Member News

Tidy desk, tidy mind, may not be an ancient adage, but nor is it an old wives’ tale that a cluttered workspace affects productivity and therefore has a negative impact on profitability. If your desk resembles a landfill site, here are our top five reasons for decluttering:

Make a good impression

It’s not just your bosses who will notice if your desk always looks like you just emptied your bin over it, your colleagues will too. Technology company , Brother UK, carried out a Workplace Organisation Survey, where they quizzed more than 2,000 UK office workers to uncover the effect that a disorganised desk can have on everyday life. 20% of professionals surveyed said that a workmate’s messy space had a negative impact on how much they were able to get done in their working day. Untidiness can affect people’s perception of you; 40% of the office workers Brother talked to said that they thought a messy desk must mean that their workmate was disorganised, and, when it comes to their perception of junior colleagues, the stat shot up to 75%. That’s bad news for those just starting out in their career who want to make a good impression on their team but just can’t seem to keep their clutter under control.

Look after your health

Many of Brother’s survey-takers admitted that their messy desk negatively affected their mood, with 31% saying it increased their stress and a massive 49% that it changed the way they felt about going to work each day. But it’s not just mental health that suffers. Workplace equipment can be 400 times dirtier than the average toilet seat, and if your desk is covered in clutter, you or a contract cleaner is going to have to move everything to clean it properly and remove all those lurking germs.

Work more efficiently

If your desk is in a mess, it stands to reason that you are going to struggle to find things. Whether that’s a memory stick, a specific file or maybe just your pen, every minute you spend looking for items isn’t just an unproductive minute, it’s also a distraction that interrupts your train of thought. You’re also more likely to flit from one task to another if there are reminders spread all over your workspace. Just as a plethora of open tabs on your PC will send you off on more tangents than you will find at a geometry convention, so will an abundance of paperwork or Post-it notes.

Save money

It’s easy for stuff to get lost when it’s buried amongst a tonne of junk. One in five of those surveyed told Brother they’d misplaced something of value thanks to their disorganised workspace, with 17% losing an item worth somewhere between £50 and £200. Proof that being messy can be an expensive business!

Get that promotion

30% of Brother’s survey-takers said they believe that a tidy desk is part and parcel of presenting a professional image at work, and one in ten bosses admitted that a messy workspace could well make them think twice about promoting one of their employees. So, if you’re hoping to scale the career ladder or get a raise, it may be time to de-clutter.

Embrace a clear desk policy and spend the last five minutes of your workday tidying away those files. You’ll start the next day more positively, you’ll stay healthy, and you may even get promoted!

To find out more about our daily office cleans and other contract cleaning services call us on 01206215300.

The Group’s credit review reflects strong operating margins and solid financial management practices.

Credit Agency Moody’s has issued Flagship with a A2 (stable) Credit Rating in its latest report, published 20 March. The review highlights the Group’s strengths of strong operating margins, simple corporate structure and a strong regulatory framework.

The Group were awarded the joint highest qualitive score for financial management amongst all Moody’s UK rated housing associations (HAs). “Flagship’s governance continues to remain a key strength, and this is reflected in the score card. The Group benefits from its steady and long-term growth plan. Its prudent business planning assumptions and robust multi-variant stress testing also demonstrate good governance, whilst effective management has led to a continued reduction in both voids and arrears”, Moody’s said.

Flagship’s strong operating margin of 42% puts it among the most profitable entities in the credit agency’s portfolio of HAs. The Group is also expecting to make efficiency savings related to the recent merger with Victory Housing Trust, with an estimated cost reduction of £16million over the next five years.

Chief Financial Officer at Flagship, David Armstrong is delighted with the results and says: “This is a great platform to support our goal of solving the housing crisis in the East of England”.

A leading regional accountancy and business advisory firm has been awarded Platinum Partner status by cloud accounting platform Xero.

Larking Gowen, which has offices throughout Norfolk and Suffolk, now has Platinum status for both Xero and QuickBooks, which was awarded last year.

