Member News

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): an employer’s guide  Despite Brexit, the UK will implement the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) when it comes into force on 25 May 2018. Peter Lawrence from Human Capital Department discusses significant changes employers need to be aware of – including a new penalty regime – and next steps you need to take.

The GDPR harmonises data protection laws across the EU, including the UK, and updates the current legislation to take account of trends towards globalisation and the ever-changing technology landscape.

Who has to comply?  

It will apply to any company processing the personal data of individuals in relation to offering goods or services, or to monitoring their behaviour & includes employers use of personal data of employees. 

Significant penalties can be imposed on employers that breach the GDPR, including fines of up to €20 million or 4% of annual worldwide turnover, whichever is greater.

Employers should prepare for the following changes to avoid being subject to the new enforcement penalties.

More detailed privacy notices

Under the current law, employers are required to provide employees and job applicants with a privacy notice setting out certain information. Under the GDPR, employers will need to provide more detailed information, such as:

·       how long data will be stored for;

·       if data will be transferred to other countries;

·       information on the right to make a subject access request; and

·       information on the right to have personal data deleted or rectified in certain instances.

Restrictions to consent

Currently, many employers justify processing personal data on the basis of employee consent. This approach has been increasingly criticised because there is doubt as to whether or not consent is given freely in what is often a master- subordinate employer-employee relationship. Employees will now be able to withdraw their consent at any time.  

New breach notification requirement

The GDPR imposes a new mandatory breach reporting requirement. Where there has been a data breach (such as an accidental or unlawful loss, or disclosure of personal data), the employer will have to notify and provide certain information to the data protection authority within 72 hours. Where the breach poses a high risk to the rights and freedoms of the individuals, those individuals will also have to be notified.

Data protection Officers

All public authorities and those private companies involved in regular monitoring or large-scale processing of sensitive data will need to appoint a data protection officer to:

·       advise on GDPR obligations;

·       monitor compliance; and

·       liaise with the data protection authority.

What steps do I need to take now?   

Co-operation and understanding of the new GDPR obligations across the business is critical and organisations will need HR, legal, IT and compliance teams to take a combined approach.

The most important steps for HR to take now include:

1.     Carry out a data audit. Carefully assess current HR data and related processing activities and identify any gaps with the GDPR.

2.     Review current privacy notices and update them to comply with the more detailed information requirements. All information provided must be easy for employees and job applicants to understand.

3.     Assess the legal grounds for processing personal data. Where consent is currently relied on, check whether or not it meets GDPR requirements and remember that consent may be revoked at any time.  

4.     Develop a data breach response programme to ensure prompt notification. Allocate responsibility to certain people to investigate and contain a breach, and make a report. Train employees to recognise and address data breaches, and put appropriate policies and procedures in place.

5.     Determine whether or not a data protection officer must be appointed and, if so, think about how best to recruit, train and resource one.

To find out more:

Peter Lawrence from Human Capital Department will be doing a series of short [20 minute] talks about the forthcoming changes to the Data Protection Regulations [GDPR] which will come into force in May 2018.

These “4-Sight” 20 minute talks are part of the 4N Networking Meetings forum and visitors are welcome to attend, although do need booked in advance – there is a charge to attend of £15 to cover the cost of the Breakfast [or evening meal in the case of the Fakenham meeting].  

      i.         Short Talk & Networking Meetings: 

               “Preparing for the General Data Protection Regulations [GDPR]”

 Peter Lawrence from Human Capital Department talks through the 12 Steps to take now to prepare for the regulations, which come into force in May 2018.  

                At the following 4N meetings;

·       3rd Oct – Fakenham [Evening] / 6pm – 8pm 

·       6th Oct – Newmarket [Breakfast] / 8am-10am

·       24th Oct – North Walsham [Breakfast] / 8am – 10am

·       22nd Nov – Ely [Breakfast] / 8am – 10am

·       23rd Nov – Dereham [Breakfast] / 8am – 10am

Please email Peter if you’d come along to any of the above networking meetings and he will get you booked in:

Peter.lawrence@humancapitaldept.com or info@humancapitaldept.com

     ii.         Free Audit to ensure GDPR Data Compliance   

Human Capital Department can also help by carrying out a free GDPR data audit including a report and recommended changes to ensure compliance going forward to the first ten companies that contact them.  

