Need some expert advice on setting up your business or just want to find out the essentials? ‘In The Spotlight’ is a series of workshops run by the Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library at The Forum, Norwich, aiming to give you the lowdown on key elements of business, such as promotion, finance, ideas and planning.
For more information email millennium.library@norfolk.gov.uk
Sponsored by Norfolk Knowledge.
Monday 28th April 2014 – More choice, more variety and local routes for Norfolk’s sun seekers
Thomson and First Choice increase capacity from Norwich airport and introduce a new route for local holiday makers
Thomson and First Choice are pleased to announce that in summer 2015 they will be increasing capacity at Norwich airport through the introduction of a new route to Mahon, Menorca. The plans for summer 2015 also include the addition of a further weekly flight for existing route Dalaman, Turkey.
The move to introduce this new route is part of the UK’s largest tour operator’s strategy to ensure customers across the UK can fly from their local airport and stay at the best hotels in some of the most exciting destinations. The new route went on sale on the 24th April.
Not only will customers from the Norwich area now be able to fly to the beautiful island of Menorca, but they will now also have the opportunity to choose varying durations in Turkey – not just the standard seven and 14 night stays thanks to an additional flight to Dalaman. Customers travelling from Norwich will now also have access to some of Thomson and First Choice’s most popular flagship hotels. These include the brand new for summer 2015 Thomson Sensatori Resort Fethiye in Turkey’s Dalaman region as well as the already popular First Choice Holiday Village Menorca. The new build Sensatori Resort Fethiye will offer an amazing pool scene, gourmet dining, action packed activities, an ultra-relaxing spa and extensive facilities for families, and promises to be as luxurious as neighbouring Sensatori Resort Turkey in Side. Karen Switzer, Director of Aviation Planning for Thomson and First Choice, said of the move: “Adding additional capacity from Norfolk and the introduction of a new route to Menorca demonstrates our commitment to Norwich Airport and the local area, and following the success of the additional summer 2014 flights, we know that further demand is there.
“Expanding access to our portfolio of destinations and hotels is a key part of our overall strategy and we hope that this move will enhance the holiday experience for our customers.”
Andrew Bell, Chief Executive of Norwich International Airport, said, “Our objective is to provide an ever increasing range of top quality holiday destinations and product to the holidaymakers in our region. Working closely with Thomson and First Choice, we are making good progress in achieving this.”
-ends-
Your weeks / months / years of website planning, design and development are finshed and your website is live. But what next?
In our latest guide (the last in our highly popular series) we go through the key performance data you need to track to make sure your website is performing successfully. To read the full article please click here.
If you would like to catch up on the rest of our website design and digital marketing articles then you’ll find them all on our resources page.
Bigfork are a successful Norwich based website design agency with an impressive client list.
Bigfork – we make websites stand out
t:01603 513080
Back in 2012 we ran the first ever Best Employer, Eastern Region (BEER) survey, when employers around the East of England invited staff to tell them how they truly felt about working for them.
The result gave organisations of all sizes the opportunity to identify what needed to change to keep employees happy, and to create a more positive working environment. Why? Well, satisfied people means better business!
The survey, which has just launched for 2014, covers a range of key topics, but one which many employers can easily overlook is that of innovation. You’d be excused for thinking that innovation is solely relevant to hi-tech start-ups and trendy software companies! It’s actually an area of business that can be used by all types of organisations to engage their staff and boost the bottom line.
Let’s take Benefit Cosmetics and creative agency Spring: both picked up 2012 BEER awards. Their survey results revealed that staff were happy partly thanks to the firms’ use ofinnovation in their daily work. Although one is a global brand and the other is a Suffolk-based SME, both harness the creative talents of their staff and encourage original thinking.
So what role does innovation play in keeping workers engaged? Read on to discover what you can do to create a culture of innovation, and develop a workforce that is utterly dedicated to your vision!
