2011 -
January
EMPLOYMENT STATUS - 27.01.2011
Introducing the brand new “Employers’ Charter”!
The government has recently announced plans to introduce an “Employers’ Charter”. Apparently, it will encourage businesses like yours to hire more employees. But just how is it supposed to help you?
PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT - 27.01.2011
It’s a bad (workplace) romance
Two employees have become romantically involved - nothing unusual there! But one manages the other and she’s now being shown favouritism over other staff. It’s starting to cause resentment, so what should you do here?
MATERNITY PAY - 27.01.2011
She’s resigned, so do you still pay her SMP?
Shortly before starting maternity leave, an employee informs you that she is resigning. That’s not too much of a problem, but what about her Statutory Maternity Pay? Are you still liable to pay it?
DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDINGS - 27.01.2011
Employees who commit crimes in their spare time
A subscriber has been tipped-off that an employee “may be involved in shoplifting”. So they want to know whether or not this is grounds for disciplinary action, or even dismissal. How should they deal with this tricky problem?
SICKNESS ABSENCE - 27.01.2011
Can you visit a sick employee at home?
Many employees assume that when they’re off sick their employer can’t make any attempt to contact them. But this isn’t true; you can even visit them at home provided you go about it the right way. So how is this done?
UNFAIR DISMISSAL - 27.01.2011
(Un)fairly dismissed for breach of confidentiality
A school employee was recently sacked for a breach of confidentiality. However, she won her claim of unfair dismissal. So did the tribunal think she had acted properly, or was there another reason for this?
RETIREMENT - 27.01.2011
October 1 2011: Goodbye DRA!
The default retirement age of 65 will definitely be abolished on October 1 2011. But there’s a cut-off date for safe retirement dismissals. What is it?
SOFTWARE - WINDOWS - 24.01.2011
Tricks and tweaks for Windows 7
Windows 7 has been around for more than a year now. A couple of tweaks and tricks can make your Windows 7 system run even better. And even if you use Windows for the first time, the following tips can be useful.
PERSONAL WEBSITE - SITE DESIGN - 24.01.2011
Your personal Wikipedia
You probably regularly use Wikipedia for looking things up. How about having your own Wikipedia server on which you could collect information for yourself, your family, your colleagues?
SOFTWARE - BROWSER - 24.01.2011
Synchronise your favourites online
Xmarks has always been our favourite service for managing favourites online and synchronising them between computers. However, this service will become partially chargeable. What does it offer and what are the alternatives?
SOFTWARE - OFFICE - 24.01.2011
Making the most of MS Word
Most of us use Microsoft Word, but we are familiar only with a fraction of all its functions. We’ve looked at some handy tips and tricks for working faster in Word.
SOFTWARE - COMPUTER MANAGEMENT - 24.01.2011
File deleted = gone forever?
Have you deleted a file a while ago which you would now like to recover? There are dedicated tools which claim they can do this. But do they actually work? We did the test.
SOFTWARE - BROWSER - 24.01.2011
Stacking tabs in Opera 11 (and other browsers)
Although Opera’s mobile Web browser is highly successful, the less popular PC version is further being developed as well. Opera 11 has just been released and contains a number of useful new features.
BUSINESS - WEB SERVICES - 24.01.2011
Webtools for dummies
Every new year is accompanied by lots of good intentions. Is your resolution for 2011 to increase the efficiency of your business? If so, here are some simple webtools that can help you.
E-MAIL - MAILING LISTS - 24.01.2011
Take me off this mailing list!
Suppose you’re no longer interested in some of the newsletters or mailing lists you’re subscribed to. How do you get rid of them?
MISCELLANEOUS - NEWSGROUPS - 24.01.2011
Google Groups 2011
Remember Google Groups, the service which allows you to discuss with others or exchange tips on a given theme online? A new version was launched recently. Is it worthwhile?
WEB SERVICES - MISCELLANEOUS - 24.01.2011
Apps in your Web browser
Do you envy iPhone, iPad and Android users for having all these cool apps at their disposal? Thanks to Chrome Web Apps you can now use them in your Web browser as well!
TRANSPORT - CARS - 24.01.2011
Looking for a new car
Thinking about buying a new car? There’s a new site - carbuyer.co.uk - that could help you in your quest. We check it out and compare it with the competition.
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT - 19.01.2011
Saving “scarce” materials
According to government research, the UK could cut its use of “scarce” materials, such as metals and wood, by around 15% by 2020. Why is it important that this happens, and how can the target be achieved?
REACH - 19.01.2011
New chemical legislation kicks in
The first deadline for registering “phase-in” substances under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals Regulations (REACH) has now passed. What are the implications for manufacturers and sellers?
