Message from / The CEO ISME Welcomes / New Members ISME / News HR Update / Updated work safely protocol HR Update / Lifting of suspension of employees right to claim redundancy Training Courses / Course Updates
MESSAGE FROM THE CEO Dear Member, How quickly we have got to October, with a vitally important budget only days away. It is a matter of real concern to us that just as the state is emerging from a pandemic-induced recession, the insiders of the “Big State” are looking for pay increases, bonuses, and extra time off for having worked through the pandemic. The fact that the average public servant is paid 31% more than their private sector counterpart (and 54% more than employees in our SMEs) is never alluded to. ISME set out our demands in our pre-budget submission 2022 back in May, and we believe the measures proposed are reasonable and deliverable. We understand that the Government is going to raise the National Minimum Wage in the budget, but in truth a small (or even large) adjustment to the NMW will not do anything useful for the lower paid. Government needs to understand why low work intensity households persist. And we have identified some of the reasons why in our Jobs Kill Zone report. The bar on seeking redundancy payment was lifted for employees on 1st October. This is likely to result in a significant number of employees seeking redundancy, especially where they have longer service. This is a tricky area, and you need to make sure the procedures you follow are correct. Make sure you avail of the advice available in the members’ area here. There has been much reference to the “gold-plated” pensions enjoyed by private sector workers of late, typically from people and politicians who know nothing about them- or who enjoy a state pension themselves! Those of you who read the Political Rich List in the Irish Independent last month may have been surprised at the size of the pension pots enjoyed by our TDs, including those of the so-called left who decry every attempt by the self-employed to save for a pension. In fact, the size of those political pension pots was under-estimated, as they Independent used a very generous annuity rate to calculate them. As part of our Pensions Equity Challenge, we and our colleagues in Brokers Ireland have consolidated a Pensions White Paper, which we have sent to Ministers Donohoe and McGrath ahead of the budget. This sets out in technical form the inequities which exist between public and private sector workers. We are asking Government to agree to a series of reforms which will bring equity to private sector pension savers, and we ask you to alert your local TDs to this. If they fail to accommodate reasonable compromise, we will inform them we are going to court. The noise in the media about the gilded pensions of our public servants is only beginning. Lastly, many of you will have been informed of increases in water and energy prices. This is an area of real concern for those businesses who are heavy users of utilities. Please let us know if your business is one of those badly affected, as the post-pandemic period is already seeing significant inflation in other input costs. Stay Safe, Neil McDonnell | CEO | neil@isme.ie
NEW MEMBERS: NEW MEMBERS
New members:
Berman and Wallace Ltd Dunne Haulage Envisage Cloud Farm Fresh Homemade Foods Grant Transport Ltd Houlihan's Motor Factors Killarney Riding Stables Liam Buckley Car Sales Ltd. LiCrann CCTV Processing and Redaction Nolan Steel Ltd. Nostra Paddybox Quinn Transport SaferPlaces Syncrophi Systems The Printed Image Limited Therapy and Training Ziegler Logistics Limited
Read here
NEWS NEWS Pitch My Business – a virtual networking event The next Pitch my Business will take place on 14th October, 10.30 a.m. It is free and open to all, offering you a platform to network and promote your company. Each attendee will have 2 minutes to pitch and your business details including a special offer will be displayed on screen. Please register here Promote your business with ISME Advertising with ISME is an effective way to reach key decision makes in Irish SMEs. Members can advertise in our online publication The bISME and the next issue is due out in November, view details here. We are taking bookings for the 2022 ISME Wall Planner, view the rates and sizes here. We offer reduced rates for members. Don’t forget our Shop Local B2C and B2B platforms, we encourage all members to keep participating. Don’t miss out, advertise your products and services by completing the form here. This is a great opportunity to promote your business and the opportunity for 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 Life Cover – open for applications ISME Group Life Cover is now offering more cover options and submissions can be made during the month of October This cover is an optional employee benefit that provides important low-cost life cover to your permanent staff. It is not available to the general public, and is rated specifically for ISME member companies and is administered by Halligan Insurances. The ISME Group Life Plan is designed to pay a lump sum to a members’ next of kin in the event of death in the employer’s service. Cover Options €100,000 €75.000 €50,000
Cost per member p.a. * €247 €185 €124
Cost per member per week €4.75 €3.55 €2.38
*Due to the claims experience over the last two years, the current review has required a slight premium increase. This current premium is guaranteed until the next review in Oct 2023. Members can view full details about the cover here.