The University of East Anglia (UEA) will be platinum sponsor for Venturefest East for a second year. Taking place on 21st September 2017 at Newmarket Racecourse, Venturefest East brings together innovators, successful entrepreneurs and investors to create new business opportunities and help innovative businesses to grow.

Working with alongside sponsors and partners, including UEA, Innovate UK and the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN), the event will address issues specifically related to building a business in today’s fast moving market and highlight the type of support and funding currently available. 

The inaugural Venturefest East took place on May 24th 2016 and attracted over 650 delegates, with 96% saying they would return to the event again. This year the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough LEP will be leading the delivery of Venturefest East 2017, with tickets on sale now.

Professor Fiona Lettice, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation and Professor of Innovation Management at UEA says: 

“UEA is thrilled to sponsor Venturefest East again after the great success of last year’s event. This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the exciting innovation happening in our region, and bring pioneering entrepreneurs and investors together to make connections, share ideas and forge new collaborations.”

Larking Gowen has launched a snapshot survey for tourism and leisure businesses today.  Businesses across Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex are urged to take part and make their views counts.  The short, seven-question survey will provide some insight into how businesses are performing.

The survey is open for five days. Friday 18 August – Wednesday 23 August and will take less than five minutes to complete.  Results will be published on Friday 25 August. 

Please click here to take part.

Norwich Puppet Theatre is set to take “Three Colours” one of our shows to Shanghai this Autumn. 

We are really proud to be flying the flag for Norfolk in modern China!

Please read the article https://www.edp24.co.uk/going-out/norwich-puppet-theatre-set-to-take-one-of-its-shows-to-shanghai-1-5144820!

We would love to have your company associated with us in this venture, or any our other excting activities.

Look out for some of special programme features – especially the visit of the amaizing complex work of Japanese Masuda String Puppetry Company: https://www.puppettheatre.co.uk/whats-on/puppetry/masuda-puppets

For more information please look at our lovely video on-line and find out how to support us: https://www.puppettheatre.co.uk/support-us or call us on 01603 516564

Tudor Lodge Consultant’s design and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) are proud to announce that we are working closely with Peltours on their brand-new website. Peltours is a small but hugely experienced company working under the well-established Travelink UK umbrella and who provide tours for families, schools, educational groups and others to all nature of European destinations for historical and cultural tours.

Peltours have a large existing client base and many existing and potential clients who know them well enough to seek them out by name. However, over the last few years they had found themselves slipping down the rankings to the point that their site was no longer visible online to any one at all. We brought in the talented development team from Vaccoda Design to overhaul the website and provide a modern-day approach to their services.

We have been involved in the work of the website from its very inception and this has involved extensive planning to make sure that absolutely every factor of the website is up to date, responsive, mobile friendly and optimised to the fullest for SEO. Peltours remain keen for their brand to show up on Google results pages and this is what we are continuing to work towards.

We started the project by having in-depth meetings with the client themselves and undertook a rigorous planning phase whereby we mapped out all of the pages required for the website at its most basic and grew things from there. Pages from the outset included:

·       Homepage

·       Contact page

·       About Peltours page

·       Terms and conditions

·       Financial protection page

Being regulated and a member of various trade bodies and accreditors, Peltours has had to undergo a fair degree of compliance testing to ensure that everything is within the confines of what the necessary bodies will approve and accept on a member site.

Compliance was most evident throughout the phase of designing and implementing both the financial protection page and also how the content on the site is actually written. Once planned, we undertook extensive keyword research to identify the areas in which Peltours can try and make their mark on the online world in addition to reflecting and offering the top-notch levels of service they have provided for over 50 years.

