2011 -
December
SICKNESS ABSENCE - 14.12.2011
Expiry of accrued holiday leave - the CJEU’s decision
Hot on the heels of an Employment Appeal Tribunal case on accrued annual leave during long-term sickness absence, comes a ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union. So in this short space of time has anything changed?
PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT - 14.12.2011
Managing (persistent) poor timekeeping
Poor timekeeping is bad for any type of business. However, it’s also fair to say that there will be occasions where it genuinely can’t be helped. So how do you go about managing it fairly, efficiently and effectively?
BRIBERY - 14.12.2011
Small (Christmas) gifts = bribery?
According to media reports, Royal Mail has warned its staff that traditional Christmas gifts can amount to “bribery”, even if they’re of low value. Is this really correct and what about at other times of the year?
DISCRIMINATION - 14.12.2011
Philosophical beliefs: why are we here?
In two recent cases the tribunal agreed that employees with firm thoughts on anti-fox hunting and journalism held protected “philosophical beliefs”. So is this the green light to others to claim this form of discrimination?
TERMINATION - 14.12.2011
Vengeful ex-employees - take these precautions!
Some disgruntled ex-employees have been known to try to seek revenge on their employer. So what precautions can you take to limit the damage an individual might try to inflict on your business, or its reputation?
BEHAVIOUR - 14.12.2011
“Effing and blinding” in the workplace
A criminal court recently ruled that the “F-word” is “now so commonplace it can no longer be considered offensive”. But what happens if some employees are uncomfortable with it in a workplace setting. What should you do then?
NEW LEGISLATION - 14.12.2011
Radical employment law reforms?
The government has announced a raft of employment law reforms said to be the “biggest in decades”. But are they really as “radical” as suggested?
PAYE - 14.12.2011
Codes - trouble with underpayments
Those who are taxed under PAYE can opt to pay what they owe by having their code number adjusted so that the tax is collected from their salary. However, the Taxman is refusing to do this in some cases. How can you change his mind?
PROFIT EXTRACTION - 14.12.2011
Increasing your Junior ISA tax savings
The recently launched Junior ISA offers tax-free saving for under 18s, but like most investments the money you put in has to come out of your taxed income. Could your company make the investment instead, and would this be more tax efficient?
INVESTMENTS - 14.12.2011
Tax relief of up to 78% for new company investors
The Chancellor’s recent Autumn Statement confirmed plans to introduce new tax breaks for business investors, but not until April 2012. If you’re currently looking for an alternative investment, are these schemes worth waiting for?
PENSIONS - 14.12.2011
Taxman backtracks on pension tax relief limit
The Taxman has been pushed into rethinking how tax deductible pension contributions for 2008/9 to 2010/11 are calculated. He’s decided his original method of working this out was wrong. What’s the full story?
CAPITAL ALLOWANCES - 14.12.2011
Maximising tax relief for the cost of machinery
In April next year the annual investment allowance (AIA) will be cut by 75% to just £25,000. But if the equipment you want to buy for your business costs more, is there a way your company can still get a100% tax deduction?
LOANS - 14.12.2011
Tax deduction for overdraft interest
In a recent case the tribunal had to decide whether overdraft interest paid by two directors to fund their business could be claimed against their tax bills. What was the outcome?
BUDGET - 14.12.2011
Autumn Statement highlights
The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement didn’t offer much cheer. But was there anything positive in it for you or your business?
POLICIES & RECORDS - RISK ASSESSMENT - PV PANEL INSTALLATION - 09.12.2011
Installing solar panels safely
If you’re looking to install solar panels on your roof, or if you want to check that a contractor you’ve employed is working safely, you should refer to our new risk assessment for PV panel installation. What’s covered?
CONTRACTOR SELECTION - 09.12.2011
Contractors aren’t filling in your forms properly
You’ve decided to tighten up your selection process by asking all new, or potential, contractors to fill in an appraisal questionnaire. However, many are failing to do it properly. How should you deal with this?