NEWS NEWS ISME & HSA: Managing Stress Video Series Patricia Murray, Senior Work & Organisational Psychologist with the Health and Safety Authority is in conversation our HR Advisor, Cait Lynch on a series of videos to discuss Managing Stress at Work. Cait will pose questions and look at areas of concern based on the queries and experiences ISME members are dealing with on a daily basis. The videos will focus on three key areas: • • •
Work-related stress Conflict in the workplace Employer stress
View the videos and other key information here.
It pays to refer Did you know that when you refer another business(es) to join ISME, you receive 10% discount when you renew your membership but make sure they mention you when they join! We want to continue to grow ISME so we can represent and support more Irish businesses.
Watch on demand You can view our recent webinars on: Return to Work Protocols with Katherine McVeigh B.L. where we answered questions on return to work protocols, vaccinations, wearing of PPE at work and much more in August. Find out more here Returning to Work Safely Q&A – an Occupational Health Update with Dr. Conor McDonnell, a Specialist Occupational Health Physician who provided advice and guidance on returning to work safely on 28th September. Find out more here.
NEWS NEWS Guidance on Work Safety The Government’s COVID-19 national protocol for employers and workers, the Work Safely Protocol, was updated on 16 September 2021 to reflect updated Public Health advice and knowledge. These minor technical updates include the inclusion of new symptoms associated with the Delta variant of COVID-19 and additional information on ventilation and vaccinations. This follows Government publication on 31 August of 'Reframing the Challenge, Continuing our Recovery and Reconnecting' which sets out the national approach to the further reopening of society from 20 September 2021 in advance of a further planned relaxation of restrictions from 22 October 2021. A key element of 'Reframing the Challenge, Continuing our Recovery and Reconnecting', is the facilitation of a phased and staggered return to the workplace for specific business requirements with effect from 20 September. Given the importance of keeping workplaces safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Labour Employer Economic Forum (LEEF) established a consultative stakeholder group to oversee the implementation of the Work Safely Protocol. This consultative group published a Returning Safely to the Workplace from 20 September Guidance Note to assist employers and workers to plan for the phased return to the workplace. The Authority has also published four additional COVID-19 checklists on: Ventilation (Checklist No.8), Returning to the Office (Checklist No.9), and Rapid Antigen Diagnostic Tests (Checklists No.10 and 10a) to help employers, managers and workers plan their return to the workplace safely. The Returning to the Office checklist should form the basis for discussion between employers and employees, with the support of Lead Worker Representatives, to ensure that all practical steps are taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. The full range of updated HSA COVID-19 checklists, templates and posters can be found here. Christmas and public holidays Did you know that when a public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, some people assume that the following Monday is treated as a public holiday. However, this is not the case. This year Christmas falls on a Saturday and St. Stephens day is on a Sunday. If a public holiday falls on a weekend, employees do not have any automatic legal entitlement to have the next working day off work. When this happens – some employers might treat the following Monday as a public holiday but an employer can require employees to attend work on that day. If a public holiday falls on a day that is not a normal working day for a business employees are still entitled to the benefit for that public holiday. When this happens employees are entitled to one of the following: • A paid day off within a month of the public holiday • An additional day of annual leave • An additional day’s pay The benefit is given is at the discretion of the employer.
NEWS NEWS ISME Wellness Programme In these unprecedented times of a global pandemic, the health and wellbeing of employees is more important now than ever. As we support our members and their employees working remotely, we are committed to delivering the best, most appropriate, and most accessible solutions along with our partners, Laya healthcare and their health & wellbeing provider, Spectrum.Life with our ISME' Wellness Programme. This 24/7 Mental Wellbeing Support Programme (EAP) offers unlimited access to employees and their families. For members with up to 30 employees the fixed cost is €500 + VAT and each subject employee is €9 for one year. To find out more go click here. ISME calls for equality for private sector workers in pension reforms ISME called on the Government to treat private sector workers equally in any pension reforms to coincide with Pensions Awareness Week 2021, 20th─24th September and in advance of Budget 2022. Among the measures the Government are considering are further restrictions on the ability of private sector workers to save for an adequate pension. Currently, 40% of private sector workers have no pension other than the contributory (or noncontributory) old age state pension with the current maximum outlay being €248.30 per week, equivalent to €1,076 per month. Although the State pension is quite high in comparative terms against our European neighbours, it fares poorly in terms of “replacement”. The replacement rate is the extent to which the pension replaces the average industrial wage. Due to Ireland’s relatively high average industrial wage, the replacement rate of our pension is very low. The net pension replacement rate for a worker on the average wage in the EU28 is 63.5%, however in Ireland it is just 35.9%. This means that Irish workers relying only on the State pension will find it difficult to afford to live on their state pension in retirement. Read more here
Support Scheme for Energy Audits The SEAI has launched their Support Scheme for Energy Audits. The scheme offers a voucher of €2,000 for eligible SMEs to enable them to get a high-quality energy audit from a Registered Energy Auditor. You can read full details on the the SEAI website here.