Martin Bugg, of Larking Gowen, said the status on both platforms is awarded for a high volume of clients using the software. As a result, the firm has invested in making sure its team is fully trained to assist clients using either software.

“We have now reached the highest service level for the two top products in the market, which means that our clients can have the confidence that we’ve got a team of people who can help them with Xero and QuickBooks,” he said.

“We can provide continuity for those firms which are already using this software. Otherwise getting your company data onto the packages can be straightforward with our help.”

By 1 April 2019, most VAT registered businesses in the UK must submit VAT digitally. Other businesses need to do so by 1 April 2020.

Mr Bugg said: “Although Making Tax Digital is mandatory for VAT registered businesses, there are a number of advantages. Business owners can have a greater understanding of their day-to-day financial status, with instant access from any form of device which makes timely decision making easier.

“It also means your record-keeping is more robust, and ensures all expenditure is recorded in real time.

“Our advisors will start by getting a clear understanding of your business, and then recommending the most appropriate software. Once you are set up we can support you with regular checks to ensure the correct information is going into the system.”

Larking Gowen also provides “bolt-on” packages such as Chaser, which is an automatic credit control system, and Receipt Bank for receipt management.

“Because of the access Making Tax Digital gives a business owner to real time financial status, it connects well with our business advisory service to help create more efficiencies and well-informed decisions,” said Mr Bugg.

For more information, please call Martin Bugg on 0330 024 0888 or visit www.larking-gowen.co.uk

Whilst away on business in the Netherlands, Leon Davies was inspired to create his zero-emission Taxi Company. Working as an offshore oil and gas technician, the importance of using a sustainable, renewable energy source is integral to his business philosophy.

Using his own renewable energy from Zero’s own solar panels and storage batteries he brought the concept of 100% electric and zero emissions to Norwich.

Leon’s company is going strength to strength, with a nomination from the Norwich & Norfolk eco awards in the small/medium business category – the awards ceremony is this Thursday and we wish him and his amazing team every success for the nomination and his growing business!

www.zerotaxis.com

Abate Pest Management Services of Morley near Wymondham has been crowned the Small Company of the Year at the British Pest Management Awards (BPMA). The awards ceremony took place last week during PestEx, the UK’s largest trade exhibition and conference for the pest control industry, held at London ExCeL. Abate Pest Management was shortlisted for the award along with five other UK pest control companies.

Abate Pest Management Services celebrates its 20th year of operations next month and recently they achieved EN 16636 CEPA certification, which is the European quality standard for pest management services. This was added to their triple ISO for quality and environmental and accreditations with CHAS and Safe Contractor for health and safety.

The company also operates to BRC, M&S, Tesco, SALSA, Soil Association, Organic and Red Tractor standards, which allows the business to service food grade operations.

During the past 12 months, Abate has seen a significant uplift in contracts, especially businesses within the food chain, Housing Associations and delivered a number of specific bird proofing projects. Like most pest control businesses, the summer of 2018 influenced growth in the domestic market with a record number of wasp nest emergency call outs.

Recently Abate also announced their UK franchising plans to build a network of Pest Management operations throughout the UK. Currently they service clients in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire and have operational work in parts of Essex, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, making it an ideal time to expand.

Jon Blake, Managing Director of Abate, said, “We are delighted to have won this award which was independently judged by a select panel of industry experts. The 20 years of hard work has paid off and we are looking forward to our continued future growth. It doesn’t happen without a team and I am proud of everyone at Abate, especially my wife Jill who has supported and encouraged me to succeed.”

University Technical College Norfolk is holding an Employer-led Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) event on Thursday 4th April 4-7pm for 13-18 year olds and their parents to educate them on STEM careers and the opportunities available. 

If you’re a STEM business and would like to attend please go to their eventbrite page to register your interest. They also have stand places available, if you’d like one please contact UTCN – office@utcn.org.uk

At Pure, our recruitment consultants are sometimes asked for advice on the career progression opportunities available in our region in comparison to those in London. As professional recruitment consultants for the eastern region we have extensive experience of the region’s recruitment market and the employment trends in the area. Here are just some of the reasons why we believe our region provides not only excellent career progression opportunities but also fantastic places to work.