STATUTORY NUISANCE - NOISE - 19.01.2011
Keep the noise down
Although you may not feel that your site is noisy, if your neighbours disagree, you could face complaints. To help you fend them off, we’ve produced a new guidance note. What’s covered?
ENERGY MANAGEMENT - 19.01.2011
Energy risks
A new White Paper outlines the upcoming energy risks to UK businesses. What do you need to be aware of in the future, and what might the implications be if you don’t take action to improve your energy efficiency?
WASTE - 19.01.2011
Dumping and burning asbestos
The boss of a Devon skip hire company has been imprisoned for nine months for illegally burning and burying waste which included asbestos. What can be learned from this particular case?
CARBON - 19.01.2011
Carbon reporting saves money
According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (defra), voluntary reporting of greenhouse gas emissions is helping businesses to reduce costs. What’s involved and is this something that you should be doing?
LEGAL COMPLIANCE - 19.01.2011
Free online compliance tools
The Environment Agency has developed new web-based tools that will help you to identify whether your business is complying with environmental legislation. Where can you find them and are they worth a look?
LOANS - 19.01.2011
How to pay off the company loan
Where a director owes his or her company money, it can face a tax bill. But it’s not an easy job to work out how much this should be, and the Taxman will have his own ideas. What steps can you take to keep the bill to a minimum?
CAPITAL GAINS TAX - YEAR-END PLANNING - 19.01.2011
Avoiding a potential CGT hike
The 2011 Budget is just weeks away and there’s speculation that another increase in Capital Gains Tax (CGT) is on the cards. With this in mind and the stockmarket on the rise when is the right time to cash in on gains?
INHERITANCE TAX - 19.01.2011
IHT payable on money that’s not yours!
In an important case the Taxman successfully argued that someone should pay IHT on the value of a pension fund without getting a penny from it. Why, and what steps can you take to avoid this trap?
PENSIONS - 19.01.2011
Could PIPs spell trouble for you?
Just when you thought there was some sanity returning to the rules governing pension contributions, you now have to contend with PIPs. What are they and how might they affect tax relief on your pension contributions?
PROFIT EXTRACTION - 19.01.2011
Personal use of your company’s buying power
Where your company buys or makes something and later gives it to you, this can trigger stiff tax charges. But is there a way you can use your company’s buying power to save money on purchases and dodge the tax charges altogether?
BENEFITS - 19.01.2011
The tax cost of ‘flu
Employees can be expensive to run. If they’re off sick it’s a double whammy as you’ll lose their services while they’re ill yet still have to pay them, Statutory Sick Pay at least. But might the tax system offer some help?
CARS - 19.01.2011
End of VAT break on cars?
Businesses which lease or hire cars have been allowed to reclaim 50% of the VAT they pay. But this tax break was due to end recently, so where do you stand now?
STATUTORY SICK PAY2 - 18.01.2011
Paying employees for self-inflicted injuries
Paying an employee when they are off sick can be a major drain on your company’s finances. But can you refuse to pay them Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)where their illness, injury or disability is self-inflicted?
PERSONNEL - 18.01.2011
Independent contractor or really an employee?
Suppose that your company hired an independent contractor but, at the end of their contract, they claimed to really be an “employee”. This would give them the right to claim unfair dismissal. Is this a winning argument?
DIRECTORS’ EXPENSES - 18.01.2011
Working Rule Payments
One of our subscribers recently received a bill for tax and NI on travel expenses paid to himself and two fellow directors. These payments are normally tax and NI-free, so what was the Taxman’s problem?
INSURANCE - 18.01.2011
“No questions asked” life insurance
Life insurance where your health doesn’t affect the premiums sounds too good to be true, yet sales of this type of policy now outnumber traditional policies. They’re easy to buy online or even from a supermarket, but are they right for you?
DATA PROTECTION - 18.01.2011
The Information Commissioner starts getting tough
The Information Commissioner can issue monetary penalties for breaches of the Data Protection Act 1998; it’s just slapped one company with a £60,000 fine! How can the directors avoid the same thing happening?
DIRECTORS’ TAX - 18.01.2011
More tax enquiries coming soon
The Taxman is flexing his muscles in readiness for a barrage of enquiries into business records. Are there steps you can take to protect your company?
FIRE SAFETY - 18.01.2011
Responsible person or competent person?
The responsible person (RP) is a particular role defined in English and Welsh fire legislation, but the law also describes the role of a competent person (CP). What’s the difference and what appointments do you need to make?
STORAGE - 18.01.2011
Mobile shelves
Your storage needs have increased beyond the capacity of your current storeroom and it’s becoming hazardous. Would mobile shelves be a solution, and, if so, are there any safety considerations you need to address?
