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USEFUL EVENTS FOR SMES

Enterprise Ireland: Building an Innovation Culture Thursday 31st August & Tuesday 21st September Register here Tuesday 28th September & Tuesday 19th October Register here Dogpatch Labs - First Fridays for Start-ups Friday 3rd September Book here

InterTradeIreland - Go to Tender Supplies & Services Workshop Tuesday 21st & Wednesday 22nd September, 9.30am - 1:00pm Book here

Sustainability Summit & Content Series - Action the Change Wednesday, 22nd September Free registration here

InterTrade Ireland - Go to Tender Supplies & Services Workshop Wednesday 20th & Thursday 21st October, 9.30am - 1:00pm Book here

VAT for Cross-Border E-Commerce Transactions Change

The European Commission announced on 28th June 2021 that e-commerce taxation rules will change. The new VAT rules for online shopping will be in force from 1st July in order to both simplify cross-border e-commerce and ensure greater transparency for EU cross-border shoppers when it comes to pricing and consumer choice. The new rules will apply to all below outside the EU/EEA: • online sellers • online marketplaces/platforms • postal operators and couriers involved in online deliveries • customs and tax administrations applying the tax regimes for online purchases • individual consumers i.e., customers shopping online New rules in summary mean: • VAT is now charged on all goods entering/imported into the

EU from non-EU countries, irrespective of value. • All e-commerce sellers based within or outside the EU/EEA, selling directly to consumers or via online marketplaces, need to have an EU VAT registration and pay VAT for all of their EU sales. For consumers, this means that VAT will feature as part of the total price paid directly to the seller, at the time of purchase. • The consumer factsheet on the changes can be found here. • More about the impact of these changes here. • Read the Irish Revenue Commissioners’ update on the changes 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 about the scheme on page 24 and visit the SEAI website here.

PODCAST & GUIDES FROM THE HSA

Learning to manage your own stress and potential stressors will make returning to work less uncertain and easier to deal with by listening to this podcast from the Health and Safety Authority (HSA). it features their inspector Patricia Murray, who is the Authority’s Senior Psychologist and in this episode, Patricia discusses the “Psychosocial risk assessment of returning to work under COVID-19. The HSA has recently published useful guides for employers including Checklist on Ventilation and their Fitness for Work Guidance for Employers and Employees after COVID-19 absence. Read more aout this on page 34.

GUIDELINES FOR THE TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY

Fáilte Ireland has published tourism and hospitality sectoral guidelines, aligned with the Work Safely Protocol, available to view here. They been developed collaboratively to assist businesses to apply guidance to their operations. The guidelines are informed by the latest Government public health advice and related regulations. Carefully tailored to specific tourism and hospitality sectors, the operational guidelines aim to support business owners and management every step of the way as they work to stabilise and recover. Inside each set of guidelines is comprehensive advice on reopening and rebooting productivity, with an emphasis on protecting the safety and well-being of employers, employees and customers and helping to instil public confidence. Further information on the reopening of indoor hospitality available here.

GUIDANCE ON PROCESSING COVID-19 VACCINATION DATA

The Data Protection Commission has issued guidance on Processing COVID-19 Vaccination Data in the context of Employment. The full guidance note can be downloaded here. The general position of the Data Protection Commission is that in the absence of clear advice from public health authorities in Ireland that it is necessary for all employers and managers of workplaces to establish vaccination status of employees and workers, the processing of vaccine data is likely to represent unnecessary and excessive data collection for which no clear legal basis exists. The DPC guidance considers the voluntary nature of vaccination and confirms that information on a person’s vaccination status is special category personal data for the purpose of GDPR.

ISME MEMBERS – WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND?

REMOTE WORKING

Remote working has the potential to reduce commute time, provide more flexible working hours, increase labour market participation, improve work-life balance and deliver cost-efficiencies for businesses. We think remote working can assist with ensuring our workplaces are more diverse and inclusive. Many experts believe only a few companies will remain fully remote post-pandemic. However, demanding that employees return to the office full-time carries its own risks – the possibility that employees will simply leave and find a job that offers more flexibility. That means most employers may opt for some kind of hybrid working model. We have found that one of the key elements to creating a successful remote or hybrid working model, is trusting your employees who are working at home. Give them the flexibility on their working hours, so long as the work is getting done.

DAVID MACNICHOLAS CLIENT DIRECTOR, DEVENTURE

COVID-19 has presented considerable challenges for Irish businesses over the past 18 months. One of the most visible aspects has been the move to remote working for so many of us. While the transition has been successful for the most part, it has not been without its difficulties. I would be concerned for young professionals joining companies during the pandemic, who are missing out on the personal interaction and faceto-face networking that are crucial to getting established in a new role. The one-to-one conversations and ‘water-cooler moments’ with colleagues and clients that lie at the core of successful job delivery. Zoom is a fantastic tool, but I for one look forward to a return to in-person conversations. In the meantime, it is so important that we as managers and leaders provide mentoring to our teams. That we nurture and recognise talent and provide appropriate supports to allow our colleagues to thrive and flourish in their roles.

SUSTAINING ENTERPRISE AND ACCELERATED RECOVERY FUND

On the 5th, August the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, launched an additional €51m in funding to help companies in their recovery from the impact of COVID-19 and to accelerate the digitalisation of enterprises. The new funding package will also provide liquidity, in the form of grants, capital investment, equity and loan notes to manufacturing and internationally traded services companies which have been negatively impacted by COVID-19, in order to support productivity improvements and enhance capacity building. As part of this funding package, a further €20 million is being provided for the existing Sustaining Enterprise Fund. Up to €31 million is being given in additional funding for the new Accelerated Recovery Fund which offers liquidity to companies to support significant necessary investment in capital and digital capability for productivity improvements. The funding package also incorporates €9,000 Digitalisation Vouchers to provide strategic intervention for any eligible company wishing to develop a digital adaption plan based on their identified need. All funding must be allocated to successful applicants before the end of 2021. Find out more here.

NEW EU DUAL-USE REGULATION AND IRELAND

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) will host an online event for business and industry representatives on 14th September 2021 to mark the commencement of the recast EU Dual-use Regulation ((EU) 2021/821). Find out more here.

DEVELOPING LEADERS FOR HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM

In February 2021, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Simon Harris, launched two national upskilling programmes for employees in the hospitality and tourism sector, which were developed by SOLAS and the Education and Training Boards in consultation with the Irish Hotels Federation, Failte Ireland and the Regional Skills Fora. The Hospitality sector, valued at upwards of €7.9bn to the economy, has been severely impacted by the pandemic, with over 100,000 jobs at risk due to COVID restrictions. To boost the retention and career progression of key talent, the two new Developing Leaders for Hospitality and Tourism programmes are providing highly subsidised upskilling opportunities, delivering critical team leadership and supervisory management skills to enable business recovery and growth. Since February, over 100 hotels and tourism employers have expressed interest in upskilling their staff to support re-opening of the sector. The programmes are being rolled out nationwide by Education and Training Boards. Programme content includes areas such as Operational Skills, Customer Care, People Management, Finance and Controls, Sustainability and Digital Skills.

CONSULTATION OPEN ON EU PROPOSALS FOR UPDATED PRODUCT SAFETY MEASURES

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar has launched a public consultation on a new EU proposal to ensure that EU consumers are protected from unsafe products in a digital age. The Tánaiste encourages all stakeholders to submit their views on this proposal for a Regulation. The Public Consultation is available on the Department’s website here. The Consultation will remain open until 24 September 2021.

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