The opportunities

Our region is home to a diverse range of businesses. Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk are home to everything from large, national and international companies through to thriving SMEs, family owned businesses and innovative start-ups. There are award-winning businesses and organisations listed in the Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For within sectors including Energy, Digital and Technology, Financial Services, Life Sciences, Food and Agriculture, Tourism and Advanced Manufacturing. This business diversity provides a wealth of exciting challenges and opportunities for our candidates and these companies are looking to recruit talented people at all levels who will help to shape and grow the business. In our last financial year, we supported 2,340 candidates in the region to find their next professional role and we are currently recruiting for nearly 400 different professional job roles, many of which are exclusive vacancies not advertised elsewhere.

The benefits

Choosing to work in the East of England can enhance your career progression, rather than hold it back in anyway. Typically, larger organisations in the UK’s major cities are more likely to offer roles with very specific and narrow set of responsibilities. Whereas the diversity of business size and sectors in our region means we see more organisations providing employees with the chance to gain a more rounded experience, take on more responsibility, and the opportunity to develop new skills as the business grows. Like many organisations in our region, such as our strategic partners which include Birketts LLP and Grant Thornton, we are passionate about developing the region’s talent pipeline. There are numerous opportunities for people to gain additional support to progress their careers including our Women’s Leadership Programme, Board Ready Talent Scheme, Finance Leadership Programme and HR Development Programme.

The employers

Working with clients across the Eastern region, our consultants have seen an increase in organisations developing their workplace cultures. Through our Best Employers Eastern Region initiative and sponsorship of local Best Employer awards, we support and promote employers across the region who are committed to creating positive working environments which bring out the best in their people. One of the priorities we look for when judging these awards and accreditations is the organisation’s talent strategy and its approach to learning and development and supporting employees to progress. 

The million-dollar question

The larger size of the market means it is inevitable that some businesses in London will be able to offer higher salary packages, but when travel and cost of living are in consideration, the net gain is not always positive. Salaries in the eastern region are competitive and should be considered alongside the considerably lower cost of living. The latest statistics from our free salary comparison tool www.comparemysalary.co.uk shows that the average salaries in our region range from £24,500 for office support roles through to £42,500 for Technology roles. We have also seen an increasing trend in organisations in our region offering more attractive benefit packages. Considering people spend the majority of their waking hours at work, additional lifestyle benefits such as extra annual leave, flexible working and wellbeing initiatives can all make a big difference to day-to-day life as well as people’s own engagement levels and motivation to progress. Compare My Salary shows that the top benefits available to employees in our region include flexible working, additional annual leave and company paid training, alongside benefits which impact on the overall renumeration package such as health insurance, life insurance and free car parking.

Contact us for more information about current job vacancies and career progression opportunities in our region, norwich@prs.uk.com or 01603 216456.  

Lee Green, Director of Insolvency and Recovery, and Bruce Masson, Director in the firm’s long-established Farm and Landed Estates team, are to become partners at East Anglian based chartered accountant Larking Gowen, with effect from 1 April.                                          

“We are delighted to announce the appointment of two new partners at the firm,” says Jon Woolston, Managing Partner. “Lee joined us after sixth-form, he came third overall in the country in his Joint Insolvency Board examinations, and first for students from firms with smaller insolvency teams. Bruce joined Larking Gowen 12 months ago as Director of our widely respected 46-strong Farm and Landed Estates team,” Jon Woolston continues, “bringing his invaluable perspective to this core part of our business.”

“Larking Gowen has the largest Farm and Landed Estates team in this region, and one of the largest in the country,” says new partner Bruce Masson, “it is a privilege to guide clients, to help manage assets and succession against a background of constant change in regulation, technology and land prices, as well as future uncertainty, for example in the area of government support.”

