2007 - June
Suppose you’re organising a barbecue or a party for friends. Instead of sending scores of e-mails around, you could also send your invitation via the free CircleUp service. What are the advantages?
In a recent issue, we looked at sites where you could legally download music without copy-protection. In the meantime, things have changed again in the field of the so-called DRM-free music. Here’s an update.
Website statistics by Google… Take 2
There’s a brand-new version of Google Analytics, the free service for visitor statistics and analyses of all the pages of your website. What does this service have to offer?
Facebook hit the news a couple of months ago when it turned down a $ 1 million bid by Yahoo! What makes this “social networking” service so special?
Making calls over the Internet is widespread and new providers are springing up. We examine the VoIP scene and look for the best free and low cost deals.
Over-the-counter medicines online
Ignore spam offering you cheap, possibly dangerous medicines. We look at the best places to buy over-the-counter and NHS prescription medicines online.
Suppose there’s a firm that keeps sending you commercial e-mails, or there’s a certain newsletter you can’t get rid of because it offers no unsubscribe option. What can you do?
You’re familiar with the problem: how do you synchronise your bookmarks or favourites on several computers (at home, at work) and in several browsers (IE and Firefox)? Besides the familiar solutions there’s a newcomer: Zinkmo.
Making online backups of photos
With digital cameras, you can easily take thousands of photos. You obviously don’t want to lose them because of an unexpected hard disk crash. Here’s a service specialised in online photo backups.
Fewer programs, faster processing!
Old computers, but new ones as well, often contain lots of useless programs which slow them down. How do you remove them so that your PC can run at top speed?
One employee has announced that he’d like to carry on working for you but on a self-employed basis. You’re interested, as this will save you office space and money. How should you set it up to avoid unwanted interest from the Taxman?
Consulting over reasonable adjustments
You’re under a legal duty to consult with disabled employees over the making of reasonable adjustments. But what happens if there aren’t any that can be made? Must you still waste time and go through the process?
The dangers of standard letters…
Practically every company uses standard letters to reject candidates who have applied for jobs - it’s a sensible, time-saving thing to do. But might there be a hidden danger in doing so?
Using secret tape recordings in tribunals
As you may know, taping a disciplinary hearing is perfectly legal. But supposing you hold a private meeting with managers to discuss a disciplinary case and it’s secretly recorded by the employee? Could this be used against you in a tribunal?
Using anti-competition clauses
What if you need to prevent an employee from starting up in competition whilst still employed? Following new case law, how should you go about this?
Since December 2003 it’s been a criminal offence to use a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving. But are you aware of the most recent legal changes? If not, what do you need to know to stay on the right side of the law?
As you’re probably aware, women who return to work from maternity leave are normally entitled to come back to the same job. Following a new Employment Appeal Tribunal case, what does this really mean in practice?
If you’re on top of your tax deadlines why not put your feet up and take a minute or two to update yourself on a favourite summertime topic; owning a property abroad. But who should buy - you or the company?
The Taxman is preparing to clamp down on property owners that he reckons haven’t paid enough tax. Could you be at risk from this latest initiative?
On your tax return you’ve claimed a 100% deduction for the cost of a car believing that it qualified as a low emissions vehicle. Now the Taxman is querying this aspect of your tax return. What should you do?
If you employ a family member, how much will the Taxman allow you to pay them? Recent divorce rulings and revelations about MPs’ expenses suggest that the sky’s the limit. How can you use these to your advantage?
A company has the power to buy back its own shares from its shareholders, allowing you to cash in on your investment tax efficiently. A recent case has brought a new twist to this classic. How could you take advantage of this?
Do you have to fill in a P11D?
Let’s say you are a small company with one shareholder/director and no other employees. No benefits are provided, but your company does reimburse you for some expenses. Do you have to fill in a P11D?
Taxman less understanding than bank
Your company’s annual accounts have recently been drafted. However, under “debtors” they include overdrawn directors’ loan accounts. What’s the most tax efficient way of clearing these?
A couple of years ago you hired a firm to design your website and take care of all the domain name formalities. You’ve just discovered that you don’t actually own the domain. What could have happened and what can you do about it?
