May monthly newsletter

Message from the CEO

Dear Member,

Thank you to those members who dialled in for our EGM on revised corporate governance documents These will not only update our governance in line with company law, but they will allow ISME to participate in national pay rounds if we are admitted to the partnership process in the future.

We published our Pre-Budget Submission 2024 last week. Many thanks to those of you who reverted to me with your priorities for insertion. We have concentrated on making it an easier document to follow and use this year, with ten thematic policy areas, each with their own set of recommendations. Naturally, we address taxation, but also housing policy, social welfare, the green economy, and indigenous industrial policy. We urge you to share the priorities that matter most to you with your local TDs and ministers.

We’re also asking Government to stop thinking short-term, and to consider longerterm risks that affect us all. These risks are included in our pre-budget submission, but I also did a piece on over-the-horizon risks for the Examiner, which you can read here.

For those of you affected by interest rates (which is most!), Philip Lane stated at a recent Enterprise Ireland event that ECB rates are expected to settle in the longer term at about 2.5%. We know that Irish SMEs pay a considerable premium on top of that for finance, but that should give some of you clarity on what the longer-term outlook will be.

Ballot papers have gone to the members for our 2023 National Council election. Whether you intend to stand for election or to vote, you have to be a paid-up member of ISME Nominations must be received by our auditor by Tuesday 9th May I regret to say that the word from members is that the insurance issue has not gone away, and that public liability and employer liability insurances remain very expensive, if they are available at all. The insurance reforms to date have not been remotely sufficient to discourage claims, and the nature of our legal system is that even when a business successfully defends a claim, they are stuck with a bill for costs which they cannot recover Please make sure at every interaction you have with a politician that we are nowhere near finished with insurance reform, and they must do more to protect us from bugus and exaggerated claims.

Don’t forget- If you need money, use the ISME FINANCE FINDER!

Our next ISME Roadshows continue. Our next events take place on Wednesday 24th May from 4 30-6 30pm, in the Killeshin Hotel, Portlaoise, and Thursday 25th May, from 9.00-11.00am, in Treacy’s Oakwood Hotel, Shannon. I look forward to seeing you there!

Pre-Budget Submission

Our submission for Budget 2024 was sent to the Minister for Finance, Michael McGrath TD on Wednesday 26th April. You can read an article about the submission on pages 11-12 and view the Submission Document here.

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

Roadshows in May

We are heading West in May, stopping in the Killishin Hotel in Portlaoise on Wednesday 24th , 4.30-6.30pm and Treacys Oakwood Hotel in Shannon on Thursday 25th May, 9.00-11.00am.

The programme in May will include an address by ISME’s CEO, Neil McDonnell and Learning & Development news from Adam Weatherley, ISME’s Learning & Development Manager We will be joined by John Barry, Managing Director with MSS – The HR People who will discuss Statutory Sick Pay and other key HR issues At the Portlaoise Roadshow Dr Joan Cahill with the HSA will be looking at health & safety culture and the role of Safety Representatives

During this series we have added a new feature– a local business sharing their story and experiences. In Portlaoise we will be joined by Sandra Meade Redden, Managing Director, Mochua Print & Design and Jenny Martin, Chief Marketing Officer, HRLocker will be at the Shannon event.

Each session will finish with Pitch my business – our networking event allowing business representatives to give a 2-minute pitch and network with fellow businesspeople Please ring along your business cards!

Refreshments are provided at all events; admission is complimentary, and all businesses are welcome to attend

Please register to attend here.

The Ukraine Credit Guarantee Scheme on the ISME Finance Finder

Has your business been affected by inflation and rising energy costs? The Ukraine (inflation) Credit Guarantee Scheme supports Irish SMEs affected by rising costs. If your business has been adversely affected by rising energy and other day to day costs, you may be eligible for a low-cost business loan

The Ukraine Credit Guarantee Scheme is designed to provide short and medium-term finance for businesses in Ireland facing supply chain disruptions, increased energy costs and other economic consequences of the crisis.

The scheme offers loans unsecured with no requirement for a Personal Guarantee on amounts up to €250,000 Amounts greater than €250,000 may be secured Interest rates are also offered at a discount on standard rates.

More information on the Ukraine Credit Guarantee Scheme is a click away on your ISME Finance Finder. The expert team at Swoop is also standing by to provide you with more information or assist you with your application.

Dawn Raid Guide

“Dawn raid” is the colloquial expression given to an unannounced inspection of a company’s premises, usually as part of an ongoing investigation by regulatory or law-enforcement authorities. Any company, no matter its size, may be subject to a dawn raid. Dawn raids are usually triggered by a complaint e.g. from an employee, customer, competitor, an anonymous tip, or an individual subject to investigation by a state agency. You can download our Dawn Raid Guide in the Members Area here.