1. Make employees’ ideas count
Encouraging a culture of innovation means letting staff contribute ideas without the fear of being shot down. When people feel valued for their own small innovations, they are likely to feel closer to the organisation – especially when they see their ideas being put into practise.
2. Create pride in doing something different
Whether you’re a local charity, a manufacturer or retailer, innovation can get you ahead of the competition. And people enjoy working somewhere that has a reputation in its industry and community for taking a bold approach. It gives them a sense of pride when talking about their work and when dealing with customers. And on that note…
3. Innovation + happy customers = happy employees
Innovative thinking results in unique services or products, which attract customers who value your approach. It doesn’t need to be earth-shattering innovation, but coming up with unorthodox ways of solving customers’ problems can take you a long way. Not only that, but your employees can confidently go about their job knowing customers are going to love what they get. In turn, employees provide great customer service and the customers keep coming back. Spot the cycle?!
4. Provide a platform for ideas
Not everyone wants to pitch their latest ideas in front of their colleagues. So it’s very important to provide a platform open to everyone who’d like to contribute, creating a culture of inclusion. Your directors could have an ‘open door’ policy, where the more reserved staff members, who prefer a one-to-one chats, can still be heard.
5. Attract people who have the right talent
Developing a culture of innovation isn’t just about employing amazingly creative minds – you also need brilliant people who bring structure and practicality in order to make ideas reality. During the recruitment process promote your vision and be open about your expectations that employees will participate in shaping new ways of working.
6. Don’t be afraid to break from tradition
Why not let your people work in different environments to trigger the creative process? Away days can do wonders for the generating new ideas since the usual barriers and office-based politics become less dominant. Choose somewhere unusual: punting, a stately home or a picnic perhaps? Giving staff the chance to work differently, or remotely, sends a message of trust – a building block of mutual commitment.
So, you see, you don’t need to be Google to engage employees through innovation! You may not have the HR or research and development budget of a dotcom giant, but by making your people an integral part of innovation, you’re giving them more reasons to join you and stay with you.
Have you got a project that could use an extra pair of hands, or are you looking to inject fresh energy into your workplace? Then consider recruiting an enthusiastic and ambitious graduate from the University of East Anglia (UEA). The UEA has a pool of bright and intelligent individuals who are looking for an opportunity to prove themselves and make a difference within a local organisation, through a highly successful Graduate Internship Programme.
With this cost-effective and flexible scheme, internships can be full-time or part-time, for up to 12 weeks – or new this year, for 12 months. You could ask your UEA graduate intern to investigate new services, research and develop new products, launch e-commerce websites, evaluate marketing plans or materials, streamline processes, or implement a low carbon plan.
UEA graduate internships are paid at the hourly national minimum wage. As an example, hosting a graduate intern for 12 weeks at 37.5 hours per week would total around £3,119 plus VAT. This makes it a really cost-effective way of getting bright, new people into your team.
Recruiting a graduate intern is a great way for you to get a new or outstanding initiative off the ground or to address specific business or technical needs. The whole process is easy and straightforward to set up and the UEA team will do the advertising, payroll and paperwork for you.
Wayne Taylor, head of software development at EposNow in Norwich, has even found the programme to be a successful way of recruiting new team members. “The support provided by the internship team at the University makes the whole process so easy,” he says. “After taking part in the internship programme, it is difficult to see why businesses would recruit in any other way. Given the opportunity and guidance, our interns soon become valuable members of staff.”
To find out more about the programme, visit www.uea.ac.uk/business/working-with-students-graduates/internships, email internship@uea.ac.uk, or call 01603 593917.
Join us for a fantastic night at Barnham Broom Hotel
May 13th at 6.30pm – Barnham Broom Hotel Charity Fashion Show in association with Jarrold Department Store and Winsor Bishop.
Featuring the best of Jarrolds new season collections (Smart/Casual and Special Occasions) and Winsor Bishop’s 2014 range of jewellery.
Welcome Drinks, Canapes and Raffle
Tickets – £10
Proceeds to raise funds for the Big C Appeal.