Bruce trained as a Chartered Accountant with Saffery Champness in London and Bristol, then moved to the entrepreneurial business department at Kingston Smith LLP, before relocating to Suffolk in 2012 to join another large accountancy firm as Director in their Accounting and Business Advisory department, specialising in agriculture, estates and private clients, joining Larking Gowen in 2018.

“Larking Gowen is a welcoming and friendly work environment, with a strong emphasis on employee wellbeing,” Bruce Masson continues, “becoming a partner demonstrates a long-term commitment to the industry and the firm. I look forward to contributing to the future direction of the business in this new role.” Director of Insolvency and Recovery, Lee Green, has been with Larking Gowen since leaving sixth-form. “Becoming a partner at Larking Gowen was an ambition from my first day with the firm as office junior, in 2003,” says Lee, who qualified as a Licensed Insolvency Practitioner in 2014, “Insolvency and Recovery is a niche area, winding down businesses or working on behalf of creditors where our work is often investigative. As a partner I will broaden my experience, looking at the business as a whole, and contributing to the firm’s drive and direction,” Lee explains.

“In my work, the first port of call is to avoid insolvency,” says Lee Green, who believes reputation is key to the continuing expansion of the firm, “we recommend business owners and individuals come to us for free, confidential advice as soon financial concerns start. The earlier we can put a plan of action in place, the more options we have to manage what can be a stressful time,” he concludes.

“Lee and Bruce are articulate advocates in their respective fields, their expertise is an asset to the business,” says Managing Partner, Jon Woolston, “the partners and I look forward to working with them, as we continue to expand our work across East Anglia,” he concludes. 

Please help postgraduate students from the University of East Angliaand Norwich University of the Arts working on our heritage i-Teams project by filling out this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/LJMJQKQ

The students are working with a local business to investigate the importance of brand heritage within the drinks industry – especially when considering online sales.

i-Teams is a fantastic opportunity for researchers in the early stages of their careers to acquire new skills, widen their experience outside of academia, increase their commercial awareness and have fun doing it.

We put together teams of postgraduate students and postdoctoral researchers to work together with industry mentors on creatively planning business impact for real inventions.

To find out more about getting involved, please visit the website or email iteams@uea.ac.uk.

Celebrate English Tourism Week from Saturday, March 30 to Sunday, April 7 at the historic Maids Head Hotel in Norwich, winner of Best Independent Hotel and the Investing in the Future award at the Norfolk and Suffolk Tourism Awards 2019.

A classic English Afternoon Tea will be on offer comprising egg and cress, salmon, cheese and homemade tomato chutney sandwiches; homemade sausage roll, scotch egg (originated from Fortnum and Mason in 1738); Cherry Bakewell, Victoria Sandwich and traditional fruit cake; Raspberry Eton Mess and cheese and fruit scones with clotted cream and jam.

The hotel has a new partnership with shoe artist, Emily Jupp of Milly J Shoes in Tombland. Emily is producing special shoes linked to key events in the Norwich and Norfolk calendar, which will be displayed in Maids Head reception. Her English Country Garden shoe, marking English Tourism Week, is launching the new partnership.

Christine Malcolm, General Manager, Maids Head Hotel explained: “English Tourism Week is an annual celebration of the importance of tourism to the country’s economy. Tourism contributes more than £3.245 billion to Norfolk’s economy, supporting just under 65,400 jobs, which is 18.4% of the workforce. We are pleased to play our part in this celebration, marking the importance of our heritage and our owners, the Chaplin family’s commitment to the continuing sympathetic refurbishment of the hotel, ensuring that the historic building meets the expectations of 21st century visitors.”

To book English Tourism Week Afternoon Tea t. 01603 209955.

Emily Jupp, Milly J Shoes was Footwear Designer of the Year in The Footwear Industry Awards 2015.

Passengers on Greater Anglia are set to benefit from improved compensation thanks to a new deal signed between the operator and the Department for Transport (DfT).  From 1 April 2019, they will be able to claim compensation for journeys delayed between 15 and 29 minutes under the Delay Repay 15 (DR15) scheme.