Q4 2022 Surveys

How did your business find Q4? In an ever-changing business environment, we want to hear from you on how your organisation has been impacted by completing our Q4 Trends Survey 2022. The Trends Survey provides us with the latest up-to-date information on pay, insurance costs and confidence indicators in the SME sector.

You can take the Q4 Trends Survey here.

Advertise with ISME

We are planning issue 21 of the bISME which will be published in May. If you would like to advertise in our online publication take a look at the rate card here.

Consultation and Safety Representatives

Active worker engagement in safety and health reaps dividends for a company and ensures greater protection for all. Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005, employees can put their name forward to be selected by their colleagues to act as their Safety Representative. The Safety Representative provides a direct link between the employer and employees on safety and health matters. For further information go to:

• HSA website

• HSA – Safety Representatives Poster

• HSA – Safety Representatives Information Sheet

• Short course for Safety Representatives

• HSA – Safety Representatives and Safety Consultation Guidelines

• Short introductory 2-minute video available on the HSA YouTube channel

Further €17.8 million invested in the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund

Funding for a further five innovative projects under the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) was announced on 20th April. Two projects have been approved funding of up to €9.6 million in the third tranche of awards under DTIF Call 4 and three projects have been approved funding of up to €8.2 million in Call 5 of the Fund. This brings the total allocation of DTIF funding to €306 million, with over €173 million (56%) of the funding awarded to project partners outside of Dublin.

DTIF places a large emphasis on collaboration between enterprises, especially SMEs, and Irish research institutions All five projects are being led by an SME, who are collaborating with seven other enterprise partners and seven partners from our research institutions To drive enterprise collaborations, each project must have at least one SME and one other enterprise in a consortium of three or more project partners Collaborations with the Irish research sector are encouraged All partners must be based in Ireland and be a current client of Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, Údarás na Gaeltachta or an eligible Research Performing Organisation (RPO).

The fund targets industrial research projects of scale and impact. The minimum funding request must be €1.5 million for projects of up to three years’ duration. SME partners must provide matched funding while large companies must provide 60% project funding. All eligible applications received by the deadline of 3pm on 31st May 2023, will undergo rigorous assessment by panels of independent international experts against four criteria –quality of the disruptive technology, excellence of overall approach, economic impact and sustainability, and strength of the collaboration

Prospective applicants can obtain detailed information on the fund and on the application process here Read full details here

ISME in the news

ISME featured in the media this past month speaking about the following subjects:

• Pre-budget Submission

• Work Life Balance Bill

• ISME Roadshow Series Spring/Summer 2023

You can view and listen back to a selection of ISME’s media coverage here.

SEAI Energy Supports

SEAI is encouraging SMEs to take control of their energy use with the Support Scheme for Energy Audits (SSEA). The scheme provides eligible businesses with a €2,000 voucher to cover the cost of an energy audit. An energy audit identifies tailored energy saving opportunities that can save businesses up to 30% on their energy bills and help to reduce their climate impact. The audit also assesses whether renewable energy technologies are a viable option for their business. To find out more about the SEAI Support Scheme for Energy Audits and to apply visit here

Always get advice from a registered professional Before you commit to purchasing and installing upgrades or investments, check if there is an SEAI grant available here

SEAI run a series of briefings throughout the year on how your business can save money and energy this year. The next SME business briefing will be on Wednesday 24th May 1011am, find out more here.

New Procurement Circular 05-2023

ISME welcomes the publication by DPENDR of the new procurement circular 05-2023 Key changes to procurement procedures covered by the circular include:

 An increase to the advertising threshold for goods and services contracts from €25,000 to €50,000 (ex VAT).

 An increase to the advertising threshold for works contracts from €50,000 to €200,000 (ex VAT).

 Measures to encourage consortium bidding by SMEs for contracts.

 Clarification for tendering businesses on the level of insurance required in public tendering.

Ross McCarthy, former ISME Chair and MD of Keystone Procurement, welcomed the updated circular and said “We are also delighted to see enhanced measures that public bodies should take to promote transparency and SME participation in public procurement It is also good to see a reminder to public bodies of their obligations around the use of central procurement arrangements ”

Find out full details here.