Please call 01603 757 525 or email conferencedesk@barnham-broom.co.uk
NORWICH, Thursday 24th April 2014 – Jobs boost at Norwich International Airport In preparation for the start of another busy summer season, over 50 new jobs have been created at Norwich International Airport.
The new staff will work in a number of passenger focused areas including baggage handling, working on the apron during aircraft turnaround, in the terminal on check in, customer care duties and within the security and catering concessions.
Pleasingly, for the first time this summer some of the vacancies have been filled by students from City College, Norwich. This came about as a direct result of the student takeover at the airport earlier this year.
Gary Blake, Customer Services Manager said: “We are delighted that the link established between the airport and City College, Norwich following the student takeover has resulted in us being able to offer the chance of employment to some of the students who applied for the positions following the takeover. Boosting staff numbers for the summer season helps ensure that customer services standards are met and our passenger’s journey through the airport is a pleasurable experience.”
Joe Mulhall from City College commented – “City college Norwich’s relationship with Norwich airport clearly demonstrates the benefits of real work experience for our students. Our students really enjoyed their work experience at Norwich airport and appreciated the support and opportunity to experience all aspects of the airport operational roles and we are delighted that this resulted in some of them securing jobs for the summer.”
Andrew Bell, CEO of Norwich International said: “We are pleased to welcome so many new recruits to our airport team this summer and delighted that our relationship with City College, Norwich has helped students take their first steps into their chosen line of work. Everyone at the airport works extremely hard to maintain high levels of service with the aim of being the airport of choice for friendliness and great customer service.” -End-
With economic forecasts starting to look more positive, many employers are increasing their recruitment activity. It is important for employers to make sure that their recruitment processes are watertight, not only to increase the chances of selecting the best candidate for the job but also to avoid the risk of potential claims of discrimination by those who are not selected. Professional Support Lawyer Elizabeth Stevens looks at recent and forthcoming developments in this area.
One area that can prove tricky for employers to navigate is in relation to the duty to establish an individual’s right to work in the UK. This duty arises under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, and must be balanced against the individual’s right not to be discriminated against, contrary to the provisions of the Equality Act 2010.
The 2006 Act requires an employer to carry out certain checks in order to establish whether an individual has the right to work in the UK, before the individual commences employment (not on the day they start). This involves checking original documents from an approved list of documents to establish eligibility to work, making copies of those documents and keeping a record of them for the duration of the individual’s employment and for a period of two years after employment has ended. For certain individuals who have limited entitlement to remain in the UK, checks must be carried out every 12 months.
If an employer negligently employs an individual without the right to work, the employer is liable for a civil penalty (a fine). From May 2014, the maximum civil penalty for illegally employing immigrant workers is doubled from £10,000 to £20,000, per illegal worker. An employer who knowingly employs an individual who does not have the right to work has committed a criminal offence, which can result in an unlimited fine or a prison term of up to two years.
New Code of Practice
The Home Office has recently published a new draft Code of Practice: Avoiding unlawful discrimination while preventing illegal working, to assist employers in complying with both its duties under the 2006 Act and the requirements of the Equality Act 2010. This draft Code, once finalised, will replace the previous Code issued in 2008. Whilst the Code itself does not impose any legal duties on employers, an employer’s failure to comply with its provisions can be used in evidence in legal proceedings.
The draft Code advises employers, as a matter of good employment practice, to have “clear written procedures for the recruitment and selection of all workers, based on equal and fair treatment for all applicants”. Having such procedures in place (and following them) is likely to assist an employer in the defence of a discrimination claim, not least by demonstrating that it took “all reasonable steps” to prevent discrimination from occurring.
In order to avoid a potential claim of discrimination, the Code advises employers to carry out the checks required by the 2006 Act in respect of all new recruits, not only those who may appear to be of non-British nationality due to their name, accent or ethnicity.
