http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/ Pearson & Associates news blog en http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification PHP/5.2.9 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/xero-is-the-hero As Xero Gold Partners we are totally tuned in to the benefits Xero can provide for our clients. The ease of use is powerful and does allow small business owners to claw back some of that valuable time to find the balance of working ON the business as well as balancing work with home life. Again that question we keep asking comes to mind, 'Do you own a business or does the business own you?'. Many of our clients now use Xero, but if you don't then here's a good summary of the benefits. There is also an excellent and friendly Xero community online.    If you want us to show you Xero and how it works then just get in touch and we'll get the kettle on. Alex Howarth Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/xero-is-the-hero http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/pearson-associates-olympics On your marks, get set, go! The alternative Olympics is coming to Broughton Hall. Forget Usain Bolt, Sir Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton - this is your company's chance to enter a team and for you all to be stars for a day. The Pearson & Associates Olympics is being organised as part of our '12 for 12' charity drive. Our aim is to raise £12,000 through 2012 for Martin House Children's Hospice who care for children and young adults with life reducing illnesses (this is how much it costs to run the hospice for one day). Now when we say 'Olympics', think more along the lines of a retro school sports day. Less lycra and high speed sprinting, more welly wanging, egg and spoon and sack races. Bring friends and family along as well, there will be lots for children to enjoy too. It's going to be a fantastic day of fun, and all for a great cause. First you need a team of five people (there will be five individual events and then one final relay for all the team to take part in). Payments can be sent by cheque made payable to 'P&A Appeal Fund' or online via our just giving page. Our aim is to have 50 teams competing. Just think of a team name and register online here. We will be launching a team board soon on our website where you can post a team photo and more information - and you can check out the competition! If you've got any questions at all just call Tiiu or Tammy on 01756 793300. Here's to a great day! Paul Mason Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/pearson-associates-olympics http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/are-you-structured-for-success- Whether your business is large or small, most businesses have similar elements that make up the whole. It's the balance of these elements and how they are managed that is important to the success of a business. The 7-S McKinsey Model still stands the test of time in helping us understand how all these components come together. All areas interlink and are integral to the core values of the business. If you haven't developed your core values yet, do so, they are so important in building the business. Every area of the structure is equal and requires to be balanced; too much emphasis on one area will obviously leave another one weak. When we are undertaking any change process at work reverting to this model really helps as we have to consider each element and ensure all areas are moving through the change simultaneously. Paul Mason Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/are-you-structured-for-success- http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/employment-law-changes A number of changes to employment law have taken effect in April 2012. The coalition government has stated that these changes are being made to streamline and modernise the employment tribunal system and promote efficiency and flexibility in the labour market. Qualifying Period for Unfair Dismissal Rights Extended With effect from 06 April 2012 the normal period of continuous employment for eligibility for unfair dismissal rights will increase from one year to two years. This change will only apply to employees whose continuous period of employment starts on or after 06 April 2012. Employees whose period of continuous employment commenced prior to 06 April 2012 will retain their right to claim unfair dismissal if they have worked for their employer for more than one year but less than two or will gain unfair dismissal rights after having been employed for one year. In cases where the dismissal for one of the number of reasons which are stated as being 'automatically unfair', such as dismissal where the reason or principal reason is pregnancy or maternity leave, or because the employee has made protected disclosures, are unaffected by the change and in these cases there will continue to be no minimum period of qualifying service required before the employee can bring an unfair dismissal claim. The same change is taking place in relation to the qualifying period of continuous employment required before an employee can request a written statement of reasons for dismissal. This is increasing from one year to two years with effect from 06 April 2012. The exception continues to be cases where the employee is dismissed during maternity leave or adoption leave. In this situation they are entitled to be provided with a written statement of reasons for dismissal on request even if they have worked for the employer for less than the minimum qualifying period. Changes