LOAD HANDLING - PRELIMINARY RISK ASSESSMENT - 18.01.2011
Assess the manual handling risks
If your staff have duties which involve significant manual handling, you may need to complete a formal assessment of the task. To identify when you need to put pen to paper, why not use our new preliminary assessment document?
ENFORCEMENT NOTICES - 18.01.2011
Community service for waste boss
A businessman has been sentenced to 240 hours of community service after he ignored a notice to stop dangerous work at his waste processing premises. What can be learned from his mistakes?
SEASONAL ISSUES - 18.01.2011
The HSE cancels sporting events
Comments in the media have suggested that the HSE has had a role to play in the cancellation of many events during the recent cold snap. Are the rumours true and was it the right call to cancel events because of the weather?
CHEMICAL STORAGE - 18.01.2011
Do you need a petrol licence?
You need to regularly refuel equipment at your premises so you keep a small amount of petrol in a store. But one of your staff tells you that you need a licence from the local authority. Are they right?
RIDDOR - 18.01.2011
Incident reporting laws to change?
A review of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations started this month. What can you expect?
SECURITY - PRIVACY - 10.01.2011
Surfing to secure sites
You know that it’s best to use a secure website for home banking or online shopping. But are webmail or social networks at risk as well? Can you use a secure address there too?
PERSONAL WEBSITE - SITE DESIGN - 10.01.2011
Guide your visitors
Your (potential) customers should be able to find their way through your website effortlessly. Good navigation and clear menus are therefore essential. How can you achieve this and what are the rules?
ENTERTAINMENT - MUSIC - 10.01.2011
In the mood…
Suppose you want to play some quiet music in your waiting room, shop or living room. Your digital music library contains a wide range of genres, so how can you play, for instance, only easy listening songs?
WEB SERVICES - ONLINE CALENDARS - 10.01.2011
A calendar for 2011!
A new year means a new calendar. Which tools can help you to plan everything properly? Here are some programs and services that we can recommend.
SOFTWARE - OFFICE - 10.01.2011
News from the OpenOffice front
We all know OpenOffice as a free alternative to the expensive Microsoft Office. Sun, the owner of this office suite, was recently taken over by Oracle, and this has led to some changes. Here’s an update.
SECURITY - FIREWALL - 10.01.2011
Does Windows 7 firewall offer adequate protection?
Ever since Windows XP, Windows comes with a firewall, but only on Windows 7 does it offer all-out protection. How do you best use it, and is this firewall sufficient?
WEB SERVICES - ONLINE OFFICE - 10.01.2011
Paperless office?
You will probably still be receiving a lot of paperwork: invoices, letters, documents, etc. If you store them in a filing cabinet, it’s difficult to retrieve them later. Can you scan everything and make it searchable?
E-MAIL - SOFTWARE - 10.01.2011
PostBox 2: better than Thunderbird?
The PostBox e-mail program has been profiling itself as a streamlined edition of Thunderbird for some time now. Can version 2 of PostBox live up to this claim against the new Thunderbird 3?
LEISURE - PHOTOGRAPHY - 10.01.2011
Organising your photos
Do you have thousands - or even tens of thousands - of photos from way back when? You may hardly have had a look at some of them, let alone organised them. In that case, it’s high time to do so!
BUSINESS - JOBS - 10.01.2011
Job hunting, help is at hand
At the end of last year, we looked at how the Web could help people who were thinking of changing career; now we take a look at the best job sites.
WEB SERVICES - MISCELLANEOUS - 10.01.2011
Google Contacts as the centre for all your contacts
Are the details of your contacts scattered over your e-mail program, webmail service, social network, etc.? Why not centralise them online at Google Contacts? How does it work?
COMPANY LAW - 10.01.2011
Do you need to make a resolution?
It’s hard enough running a business without having to spend hours on administration and legal niceties. So if you and your fellow directors want to make a major decision affecting your company, must you also make a resolution?
LANDLORD & TENANT - 10.01.2011
How to assign the company’s lease
The company is doing well and desperately needs some larger premises. A potential tenant wants to take over its current lease via an “assignment”. This needs the landlord’s consent, but will the directors automatically get it?
PROPERTY - 10.01.2011
Can working at home increase your tax bill?
One of our subscribers recently discovered that claiming a tax deduction for the cost of working at home resulted in a Capital Gains Tax bill when it was sold. Why, and what steps could he have taken to avoid this?
PERSONNEL - 10.01.2011
Stop confidential data walking out the door
Apparently, 72% of employees have stolen private company data without batting an eyelid. In fact, this is probably how WikiLeaks recently got its hands on 250,000 confidential documents. So is there any way to minimise this risk?