What if the individual does not produce the documents necessary to establish their right to work in the UK? The draft Code cautions against assuming that they are living or working in the UK illegally, and advises employers to keep the job open for as long as possible in order to give the individual the opportunity to demonstrate their right to work. However, the Code also acknowledges that this may not be possible if the requirement to recruit is particularly urgent. An employer who is not satisfied that an individual has the right to work in the UK can lawfully refuse to employ them on that basis.
Forthcoming training event
Employment law experts from Steeles Law will be examining a range of different issues relating to recruitment in more detail at the forthcoming Norfolk Chamber of Commerce HR Forum which is taking place at Dunston Hall on 18 June 2014, from 2pm. Click here for further information, including booking details.
Corporate Finance specialist Stephen Reed has been promoted to partner at regional chartered accountancy practice Price Bailey. Based in their Thorpe St Andrew office, Stephen joined Price Bailey in May 2012 as Corporate Finance Director, and over the past two years he has been key to the development of the firm’s Corporate Finance offering not only in Norwich but across the whole of East Anglia.
Stephen’s wealth of specialist knowledge and experience has proven invaluable to a number of local businesses, including SignsExpress whom Stephen advised on last year’s management buyout and the owners of SK Sales which was sold to SIG plc. Stephen joins Daren Moore, Aaron Widdows, Richard Day and John Warren to bring the total number of Norwich-based partners to 5.
Commenting on his promotion, Stephen said: “I am delighted to be in a position to help with the continued development of Price Bailey’s corporate finance proposition. the team and our service offering have grown significantly over the past two years. As the largest SME-focussed Corporate Finance team based in East Anglia, we’re perfectly placed to help business owners and investors take advantage of market opportunities – whether this is by helping to grow businesses through acquisition, better planning and investment or by achieving optimum value from their business sale.”
Stephen would be delighted to hear from any fellow Chamber members who are looking to develop their business to discuss how hecan help. Please call on 01603 709330 or email stephen.reed@pricebailey.co.uk
Further information about the many ways in which our Corporate Finance team can help are featured on our website at www.pricebailey.co.uk/services/corporate-finance
Today, the new single Family Court comes into being and most of the family justice provisions from the Children and Families Act 2014 take effect. The legislation has been described as “the largest for a generation”.
Emma Alfieri, from Steeles Law’s family team, comments that these reforms bring about the introduction of a new single Family Court in England and Wales, intended to make the system easier, less confusing, to provide greater flexibility and to avoid delay.
The new Family Court is designed to ensure that the right level of Judge is appointed for a particular case, in the most suitable location. The idea being that this will reduce unnecessary delays caused by cases being transferred between Courts.
The most significant changes apply to matters concerning public law and care. The idea is that the reforms will result in a swifter system and give greater certainty to the children involved.
In respect of private children law matters, child arrangements replace contact and residence orders.
Emma commented that there has already been a lot of media coverage about the changes and the focus to the general public appears to be about mediation. This is in view of the fact that the Children and Families Act includes provision that parties wishing to go to Court in respect of a child dispute, or in relation to financial matters upon divorce, have to attend compulsory mediation before they may do so. However, Emma adds that in this respect little has changed, as in recent years family mediation has been compulsory to most in any event. Whilst family lawyers have actively been promoting mediation for some years, until now the general public appeared unaware of this option which could explain the mediation focus.
There are two practical points of note, which the public should be aware of:
1. Legal Aid is available to assist with the costs of mediation (for those that qualify). For further information visit: https://claonlineadvice.justice.gov.uk/about-cla.aspx
2. Some media reports are suggesting that parties seeking family law advice have to attend a session of mediation before they may consult a lawyer. This is certainly not the case. The situation remains the same as before, in that anyone wishing to seek legal advice may contact a lawyer at any point.
For further information regarding the changes, please contact us.
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Top 10 marketing tips followed by Q and A’s
1-2pm Tuesday 6th May in Vernon Castle Room, 2nd Floor of Millennium Library
Sarah Greenfield, Best of Norwich will be there
Further details/book free appointment 01603 774740 or millennium.library@norfolk.gov.uk