Working with the client and Vaccoda we designed site page templates based on the theme of choice for the client and then went about populating the templates and landing pages with the relevant content and information. We have also undertaken a wide range of meta data cleaning up as well as other factors to ensure that Google and other search engines are able to crawl, rank and read the website.

Peltours now enjoys fully optimised meta data throughout the site and also enjoys the benefits of alt-texts for the images on site to allow Google Image Search to pick these up.

We are now in the process of undertaking a clean link building approach to the site and making sure that only genuine and the cleanest links are used for the Peltours website. Utilising our network of providers and PR experts we have already sourced a great deal of strong and influential links for Peltours.

In the space of just a few weeks, Peltours have seen themselves rise through Google for numerous brand terms (their primary target) such as ‘Peltours groups’ which has risen from page 5 to page 2 and ‘Peltours’ which has risen through from page 3 to page to and continuing to rise. We look forward to enjoying many more successes with Peltours, building on their already impressive successes.

At Hugh J Boswell we have a strong culture of continuous learning and development.  Without out talented and competent workforce we would not be one of the longest established Insurance Brokers within the region.

As a Chartered Insurance Broker with strong links to the local community, we are not only keen in investing in our current staff but also keen to support young people enter into the world of work and get underway with developing their career within the insurance industry.

The insurance sector may not seem the most obvious choice of sectors to get into, however, with protection of assets and risk management being a constant need of not only individuals but companies big and small, it is an industry which will stand the test of time.

Over the years we have had great success in supporting Apprentices and following the achievement of our current Apprentice who is coming to the end of their programme, having successfully completed their Apprenticeship in Proving Financial Services Level 3 and attaining their Certificate in Insurance from the CII, we look to appoint another apprentice.

As an apprentice you will be based in our Account Handling teams, providing them with support and developing your skills and knowledge of the insurance broker industry as well as working alongside all other departments to gain an understanding of the wide Company.

Your key responsibilities will be:

• Provide administrative support to Account Handler departments
• Accurately prepare and issue documentation
• Take responsibility for Mid Term Adjustments including maintaining the MID database and vehicle notifications to insurers
• Producing insure cover notes
• Prepare reports and market research
• Provide support in dealing with enquiries from clients, insurers and other third parties

You will follow the Insurance Practitioner Standard Framework which will provide you with a Level 3 qualification along with your Certificate in Insurance.

If this opportunity sounds interesting to you or if you know a young person looking for an interesting career where they can solve problems, learn about different businesses and use their analytical skills, then please get in touch: HR@hughjboswell.co.uk

For more information on what it is like to work at Hugh J Boswell, please check out our Employee Prospectus and LinkedIn Company and Showcase pages.

We are delighted to announce that we are working with Bomb Petite, an exciting fashion label based in Shoreditch. The company was founded in 2014 by Jenny Liu, originally from North America who saw a gap in the market to offer designer clothing for women under 5’4″. Bomb Petite has become the first official company in the UK to offer designer dresses, wedding gowns and fashion for petite women. Although there are other companies like ASOS and BooHoo that sell these clothes, there is no website or business that every specialised in it, until now.

What Work Are We Doing For Them? Search Engine Optimisation

Getting companies higher up Google is of course our speciality. We are specifically targetting keywords relating to petite fashion, clothing and dresses. We have started by doing a big clean up of the website, which currently consists of over 500 pages. We have checked each one to ensure that all meta-titles, descriptions and headings are well optimised for search engines. Now we are using the content creatively with the homepage and products pages for specific clothing and hundreds of useful guides to target long tail keywords such as ‘clothes to make you look taller’ and ‘clothes for petite people.’

We are working hard to generate natural and clean links to the website through a PR strategy. Being in the fashion and startup environment makes the site receptive to startup magazines, websites and fashion blogs – so it is a case of leveraging the strong ones to get the right kind of links to benefit SEO. In addition, we are looking at speeding up the site to maximise user engagement and conversions.