PORTABLE APPLIANCE TEST - 09.12.2011
Portable appliance tests - how often?
For some time you’ve employed an electrician to complete combined formal inspections and a portable appliance test (PAT) on electrical equipment annually. However, you’ve heard that this isn’t often enough. What’s to know?
GROUNDS MAINTENANCE - 09.12.2011
Inspecting a playing field - how far to go?
A recent case looked at whether a playing field needed to be inspected before use and, if so, exactly what type of inspection was needed. What was the outcome?
FIRE EXTINGUISHERS - 09.12.2011
Can you cut out fire extinguisher maintenance costs?
You’ve heard that it’s possible to save hundreds of pounds a year by switching your extinguishers to ones that don’t need servicing by a professional. Is this really the case and, if so, are all types available?
H&S MANAGEMENT - 09.12.2011
One million workers experience violence
A recent study looked at the risks of violence and mistreatment at work and showed that the problem was more widespread than previously thought. What were the findings?
HSE - 09.12.2011
The end of anonymous complaints
You’ve heard that it’s become impossible for anonymous complaints about workplace health and safety to be made to the HSE. Is this true?
RECRUITMENT - 09.12.2011
Writing job descriptions for a director
Of all the job descriptions that need to be written, those for replacement or additional company directors are amongst the most important. So what must you do before creating one and what elements should it include?
PROPERTY - 09.12.2011
Living together: who gets the (whole) house?
It’s a fact of life that personal relationships break down. If you’re not married, what would happen to any property that you jointly own? And, as a successful director, what can you do to protect your financial contribution to it?
PROFIT EXTRACTION - 09.12.2011
Overcoming problems with dividends
A new financial year is approaching and your accountant has recommended a more aggressive approach to tax planning by paying regular dividends instead of salary. But your co-director/shareholder says this will cause problems. Is he right?
CREDIT CONTROL - 09.12.2011
Staking your claim with the liquidator
Bad debts are on the increase. If an individual trader or partnership which owes your company becomes insolvent, what steps can you take to increase your chances of getting a share of the money?
INHERITANCE TAX - 09.12.2011
An IHT dodge for family companies
Over the last year the tax treatment of pension death benefits has changed radically. But one type of scheme can still offer an estate planning tax break for directors of family companies. What is it and how does it work?
DATA PROTECTION - 09.12.2011
Compulsory data audits on the way?
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) wants to introduce compulsory data audits for all private companies. Is this something else to worry about?
LEGAL COMPLIANCE - 09.12.2011
Don’t advertise (with) the 2012 Olympics
Many businesses will benefit from the 2012 Olympic Games. But if you’re thinking of incorporating it into next year’s marketing strategy, you might want to think again. Get it wrong and there are some serious risks - what’s to know?
ENTERTAINMENT - TRAVEL - 07.12.2011
Animated journeys on Google Maps
Are you leaving on a winter holiday shortly? Or do you often hit the road? The recently launched Animaps allows you to publish all your itineraries online. What makes this special?
PERSONAL WEBSITE - WEBSITE DESIGN - 07.12.2011
A customer poll or survey?
Online polls are handy tools for collecting useful information from website visitors. The Zoomerang webtool assists you and offers a choice between a poll and a survey. Is this useful?
BUSINESS - WEB SERVICES - 07.12.2011
Keeping track of projects in Google Calendar
We’ve already reviewed various online tools for keeping track of project or task times. We’ve now put GTimeReport to the test, a time-tracking tool which uses Google Calendar.
SEARCHING - COMPUTER - 07.12.2011
Using Windows Search more efficiently
Windows Vista and Windows 7 contain a search engine, Windows Search, which can search all the files on your computer in a flash. By configuring the proper settings and parameters, you can make searching even faster and more efficient.
WEB SERVICES - AUDIO AND VIDEO - 07.12.2011
Editing multimedia without software
To edit audio and video, most people use dedicated software installed on their hard drive. But FileLab lets you edit multimedia files completely online. How efficiently does such a “cloud” tool work?