If you encounter tough trading times you’d probably cut costs and reduce investment. A new study by Accenture shows this could be wrong. Why?
Why it could pay to bank elsewhere
Many directors use the same bank for their business account as they do for their personal banking. Whilst this may be convenient, it may not necessarily be the best choice for your business. So how should you select the right bank?
The company is half way through the year, the bank balance seems healthy and you’re therefore thinking about taking a dividend. Is it as simple as writing yourself a cheque?
If you work from home and your company provides you with various items of office equipment, will this give you a problem with the Taxman? What do you and your company have to do to avoid such a problem?
A director has heard that if a visitor slips and sustains an injury whilst on company premises they have the right to bring a claim under health and safety legislation. If so, what protective measures should they put in place?
Although it’s over four years since the last change in the bad debt relief (BDR) regulations, the VATman continues to take a close look at aged creditor lists, not debtors. How can you avoid his peering eyes?
The fastest growing occupational disease
Between 1,500 and 3,000 people develop occupational asthma each year, which is estimated to cost UK businesses £1.1billion. Is this likely to be an issue in your workplace, and if so what should you be doing about it?
Office safety - the fundamentals
With health and safety there’s always a doubt that you’ve missed something which could come back to haunt you - even in a low risk environment such as an office. So why not use our guide to point you in the right direction?
Off-the-cuff safe system of work
Although your staff are fully experienced in carrying out their normal activities, how will they deal with an abnormal situation? Leaving them to their own devices isn’t recommended, as one company discovered to its cost. What happened?
Risks associated with physical inspections
Some of your staff have become a bit lapse when it comes to completing regular physical inspections of their work equipment. What safety issues can this raise and how can you ensure they’re completed properly?
A few back injuries and the news that the HSE is going to carry out a series of inspections on moving goods has prompted you to look at how you manage the risks associated with roll cages. What should you be doing?
A London Borough was recently prosecuted for failing to carry out maintenance on a communal area of its property. What prompted the prosecution and what can you learn from this case?
Although the HSE had gone quiet on working-at- height, a new campaign focussing on ladders is set to change this. What can you expect from inspectors?
Sharing files securely and efficiently
Many people frequently exchange files such as documents, MP3s orphotographs with friends. It’s good to be as efficient as possible, let’s see whether the free tools AllianceP2P and AllPeers can help.
Google Maps is not the only flavour
Easy-to-use fast and accurate online mapping systems have come of age. We ask if Google Maps is getting serious competition from Map24 and Multimap.
Windows Live Hotmail has arrived
For the first time in years, Hotmail has been given a thorough makeover: it’s time to meet Windows Live Hotmail.
PowerPoint presentations tend to be large and therefore difficult to forward by e-mail. However, there are services that place your presentations online so that people can watch them in their browser. How useful are they?
Is your site always up and running?
If you have a website, it can be useful to know when it’s not accessible to your customers or visitors. How can you be automatically kept informed?
If you’re looking for tutorials or other learning materials, the Internet is an excellent resource. Video tutorials in particular can be very useful. Here are some instructive addresses.
You’ll be familiar with Skype as a cheap service for making Internet phone calls. It’s useful, but there are various tools which can extend its possibilities.
Are you using Internet Explorer 7 or Firefox to surf the Web? As you probably know, you can extend their possibilities significantly through “add-ons” or “extensions”. We discovered more useful add-ons for everyday use.
The familiar yellow “post-its” also come in digital versions: ideal for jotting down a reminder or yet another brilliant idea. We looked for some free applications.
We can’t guarantee wealth and we’ll come back to making you wise in another issue. This time, we’re concentrating on health. We’ve put on our running gear and searched for sites that will turn us into lean mean surfing machines.
In light of recent legal developments and large payouts, it’s vital that you’re not tempted to ignore bullying at work. How should you approach this in order to minimise the risk of liability?
Recent case law has concentrated on how to get the three-stage disciplinary process just right. But what about the content of any dismissal letter you need to send out? Following a new case, what’s the latest position?
Rejecting candidates successfully
A colleague had difficulties recently in dealing with an unsuccessful job applicant. This has now got you thinking about your own rejection letters. What should and shouldn’t you include when drafting these letters?