User Experience

For any eCommerce website, the role of user experience (UX) is key. Since people are keen to browse through different dresses, products and pages, we need to review how users look at the site and the best ways to make them convert into customers. We aim to run some sufficient tests across desktop and mobile over the next few weeks, focusing on the size of images, colour of buttons, the use of a promotion and newsletter offers. Our main goal is to convert more customers, lower bounce rates and maximise time on the website. All of these factors will help the website grow as a brand and this in turn will help SEO.

The company was founded in 2014 with an initial budget of just $850. Bomb Petite will be looking for additional investment later this year.

In just under a month myself and 8 good friends are taking on the Yorkshire 3 Peaks to raise awareness and funds for the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research UK. So thats 24 miles with 5200 ft of Ascent in 12 hours. 

Last year one of my oldest friends welcomed his baby son into the world. Hugh had a pretty tough start in life, with a traumatic birth and a long stretch in NICU. When he was 5 weeks old Darren and Hugh’s mum, Jayne, got the diagnosis of Prader-Willi Syndrome. A complex genetic syndrome 60 times rarer than Downs Syndrome. It affects less than 1 in 15,000 children. The list of struggles Hugh and his family are going to have to face in the coming years is a pretty sobering read. Darren has done a much better job than me for explaining the condition and the challenges over on our just giving page. 

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/3HillsForHugh

So on a very rare night out with Darren we were all saying how useless we felt and how we wished we could help in some way. Thats when the idea for taking on the 3 peaks came about. (all the best ideas originate in the pub…. right?) I know its not a huge challenge compared to some, but you’ve seen what sort of shape I’m in so you know its not going to be a walk in the park for me. To be fair the rest of the lads are not in great shape either, but we’ve all been putting in the training miles (Personally 165miles since May) and feel more than up for the challenge. 

We’ve already hit our target of £2,000 but we’d like to get as much as we can for this charity and the amazing work they do.

The challenge is set to take place on 02 September 2017.

Freebridge announce two new directors.

Freebridge Community Housing are delighted to announce that two new directors have joined their management team.

Alex Dixon has come on board as Director of Assets and Development, whilst Birgit Lenton has joined as Director of Corporate Services and Culture.

Alex has a strong background in management and development and joins Freebridge from Bromford Housing Group in the West Midlands, where he was Director of New Homes. Alex has experience working within a team that have used innovative approaches to housing and brings that expertise to Freebridge.

Birgit has a wealth of experience in leadership and business management at a senior level. She has previously worked for the Constructions Industry Training Board in Bircham Newton, and in her new role of Director of Corporate Services and Culture will be overseeing Human Resources, Communications & Engagement and Governance.

Alex Dixon, Director of Assets and Development, said: “I am delighted to join Freebridge and looking forward to helping the team develop an increasing supply of new homes and ensuring our existing homes continue to provide great accommodation for our customers.”

Birgit Lenton, Director of Corporate Services and Culture, said: “I am pleased to have joined Freebridge Community Housing and have been overwhelmed by the warm welcome that I have received from everybody.

“I look forward to building on the good work of the past 10 years to help the organisation and its people become the best they can be, serving the people within West Norfolk.”

Tony Hall, Freebridge Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to welcome Alex and Birgit on board to further strengthen our management team. With their experience, knowledge and expertise they will make great additions to the organisation, and we look forward to working with them to continue developing homes and creating opportunities for people within West Norfolk.”

It has been a busy fortnight for Great Yarmouth-based PR and marketing agency TMS Media.

The company has just launched a major new website for a county-wide employment project and picked up three new sites for other organisations. Its busy web department is currently working on 20 new websites and database projects, including two for international clients.On Monday, TMS learned that it had won a competitive bid to project manage a major energy conference and exhibition for the next two years.

“It’s an exciting time for us,” said managing director Steve Scott. “Norwich has long been seen as the region’s creative centre, and there are some great companies there, but we’re showing that with competitive pricing, quality work and fast turn-round we can offer a real alternative in Great Yarmouth.