An Post launches No Mow May biodiversity campaign

An Post’s has partnered with National Biodiversity Data Centre for their No Mow May biodiversity campaign, encouraging the public to let pollinators and wildflowers flourish in the month of May. No Mow May encourages everyone to leave their lawn mowers in the shed, transform their lawns into havens of biodiversity through May and take time out with their families and friends to spot some of the exquisite species around their homes

As part of An Post’s Making Sustainable Living Commonplace strategy, vibrant recyclable ‘No Mow May’ postcards will be distributed to 2 3 million homes in the coming weeks to help the public to easily identify some of the stunning birds, insects and wildflowers in their flower boxes, balconies, gardens, local parks and playgrounds.

Find out more here.

Pictured at the campaign announcement is writer & broadcaster Maia Dunphy.

Intreo Supports for Business

The Department of Social Protection is probably best known as a provider of income support payments, but a large part of their remit is to provide a free public employment services to employers.

Intreo, is the Irish Public Employment Service and is part of the Department of Social Protection. Intreo offers a wide variety of recruitment, financial and work placement supports to employers including:

 Free Advertising, Recruitment and Candidate Matching Service on www jobsireland ie

 Free European Recruitment Service for hard to fill vacancies on EURES on www eures europa eu

 Financial Supports for hiring new employees through Jobsplus on www.jobsplus.ie

 Financial Subsidies to support the employment of People with Disabilities- Wage Subsidy Scheme and Reasonable Accommodation Fund on www.gov.ie/wss and Reasonable Accommodation Fund

 Work Placement Experience opportunities with Work Placement Experience Programme on www.gov.ie/wpep

Intreo have a team of expert Employer Relations Officers and Key Account Managers who provide free tailored recruitment services to meet your specific business needs For further information please visit Employer Supports at Intreo or email employer@welfare ie

Work Life Balance Bill

The Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022 passed all Stages in the Oireachtas on 30th March. It introduces:

• 5 days unpaid leave for medical care purposes for parents of children under 12, and carers

• 5 days paid leave for victims of domestic violence

• The right to request flexible working for parents and carers

• The right to request remote working for all employees

• 2 years breastfeeding breaks

Details on https://bit.ly/3nw6LhE

Events

All Ireland Business Summit,, Wednesday 10th May, Cork Park, Dublin

Details here

The National Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition, details here

The Digital Transformation Conference, book here

Tuesday 23rdWednesday 24th May, RDS, Dublin,

Dublin Tech Summit, Wednesday 31st – Thursday 1st June, RDS, Dublin Details here.

ISME Makes Submission for Budget 2024

• Fix VAT rates at 21% and 9%

• Establish a Public Spending

• Commission Publish debt profile of national debt.

ISME represents more than 10,500 direct and thirty-three affiliated SME businesses throughout the Republic of Ireland, employing more than 245,000 people, submitted its submission for the Budget 2024 to the Minister for Finance, Michael McGrath TD on Wednesday 26th April

ISME’s priorities for Budget 2024 are:

 Implement a series of basic tax reforms, including our taxes on property, inheritance, commercial rates and LPT

 While spending on infrastructure is now at the levels we have previously sought, we are concerned about value for money

 The long-term stability of our social fund spending must be immediately addressed

 Our further education and training regime is inconsistent with activating a bigger workforce or training the unskilled We also acknowledge that our domestic SME base requires extensive training to improve its productivity. This should be incentivised via the tax system like the Teagasc ‘Green Cert ’

Neil McDonnell, Chief Executive, ISMEsaid:

“With record tax takes along with upgrades from the ratings agencies, Ireland is currently in a period of financial strength But it is essential that we use this period of fiscal stability as a foundation for real and lasting economic and social stability in a sustainable manner. Enterprise deserves reward; employees deserve a fair package, including fair taxation; and the marginalised must be accommodated.

The pension time bomb remains to be addressed and this is major cause for concern A further area to address is the value for money the state is achieving from suppliers.

Energy, renewable energy and the environment are front and centre of the economy at this time, not only in terms of recent energy inflation, but also in relation to the delivery of carbon emission reduction targets. As a nation we are not making it easier for ourselves and we highlight several areas to look at, including the heavy cost of deep retrofitting and the potential that exists for offshore wind.”

ISME lobbying

The submission is produced across ten chapters; and here are the key points from each:

• Taxation – lift the standard rate cut-off to the average industrial wage (i e , lift it by €6 8k); lower CGT to 25%, and to 20% for non-property transactions; 3% USC levy on PAYE earners making more than €100k; fix VAT at 21% & 9%

• Housing – “regularise” the tax affairs of employees in employerprovided accommodation; keep private landlords in the market; exempt from CGT properties that have been on the rental market for more than 10 years

• Green Economy – provide cheap, long-dated, finance for retrofits; increase feed-in tariffs to the grid; 0% VAT for new-build Near-Zero energy housing

• Productivity – Revise supports for post-2016 apprenticeships; conduct a full review of the Employment Permits system and Labour Market Needs Test.