A subscriber’s employee injured his back and cannot carry out his normal duties. They came up with a proposal for temporary light duties, but he rejected it. Must they continue paying him company sick pay, or do they have other options?
Now and again an employee will simply stop coming to work. They don’t contact you so you have no idea whether they are ill or have simply decided to leave. What’s the legal situation - have they dismissed themselves?
New laws intended to ban age discrimination came into effect last October. But what’s been their real effect? And what should be your position now?
When booking holidays, you’ve tended to give preference to those with longer service and children. However, a colleague has said that this is potentially discriminatory. If this is right, what should you be doing instead?
If you or your spouse claims motor expenses against income from a separate self-employed business, there is something you need to be aware of. What is it, and if the Taxman picks up on it, how should you deal with him?
Stopping that fishing expedition
A full “books and records” enquiry is time consuming at the very least. Ultimately, you’ll want the Taxman to close the enquiry so that you can move on. What can you do to make an appeal for closure more successful?
If you had a beneficial loan from your company in 2006/7 the Taxman expects it to calculate the official rate of interest. However, did you know that there are two ways of doing this. Which one should you use?
The start of the new tax year and rising interest rates means the banks are looking for new customers. Should you be tempted by what’s on offer?
Suppose your spouse is a part-time employee or perhaps you run your own vehicle. You both run errands not realising that the Taxman expects you to profit from the arrangement. How can you take advantage of this?
The Taxman is lobbying for his inspectors to have the same powers as Customs officers. What’s he up to and how could this affect you?
Don’t rely on the Taxman’s goodwill
If you’ve put a goodwill figure into your company accounts, there’s a growing chance this will result in an enquiry from the Taxman - into your personal tax return! Is there is a way to avoid this?
Parking fines - who pays wins?
Many companies pay the parking tickets issued to their directors whilst on company business. But is this allowed as a business expense? What’s the Taxman’s view and how can you optimise your position?
Several directors have contacted us saying they really don’t know what should happen at board meetings. So, why is it important to get things right and what’s the secret of a good board meeting?
Your company has bought an expensive piece of machinery with a large VAT element. So for your next VAT return, inputs exceed outputs, meaning the VATman owes you money. How can you make sure he pays promptly?
As the last of the P35s are filed, thoughts unavoidably turn to the related task of preparing Forms P11D. So what are the classic traps to be avoided this time around?
How to access that pot of gold
Working for local authorities can be a highly lucrative business. But how do you go about securing the contract? What’s the secret to obtaining work from this source and how can you improve your chances of winning it?
Three strikes and you can fly away…
An employee is utterly useless. He’s had numerous written warnings so presumably there’s no problem in now showing him the door? What more could a tribunal possibly want?
I’ve been doing this for years
During an audit of your business, a consultant identified that you should have better training records and shouldn’t rely on grandfather rights, i.e. you’ve been doing it for years so what’s the harm. What is your position?
You know that your workplace will become “no smoking” in July, so you want to prepare by purchasing signs etc. You’ve heard that you must display them in premises and vehicles - is this true?
An internal audit at the HSE has found that it should prosecute three times as many cases as it does now. Is an increase likely?
What do directors need to know?
An inspector recently turned up and started asking one of your directors questions about health and safety which they couldn’t answer. How can you avoid a similar experience?
A member of staff has found a scheme that encourages bike use and saves tax. However, when you looked into it you realised there could be potential safety issues. Are there any, and if so how should you deal with them?
A recent case has highlighted what can happen if oxy-acetylene gas isn’t used and stored correctly. What happened and what should you be doing to avoid a similar incident?
You’ve decided you need more office staff. However, space is tight and you think squeezing in many more would introduce health and safety issues. So what might be the solution?
PDF files have become the standard for “portable” documents that can be read on various platforms. For many years, creating PDF files used to be the exclusive privilege of Adobe Acrobat, but here are some cheaper or free alternatives.
Yahoo! recently put the official lyrics of 400,000 songs online, free of charge. In this way, this search engine takes more significant steps into the musical world. Is this new service useful, and what are the alternatives?
Version 2 of the popular e-mail program Thunderbird has recently been released. As it includes several new features, we’ve taken the opportunity to highlight a few of them and discuss their usefulness.