“The influx of work, including lots of PR for clients, has enabled us to take on two new members of staff, including a fourth journalist and a photographer who is also a film maker. The 13 talented people TMS employs are a key factor in the company’s recent successes.

“While we are winning work with bigger clients, we are also continuing to see enquiries from small companies and start-ups keen to tap into those talents.”

TMS built a website for Norfolk Community College, which helps over-25s who have been out of work for a long time to find employment. Soon after the website’s launch TMS was commissioned to create sites for a boatbuilder, a mobility supplies company and a membership organisation.

Among other projects the company is working on are a complex vendor portal for a Scandinavian client and an online mapping system for supply chain companies operating in the offshore wind industry in the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Belgium.

Hard on the heels of being commissioned to design and build a new website for the East of England Energy Group, TMS won a competitive tender to project manage the organisation’s annual Southern North Sea conference and exhibition for the next two years. Planning for the next event at the Norfolk Showground on March 14th and 15th 2018 began this week.

Ends

For further information please contact Steve Scott on 01493 662929 or steve.scott@tms-media.co.uk

Pic caption: TMS Media’s managing director Steve Scott

Viewers locally are being urged to treat their re-cycling with love, thanks to TV and radio commercials created by the JMS Group. Norfolk Waste Partnership sought a creative way to explain that contaminated recycled waste is, ultimately, un-recyclable.

“It would have been easy to come up with something earnest and serious” said Senior Copywriter Tim Mountford, “but as most of us now understand the value of recycling, we thought the message might be more memorable if we delivered it with a smile”.

The result is a simple animation accompanied by a Barry White-style melody, which is also at the heart of the radio campaign, conceived and produced at JMS’ Hethersett studios,  urging viewers to ‘clean it, dry it, leave it loose’ and to ‘show some l.o.v.e’ to the people who sort it.

Sky viewers will see the commercial this Autumn. 

For your next commercial or online video contact Francesca de Lacey on 01603 811855.

Local recruitment specialists The Recruiting Office have unveiled improved branding as they embark on an exciting new strategy to continue their growth.

The refresh of their brand marks the start of their new marketing strategy to target local businesses. “We already attract many high-calibre candidates” says Neil Scarborough, Managing Director. “We simply want to reach more businesses and help them fill their roles with staff that last”.

The Recruiting Office approached a number of local marketing agencies. “Full Mix Marketing gave us the greatest confidence” says Neil. “Rather than recommending we change everything, they explained how we could improve our existing marketing to get stronger results”.

The evolution of The Recruiting Office’s brand and strapline signal a stronger emphasis on what they deliver best. “Having many long-term clients, we simply focus on doing a great job” adds Neil. “Our new brand demonstrates our professionalism and shows we understand what clients value most. Full Mix Marketing have helped us realise our five-stage vetting process goes further than our competitors and is something we need to shout about”.

Established in 2013, The Recruiting Office specialise in finding permanent and temporary staff for office, transport and manufacturing roles. With over 30 years combined experience, they’ve developed a reputation for being the go-to recruitment partner for many local businesses.

Over the coming months, Full Mix Marketing will be helping The Recruiting Office to deliver a comprehensive strategy of digital and offline marketing. “Like many professional and B2B businesses, The Recruiting Office know who their target customers are” says Sarah West, Managing Director of Full Mix Marketing. “Our role is to help them deliver the most cost-effective marketing to reach and convert them”.

Full Mix Marketing provide all the marketing businesses need to grow, including marketing plans and strategies, branding, full digital and social media marketing, as well as direct marketing campaigns and advertising.

The Recruiting Office discovered Full Mix Marketing through a Chamber event. “Yet again being members of Norfolk Chamber has been very positive for both of us” says Sarah. “It remains a strong part of the marketing mix we recommend our B2B clients”.

For more information visit www.therecruitingoffice.co.uk and www.fullmixmarketing.co.uk.