This means that passengers, who take over 80 million journeys a year on the Greater Anglia network, will be able to claim back 25% of the single fare, irrespective of the cause of the delay.  Existing compensation arrangements already exist for delays of 30 minutes or over.  

Greater Anglia was determined to introduce DR15 as soon as possible after Chris Grayling, Secretary of State for Transport, announced in October 2016 that DR15 should be rolled out to all rail franchises.

In recent years, the company has also taken positive steps to increase awareness of the customer compensation options available, make the claims process simpler and give customers more choice in the ways that they can receive their compensation.  Customers can now claim compensation online, by email or by hard copy form. Compensation can be transferred directly into your bank account, as a credit on your credit card, by voucher, Paypal or alternatively as a charitable donation. This latter option was introduced by Greater Anglia last summer, following feedback from customers and stakeholders, and has already raised over £8,000 for the Samaritans charity.  

Rail Minister Andrew Jones said:

“Our top priority is ensuring passengers see the reliable and punctual services they expect, but when things do go wrong, it’s only right that they are compensated fairly and quickly. This is why the launch of DR15 on Greater Anglia is important news for passengers, providing them with better compensation if their services are delayed.”

Commenting on the introduction of Delay Repay 15 for Greater Anglia customers, Jamie Burles, Managing Director for Greater Anglia said :

“We’re delighted to be able to provide better compensation, with the launch of Delay Repay 15 from next month and we are sure it will be welcomed by our customers. We’ve worked in close partnership with the Department for Transport to offer this significant benefit during the existing franchise as soon as possible, meeting our customers’ aspirations to see this upgrade earlier than expected.

It’s all part of a wider transformation of train service standards in East Anglia that sees us bringing in a complete fleet of brand-new trains across our entire network over the next two years, with the first new trains due in service later this year.  We’re fully focused on improving punctuality and reliability, in collaboration with Network Rail, but customers will now be able to claim compensation for any delays of 15 minutes and over, when things do go wrong.”

Latest punctuality figures for Greater Anglia stand at just over 90%.

Lolcal News is a brand new exhibition celebrating Norfolk’s finest creatives. Featuring 30 local designers, illustrators, artists and photographers, each piece of work is based on a Norfolk related news headline. The concept for this exhibition is that of Norwich designer Sinead Birmingham, who moved back home from London after ten years working the creative industries, and immediately found comfort and joy in the local headlines and Norfolk humour. Sinead has collated Norfolk news headlines over the past year, which include such gems as “Person stuck in bathroom, fire service called in” and “£300 operation by vet on constipated goldfish” were the inspiration behind the exhibition. After collecting a strong selection of news gold, Sinead approached Norfolk’s design talent including; Owen Mathers, who recently completed a mural in Norwich’s Ivy Restaurant, Matt Whitehead, the creative behind Patterns of Play and the OTBC match day programme, as well as her talented designer colleagues at borne, one of Norwich’s leading design agencies. Wanting for the exhibition to remain local in every sense, Lolcal News ticket sales profits and profits from the artist’s prints will be donated to the OPEN Youth Trust (OPEN), a charity which develop high-quality arts initiatives helping children and young people express themselves through creativity. Sinead Birmingham, Lolcal News creator said: “The exhibition is a vehicle for building an even stronger design community within the city. With Norwich University of the Arts’ Course Leaders involved, along with alumni, Sam Harrons from the Shhhh collective and London based Norfolk native designers, the standard of the work will be as high as the headline humour.” All the headlines have been kept under wraps until the private view on 4th April, but until then archive headlines are being featured @lolcal_news instagram account.  The exhibition will then be open to the public at OPEN Norwich, from 10.00am – 10.00pm on Friday 5th April and from 10.00am – 4.00pm on Saturday 6th April.   Tickets are £5 + booking fee (under 12s free with a paying adult).  Available from https://opennorwich.org.uk/whats-on/gigs-events/lolcal-news/ or call OPEN’s Box Office on 01603 763111