BUSINESS - WEB SERVICES - 07.12.2011
Personnel management with Zoho People
You may already know Zoho as a comprehensive online office suite. However, there’s also Zoho People: a “cloud” solution for human resources management. How useful is it for your business?
SOFTWARE - BROWSER - 07.12.2011
Firefox 8: another upgrade
Version 8 of Firefox was released a mere six weeks after version 7. What does this new version contain? Is it worth the effort of upgrading Firefox again so soon?
E-MAIL - E-MAIL SOFTWARE - 07.12.2011
Thunderbird 8 and Postbox 3
Are you still using an older version of the Thunderbird e-mail client or the closely related PostBox? If so, should you upgrade to the recently updated versions? And what exactly is the difference between Postbox and Thunderbird?
SECURITY - ANTI-MALWARE - 07.12.2011
Your mobile device also deserves protection!
Owners of a mobile device such as an iOS or Android smartphone or tablet tend to forget that this device is actually a computer too. Such a device therefore deserves equally adequate protection. Here are some tips.
WEB SERVICES - ONLINE COMMUNITIES - 07.12.2011
Businesses on Google+
Many businesses already actively seek to contact their customers via Twitter, LinkedIn or a Facebook business page. The Google+ social network now also lets you host your own business page. Is this useful?
BUSINESS - 07.12.2011
Best news and advice sites for SMEs
SMEs need to keep abreast of the news, have questions answered and get tips and advice on a thousand things... where to go online?
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT - 06.12.2011
Identifying symptoms of fraud
Your company has just taken over a struggling business. Having reviewed the figures, including the creditor and bank accounts, things don’t look quite right. What should you be looking out for if you suspect fraud?
CONTRACTS - 06.12.2011
Switching energy supplier
Recent research has found that many SMEs are paying well over the odds for their electricity due to reluctance to change supplier. How easy is it for business users to switch energy suppliers?
REPORTING - 06.12.2011
Preparing a full year profit forecast
You’ve started to suspect that the business is not going to achieve its budgeted profit. You’ve discussed this with your MD and he’s asked you to provide some numbers. How should you go about building a full year profit forecast?
MOBILE PHONES - 06.12.2011
Cutting costs with mobile apps?
A recent survey revealed that over half of small businesses now use mobile apps, citing time saving, increased productivity and cost cutting as the main benefits. Can they really save your business money?
PROPERTY - 06.12.2011
Relief from business rates?
Business rates represent one of the biggest overheads for companies, yet they’re set to increase again in April. Could you be one of the 59% of small businesses that are missing out on a valuable relief?
CARS - 06.12.2011
Using trackers to save fuel
Fitting vehicles with tracking devices has been reported to improve efficiency and cut fuel bills (and keep tabs on wayward drivers!) even for small fleets. But does it really work?
PERSONNEL - 06.12.2011
Let them eat lunch
In America, in particular, there are companies that buy their employees lunch. They say it saves money, but how? What’s involved in such a scheme and could it work for you too?
PAYROLL - 06.12.2011
Calculating holiday pay on termination
An employee is leaving at the end of the month but hasn’t taken all their holiday entitlement. Is there a statutory requirement to pay them for the untaken holiday and, if so, do the regulations state how this should be calculated?
CASH FLOW - 06.12.2011
Raising new capital
The business is doing well despite the recession, but your latest cash flow forecast shows that more capital is needed for expansion. Bank finance is scarce and your bank manager won’t increase your facility, so what are your options?
MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTS - 06.12.2011
Calculating the tax provision
Your MD wants to know why the figure given by the company’s accountants is significantly less than your provision for Corporation Tax (CT) in the management accounts. How should you set about answering such a question?
STAFF EXPENSES - 06.12.2011
Rate changes for overseas travel
For overseas travel, paying round sum allowances can reduce your expenses processing time. Following recent changes, how much can you pay tax-free?