• Indigenous Industrial Policy – set up a third State Agency with a remit to scale indigenous SMEs; reform taxes to encourage businesses towards listing or trade sale (to Irish buyers); reintroduce the Statutory Redundancy Rebate; establish a state security-clearance regime to EUrecognised standards within one year

• Public Sector– Establish a Public Service Pay Commission; establish a Public Spending Commission; no collective bargaining rights for employees unless the SME sector employers are recognised by the State.

• Social Protection – Dialogue with workers on how best to close the pension deficit; extend Auto Enrolment (AE) to the self-employed, parttime workers and public servants; remove the €20,000 AE income threshold; Govt departments must account for the current and accrued pension liabilities staff annually; Increase the Band 1-, 2- and 3-income thresholds for social and affordable housing to €80k, €70k and €60k; audit and publish the qualification criteria for payment in respect of disability allowances

• Establish a Social Progress Indicator.

• Ban historic upward-only rent clauses

• Over-The-Horizon Risks – The National Treasury Management Agency should publish Ireland’s debt profile of all our national debt; Taoiseach to initiate an annual gap closure plan to address gaps identified in the National Risk Assessment (NRA); Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to set out estimates to close gaps identified by the NRA in capital and current expenditure terms

HR Update

Work Life Balance

It is expected that the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022 will be signed into law by the President shortly This Bill provides for the introduction of new rights for employees to support a better balance of family life, work life and caring responsibilities and to support those who are victims of domestic violence.

Below is a snapshot into the main provisions of this Bill:

5 days unpaid leave for medical care purposes for parents of children under 12, and carers

Employees will be entitled to five days unpaid leave per calendar year to provide care or support under this provision All employees are eligible for this leave as there is no service requirement necessary. Prior notice is not required if availing of this leave. A final point to note is that this leave is not required to be taken together, it can be fragmented, but not in intervals of less than one day.

5 days paid leave for victims of domestic violence

This bill proposes to provide those who are enduring or at risk of domestic violence to five days of paid leave per year. This is the first statutory employment benefit when it comes to domestic violence. This leave will enable victims of domestic violence to seek:

 medical help

 obtain counselling

 relocate

 seek advice or assistance, and/or

 obtain a safety order from the courts

The right to request flexible working for parents and carers

Employees who have a child up to the age of 12 (or 16 if the child has a disability or long-term illness) and employees who are caring for a relative or someone they live with will have the right to request flexible working arrangements for caring purposes To qualify to make this request an employee must have six months’ continuous service and must give 8 weeks’ notice of the request to their employer. On receipt of a request the employer will need to consider it with regard to the employees need and respond to the request within four weeks.

The right to request remote working for all employees

Once this Bill is commenced, all employees will have a legal right to request remote working once they have 6 months’ continuous service with their employer and they submit the request at least 8 weeks before the date the employee will commence this new working arrangement if approved. Employers are obliged to respond with a decision within 4 weeks of receiving the request. The employer must consider business needs and the needs of the employee when making a decision. Finally, the employer must give the employee the reason(s) a request is refused It is important to note that as part of this Bill an employer will have the right to end the remote working arrangement if it is having a substantial negative effect on their business

Extension to entitlement to breast-feeding breaks

This bill proposes to increase breast-feeding breaks. Currently breast-feeding employees are entitled to take up to one hour off work each day, with pay, for breastfeeding/lactation purposes. This entitlement is due to increase from 26 to 104 weeks. The Bill also proposes to provide a right to women who have given birth to a child and who have transitioned into males, provided they hold a gender recognition certificate under the Gender Recognition Act 2015

The Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022 can be viewed here. You can also view a press release from the Government here.

For further information or support on this Bill don’t hesitate to contact the HR Advice line via HR@ISME ie or 01 6622755 Option 2

Learning & Development

The ISME Learning & Development 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.

Microsoft Excel Intermediate

Dates: 04-05-2023 to 04-05-2023

Find out more

Effective Telephone Sales Techniques

Dates: 04-05-2023 to 04-05-2023

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Microsoft Excel Intermediate Dates: 08-05-2023 to 08-05-2023

Find out more

Effective Time Management – Getting Your Balance Right

Dates: 10-05-2023 to 10-05-2023

Find out more

Mastering Your Company’s Pitch

Dates: 15-05-2023 to 17-05-2023

Find out more

A Coaching Experience – 3 Part series of online webinars

Dates: 23-05-2023 to 30-05-2023

Find out more