes to complete. A certificate is available on completion of a short assessment at the end of the course.
Healthy Workplace The Healthy Workplace Framework is a government strategy to enhance the health and wellbeing of Ireland’s workers. A committee led by the Department of Health and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment oversaw the development of this Framework and set the strategic direction for workplace policies and programmes to enhance the health of workers. A new Healthy Workplace website was recently launched and features interactive tools to facilitate the delivery and evaluation of health and wellbeing initiatives in workplaces of any size. This website aims to be the one-stop-shop for everything you need to make your workplace a Healthy Workplace It is designed to cater for the needs of public and private organisations and is targeted towards members of staff from Wellness/Health Promotion, Human Resources, Occupational Health, Health & Safety, decision-makers in senior management, and employees hoping to champion a Healthy Workplace. Find out more on https://healthyworkplace.ie/
ISME news
SEAI Online Workshop The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland is running a free online workshop to teach the basics of implementing energy management within your business. This workshop will be delivered by one of Ireland's leading energy experts and will take you through the six steps to creating an energy action plan which will help you implement energy management practices in your business, save money, become more energy efficient and resilient to rising energy costs. The workshop is taking place on Thursday 8th February at 2pm-4pm.
To learn more and register your interest please click here
ISME in the news • Is the cost of doing business too high in Ireland • Micro-qualifications to upskill staff and future-proof businesses • SME’s struggle to repay tax debt warehoused during pandemic • Hundreds Of Restaurants, Cafes and Pubs Facing Closure
Events MicroCreds Innovate Transversal Skills Focus Event, Thursday 22nd February, Book here Drone Summit 2024, RDS Arena, Friday 1st March -Saturday 2nd March, Book here IFEX, Titanic Exhibition Centre, Belfast, Tuesday 5th March -Thursday 7th March, Book here National Construction Summit 2024, Sport Ireland Campus, Blanchardstown, Thursday 18th April, Book here
HR Update
Employment Law – What to expect in 2024 No different to 2023, 2024 is looking to be a busy year in relation to Employment Law changes with many long-communicated legislation changes coming into practice.
Minimum Wage Increase From the 1st of January 2024, the minimum wage for workers over the age of 20, has risen from €11.30 to €12.70. Sick Leave The amount of paid sick leave that can be taken rose from three days to five days on January 1, 2024. Remember that regardless of employment status (full or part-time), all employees are entitled to five days off. However, whether or not they work full- or part-time will affect the sick pay rate, which is capped at €110 per day. When it comes to Statutory Sick Pay versus Company Sick Pay a key case that all the in the HR community are talking about is the Musgrave Case (November 2024) https://isme.ie/statutory-sick-pay-ssp.
Mandatory Retirement Ages This is a topic that has become one of the most popular in the WRC in the last 3 years and will continue to do so with the Governments recent introduction of a flexible State Retirement Benefit https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/90d8b-changes-to-the-state-pension-contributory-what-you-need-toknow/ It is the company’s decision as to what the company’s Retirement Age should be based on objective business reasons. A few months prior to the employee due to reach the age outlined in the contract then it would be advisable to commence the process outlined in the Code of Practice on Longer Working. Pension Auto-enrollment Employers should keep an eye on the highly anticipated introduction of the new auto-enrolment system which aims to automatically enrol employees who meet certain criteria into a workplace pension scheme, with enrolments expected to commence by the end of 2024. the reality is that it could be even later than this as the legislation underpinning it has yet to be drafted. Once introduced, it will be gradually phased in over a decade. Guidance for Employers and Employees can be found here: https://www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/0ab04automatic-enrolment-for-pensions-hub/?referrer=http://www.gov.ie/AutoEnrolment/ Contractors versus Employees The Supreme Court decision in the Karshan (Midlands) Ltd v Domino’s Pizza case has meant that it is advisable that all businesses’ that use Contractors should review the procedures and paperwork put in place between them. This monumental case has put a new perspective on the contractor versus employee status. Key considerations include the intentions of both parties, the extent to which the company controls or directs the worker, as well as the tax affairs of both parties.
Remote and Flexible working Employers are currently awaiting the imminent publication of the WRC Code of Practice in relation to the right to request remote and/or flexible work arrangements. The publication of this code is expected to coincide shortly thereafter with regulations commencing the remote/flexible working sections in last year’s Work Life Balance legislation. Once released ISME will make all Member’s aware via our fortnightly Members Digest.
HR Update
Enhanced parents’ leave Employees who are deemed to be “relevant parents” are eligible for Parent’s Leave, which should not be confused with Parental Leave. Parent’s Leave will be extended by two weeks, for a total of nine weeks, as stated in Budget 2024. This is scheduled to come into effect in August 2024. An employee may take parent’s leave consecutively or individually, and there is no minimum service requirement. But with some date restrictions in effect, it must be taken within the first two years of the child’s birth or adoption. Domestic Violence Leave
Employees have a legal right to 5 days of paid domestic violence. All employees who have experienced or are currently experiencing abuse are entitled to domestic violence leave. If perhaps you suspect or an employee has divulged that they are experiencing Domestic Violence please don’t hesitate to contact the ISME HR Team to support you navigating this sensitive issue. Gender Pay Gap Reporting This year, the qualifying threshold for gender pay gap reporting will drop to organisations with 150 or more employees (and drop again to 50+ employees in 2025). Increase to Employment Permit Salary Thresholds The Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail has announced significant changes to the Employment Permits system from 17th January 2024. The main changes include: •
11 Occupations added to the Critical Skills list
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32 Occupations removed from the Ineligible Occupations list
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Salary threshold for General Employment Permits to increase from €30,000 to €34,000 per annum from 17th January 2024
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Salary threshold for Critical Skills Employment Permits with a degree to increase from €32,000 to €38,000 per annum from 17th January 2024
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Salary threshold for Healthcare Assistants and Home Carers to increase from €27,000 to €30,000 and Horticultural Workers and Meat Processors salary requirement to increase from €22,000 to €30,000 from 17th January 2024
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Extension of quotas for dairy farm assistants, butcher/deboners, meat processors and horticultural workers from 17th January 2024
Where a Labour Market Needs test is required for a General Employment Permit application, the advertisement will need to include the amended salary thresholds. Salary thresholds will further increase in January 2025 and again in January 2026 for certain permits. As always, if you require any support with HR or Employment Law you can contact the ISME HR Team on 01 6622755 Option 2 or via HR@ISME.ie
Learning & Development
The ISME Skillnet service is here to help both the business owner and their employees. ISME Members can receive up to 40% discount for ISME Skillnet training, view courses below.
MS Excel Advanced Thursday 8th February View Course Customer Service & Complaints Thursday 8th February View Course MS Excel Dashboard & Data Tuesday 13th February View Course
Beginner VAT Monday 19th February View Course Intermediate Vat Wednesday 21st February View Course MS Excel Pivots Thursday 22nd February View Course
Advanced VAT Monday 26th February View Course Business Tax 101 Wednesday 28th February View Course
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