DEBTS - 10.01.2011
Getting the (full) balance of what they owe
A customer who owes you money has sent in a cheque. It’s for 75% of the outstanding amount and in “full and final settlement”. The directors are worried that if it’s banked, they can’t demand the extra 25%. What does the law say?
NATIONAL INSURANCE - 10.01.2011
Delaying the increase in NI
In April this year the NI rate on earnings increases by 1% for all employees, including directors. You can’t avoid paying NI on salaries and wages, but is there a way for directors to delay it on their own pay?
DIRECTORS’ DUTIES - 10.01.2011
Should you follow (these) principles?
The European Confederation of Directors’ Associations has issued 14 “principles”. It says companies like yours should follow them. OK, but are they binding?
PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT - 10.01.2011
Get 235 hours p.a. more work from staff (for free)
It’s been reported that 69% of employees spend 5.6 hours per week - or 235 hours annually - attending unproductive meetings. How can you ensure that both your time and money aren’t being wasted during these events?
RACE DISCRIMINATION - 10.01.2011
Off-the-cuff remarks = £30k for injury to feelings?
A manager has made an off-the-cuff remark about an employee’s race. It’s a meaningless comment, but there’s a hidden danger: it could cost you as much as £30,000 in compensation for “injury to feelings”. What’s to know?
RESIGNATIONS - 10.01.2011
Just asking to withdraw a resignation
An employee recently tendered their written resignation. But they’ve now asked to withdraw it. Must you agree to this request or can it be refused? And what if their notice had been given verbally, would the position be any different?
DISCIPLINARY MATTERS - 10.01.2011
The witness who told a “pack of lies”
It’s come to light that, in order to protect their colleague, an employee lied during a disciplinary investigation. What does this mean for those proceedings and how should you tackle this latest revelation?
UNFAIR DISMISSAL - 10.01.2011
New unfair dismissal compensation rates announced
From February 1 2011, the maximum amount that the tribunal can award for a successful unfair dismissal claim will be £80,400. So why is this and do you really need to worry about it?
RIGHT TO SEARCH - 10.01.2011
“Don’t worry, I’ll get some from work!”
Apparently, over one million employees steal from their employer each week. Stationery is the most popular item taken, but it’s estimated that 250,000 laptops have gone walkabout too! What can you do to discourage workplace theft?
SICKNESS ABSENCE - 10.01.2011
Is the fit note system a flop?
Two-thirds of employers are experiencing the same problem with fit notes: inappropriate advice from the GP! What happens if you can’t implement it?
PROFITABILITY - 07.01.2011
Introducing mind mapping
The finance department has been asked to come up with ideas to help drive the business forward. After a productive brainstorming session, it’s now time to pull all the various threads together. Is there an easy way of doing this?
ACCOUNTS PAYABLE - 07.01.2011
Let them pay in euros
Your chairman has noticed that one of your competitors offers customers the facility to pay in euros. He’s asked if your company should follow suit and it’s fallen on you to provide an answer. How should you respond?
PERSONNEL - 07.01.2011
Organising the accounts department
You’re keen to improve the efficiency of the accounts department. Putting a clear organisational structure in place is the first step to achieving this. Where do you start?
TRANSPORT - 07.01.2011
Time to consider re-tread tyres?
Using re-treaded tyres is one of those things you’ve looked at but always been unsure of the real cost savings. Are they really an option and if so, how might the cost efficiencies stack up?
PRINTING - 07.01.2011
More ink in the tank?
Printers may always seem to be on offer, but there’s a reason: manufacturers make most of their money from the cost of the ink rather than the machine. What can you do to save ink?
DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT - 07.01.2011
Go electronic to save?
If your business is document intensive, as much as 15% of turnover is spent on document creation, management processing, storage and retrieval. Could an electronic document management system (EDMS) prove the answer?
OFFICE SPACE - 07.01.2011
A virtual saving?
Over the last couple of years some small businesses have been “relocating” to virtual offices. Are they worth considering and, if so, what are the advantages compared to running a traditional office?
INTERNAL CONTROLS - 07.01.2011
Added value internal controls
Well-designed and monitored internal controls can protect against errors, omissions, delay and fraud. But did you know that they can also add to your bottom line? What’s involved?
BUDGETING - 07.01.2011
What is the point of breakeven?
It’s the start of the new year and you’re working on your budget for the next twelve months. As part of this process, you need to determine the level of sales your business must make to cover its costs. How should you do this?
MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTS - 07.01.2011
Sale or return
During its constant search for growth in revenue, your company has recently been offered business on a sale or return basis. But how would you account for this in your monthly management figures?
MOTOR EXPENSES - 07.01.2011
Reviewing company car repair costs
With further hikes in fuel costs this month, is there anything you can do to mitigate this and cut your motor expenses bill?