NEWS NEWS InterTradeIreland’s Go-2-Tender workshops can increase success for businesses The opportunity for public procurement on the island of Ireland is currently valued in excess of €13bn per annum, with €9bn in Ireland. This scale of opportunity should encourage companies of all sizes to actively consider and apply for public sector tendering contracts. Success in the public procurement market is already happening for many businesses. Data reveals that there are close to 200 frameworks in operation on the island of Ireland, with approximately 150 operated by Office of Government Procurement (OGP) in Ireland. Out of these 150, OGP data confirms that SMEs make up 70 per cent of all framework members. If you wish to be a part of it, the pandemic has created a number of major ‘catch-up opportunities’. For those who need guidance on navigating the tendering process, help is readily at hand. InterTradeIreland’s Go-2-Tender programme helps SMEs to improve tendering capability through practical workshops and 1 to 1 company specific mentoring packages. Our Go-2-Tender workshops can support Irish firms to analyse the public sector market and consider the most appropriate bids to pursue. More importantly – and with the addition of supporting mentoring packages – they help companies to develop stronger bid content to improve the “win rate.” For businesses in Ireland there has never been a better time to access the public procurement market. Previous participants of the Go-2-Tender programme have reported winning tenders valued at €100m so you do not want to miss out. Read the full article here. Back to Business Mentoring & Coaching Programme ISME Skillnet are delighted to announce our new Back to Business Mentoring & Coaching Programme, a fully funded initiative for ISME Members. Business coaching and mentoring has long been recognised as a highly effective method to review, improve and grow a business, however it can prove to be costly and out of reach for many small businesses. We want to change this for ISME members. We are offering all members the opportunity to apply for a fully funded business coaching and mentoring programme. This fund will allow ISME to engage 60 businesses and develop new ideas and strategies they wish to implement. The six hours with a business coach / mentor will provide an organisation with the right skills, tools, and competencies to develop their business. Read more here
NEWS
HR UPDATE
Updated work safely protocol
The Government published an updated work safely protocol. This is the third version since its initial publication in 2020. The protocol covers the safety measures required to re-open workplaces following closure. The fourth edition of the protocol highlights further guidance on prevention and control measures including the following: • • • • •
• •
further advice on hand hygiene, face masks/coverings and an expanded list of COVID19 symptoms; the use of technology is encouraged to address attendance levels in workplaces and reduce overcrowding; face masks/coverings should be worn where in person meetings occur, though the advice is meetings should be virtual where possible; business trips should be limited to those “that are necessary”, and no longer need to be absolutely minimised; employers are also urged to read the latest Data Protection Commission advice on processing COVID-19 vaccination data in the context of employment and note there is currently no legal requirement for a worker to accept the offer of a vaccination or inform their employer of their choice; there is enhanced guidance on risk assessments, particularly around ventilation (e.g. the use of CO2 monitors and air cleaning systems as supplementary prevention and control measures). the requirement for each workplace to have a Lead Worker Representative is emphasised, including the importance of their role as workers return to workplaces to assist employers and workers to implement the Protocol and to act as a channel for worker concerns. The Protocol notes that if concerns continue about the implementation of the Protocol, workers may raise these with the Workplace Contact Unit of the Health and Safety Authority;
The updated Protocol also acknowledges that from October 22 the Government intends to lift the requirement to work from home, allowing a return to physical attendance in the workplace on a phased and cautious basis appropriate to each sector. Employers are encouraged to keep up to date with public health guidance and to update their workplace literature, remote working and return to work policies accordingly. If you require further advice or assistance updating you policies and procedures please contact hr@isme.ie
NEWS
HR UPDATE
Lifting of suspension of employees right to claim redundancy From 30th September the suspension of the right of employees to claim redundancy during lay off or short time as legislated for by the Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid 19) Act 2020, section 29 has been lifted. Prior to March 2020, employees placed on lay off or short time for in excess of four consecutive weeks or for six weeks in the previous 13 weeks had a right to serve a notice on their employer claiming a right to be made redundant and consequently claim a redundancy lump sum payment. This rule was suspended in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic so that employees on lay off or short time could not claim a right to be made redundant. This was designed to avoid high numbers of redundancy pay-outs during the pandemic. Once lifted, this means that employees who are still on lay off when the suspension is lifted will be able to serve written notice on their employer claiming redundancy. Employers should note that where an employee claims redundancy in this manner they lose any right to notice, or payment in lieu of notice, from their employer. In order to refute such a claim an employer must, within 7 days, serve a counter notice on the employee where they believe that they will have work for that employee within 4 weeks of the notice and that this work will last for 13 weeks without lay off or short time. In the ordinary course any period of lay off was not counted as "reckonable service" when calculating an employee's redundancy lump sum payment. This meant that employees who have been on lay off since the beginning of the pandemic could lose out on 18 months reckonable service. To address this, the Government announced on 21 September 2021 that a special payment of up €1,860 would be paid to employees who have lost out on reckonable service while temporarily laid off during the pandemic and subsequently made redundant. If you require further advice or assistance please contact hr@isme.ie
LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT
Business coaching and mentoring has long been recognised as a highly effective method to review, improve and grow a business. It can prove to be costly and for this reason used more frequently by large businesses and out of reach for many SMEs. This we believe will change for ISME members as we will be offering our member companies a fully funded business coaching and mentoring programme. Skillnet Ireland have been instrumental in supporting SMEs during the pandemic. Their ‘’Future Dynamics – Industry/Regional Innovation Initiative’’ was exactly what ISME needed to further assist our member companies with their future growth plans, and we are very grateful for their support at this difficult time for Irish businesses. How many businesses will benefit? This fund will allow ISME to engage 60 businesses and develop new ideas and strategies they wish to implement. The 6 hours with a business coach / mentor will provide an organisation with the right skills, tools, and competencies to develop their business. The areas we will cover, but not exclusively are: • Digital and Automation • Growth and Finance • People and Leadership • Business Improvement Strategies • Business Processes
Our Mentors Our panel of experienced coaches and business advisors have either sectorial or domain expertise. They have been through ordeals that many businesses are going through themselves. Therefore, offering to share their experience allows the development of a trusted partnership, and set a confident path to success. The progression of this relationship will aid a business owner to delve into their true purpose, both personally and professionally. Who can apply? Private sector businesses based in Ireland with between 5 and 250 employees are eligible to participate in the ISME Back to Business initiative. Additionally, you must be an existing ISME member to avail of this programme. Before applying: Please ensure that you have devoted some thought and effort into the following when applying: • Shortfalls in your current business performance • How you think you might be able to do better, and identify what you would like to achieve.
APPLY HERE
LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT Upcoming short courses ISME Skillnet are excited to announce three new courses for those looking to improve their Microsoft Excel skills: Microsoft Excel Introduction | Dates: 18-10-2021 to 21-10-2021 Microsoft Excel Intermediate 2016 | Dates: 01-11-2021 to 03-11-2021 Microsoft Excel Advanced 2016 | Dates: 08-11-2021 to 11-11-2021 Find out more
Free Cash Management Day ISME Skillnet in partnership with the Entrepreneurs Organisation are delighted to offer our members and non-members alike the chance to attend and participate in their world-renowned business growth programme for SME’s. Thursday the 7th of October from 9am-3pm Find out more
LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT Upcoming short courses
Storytelling for Business Storytelling is a recognised tool to help persuade others to buy into ideas or to win sales. This engaging, interactive training will address these challenges and help the participant gain a greater understanding of this important skill. Tuesday 26th October & Thursday 28th October, 8:00am-10:00am Find out more
Creating videos with your mobile phone The objective for this training is to give members the simple skills needed to make high quality video content using the tools they have at their disposal. These skills can be incorporated in a number of environments Thursday 11th and Friday 12th November 8.00am – 10.00am each morning
Find out more
LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT Introductory Certificate in Bookkeeping using Big Red Cloud This practical, certified course with 12 weeks access to Big Red Cloud gives you a strong foundation in Bookkeeping Principles using practical worked examples and real-to-life case studies. You will also be introduced to VAT and RCT as well the key skill of Cash Budgeting. Ensuring that your business is as economical as possible we look at deductible expenses, including capital allowances, and payments that can be used to make employee payments most tax efficient. Click HERE for full course details. Learning Objectives: • • • • • • • •
Basic Principles of Bookkeeping Dealing with VAT Business Documentation and Dealing with Discount Relevant Contracts Tax Cash Budgeting Deductible Expenses and Tax-Free Payments to Employees Depreciation and Capital Allowances Misc. tax and business topics and queries from participants.
Fees: €210 for ISME members, €245 non-members The full cost of this programme through the Bookkeeping Academy of Ireland is €349, but we are subsidizing this by 40% for ISME Members and 30% for Non-Members. Dates: Launch dates dependent on your own timeline, but once starting the programme, it is recommended you complete the course in 3 months (or less, depending on your own pace).
Register for free here