to Employment Tribunal Procedure A number of changes are taking place to employment tribunal procedure in April 2012. With effect from 06 April 2012 the maximum amount which an Employment Judge or tribunal may order a party to pay as a deposit if they view a case as having little reasonable prospects of success will increase from £500 to £1000. An increase is also being made to the maximum amount which an Employment Judge or tribunal may order a party to pay by way of costs, expenses or preparation time. This rises from £10,000 to £20,000. Employment Judges and tribunals are also being given the power to order a party to pay the expenses incurred by a witness in attending a tribunal to give evidence. It is clear that changes are being made in order to dissuade employees from pursuing unmeritorious claims. Another change taking effect from April 2012 is that Employment Judges will be given the power to hear unfair dismissal claims sitting alone, instead of with two lay members. Arguably this reform makes a fundamental change to the nature of the employment tribunal system. The concept of the 'industrial jury', which when deciding cases would not only apply the law but also their experience of workplaces and industrial relations, was fundamental to the establishment of the industrial tribunal system. It will remain possible for an Employment Judge to order a case to be heard by a full tribunal if it raises complex issues, or there are likely to be substantive issues of fact or law which make it desirable for the case to be heard by a full tribunal rather than an Employment Judge sitting alone. It remains to be seen how this discretion will operate in practice. Statutory payment increases Also in April, statutory maternity, paternity and adoption pay will increase from £128.73 per week to £135.45 per week. Statutory sick pay will also go up from £81.60 to £85.85 per week. Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/employment-law-changes http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/need-some-zoom-focus-to-help-with-your-vision- I'd like to share an interesting article by Jon Gordon called Zoom Focus. Now don't be put off by the title, it's not as gimicky as it sounds. He's really onto something with this idea and it's well worth a read. You do need to be focused on your business if you want it to reap the rewards you want, not only financial but in terms of self achievement too. Having a vision for your business is crucial to this success and pushing yourself towards that vision is the key. Everything you do in your business should be aimed at helping you achieve that vision. There should be no distractions from those thoughts. The key for me in the article is the 'Daily Improvement' section. If we can improve a little bit daily then those little ripples in the pond make a massive change over the long term. We need to set off each day with that mindset and set our improvement goals. So switch your focus to 'Zoom' setting and see what happens! Paul Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/need-some-zoom-focus-to-help-with-your-vision- http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/a-coffee-a-croissant-and-some-retirement-planning-advice When the country is celebrating the Olympics in 2012, baby boomers will be turning 65 in record numbers. Over 800,000 of them, a staggering 150,000 more than in 2011, will reach this key milestone. Baby boomers have enjoyed decades of booming house prices, generous final salary pensions and stock market growth. Everybody talks about the baby boomers being so lucky, but have they learned anything and got the pension funds to show for it? How about you? Do you know what you have in place for retirement? For the over 50s, it's not unrealistic to think that a pension fund of £100,000 will pay just £5,000 per annum. Think ahead in terms of what you need - it may be a case of having to ease into retirement. Your 50s is perhaps the most important decade of all when it comes to retirement planning. Our breakfast seminar Whether you are preparing for retirement in the next 10 years or entering retirement now, this seminar (run in conjunction with Standard Life) will provide greater clarity on what you need to do to secure your financial future. When: Monday 23rd April, 8.30am to 9.30am Where: Our offices, The North Barn, Broughton Hall You can book your place online now or call us on 01756 793300. Tue, 10 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/a-coffee-a-croissant-and-some-retirement-planning-advice http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/and-the-winner-is- We're delighted to announce that the Easter Quiz (which by all accounts was 'very hard') has been won by Gail Pizer, who prepares all the lovely food at Utopia on the Broughton Hall Estate. Gail was surprised at the size of Harry the Hare and said that her daughter will love it. It is good to know Harry has gone to a good home, even though he will only last a short while! For all of you that completed the quiz here are the answers. A big thank you to all our clients who have taken part and to the businesses on Broughton Hall Estate who have entered into the spirit of our challenge. This was the first event in our '12 for 12' campaign to raise £12,000 for Martin House Children's Hospice. The target will only be reached by your generosity, so thank you all very much. A special thank you must also go to Kathy Kelly, our Payroll Manager, whose family donated Harry the Hare for the quiz prize. There will be more events coming up that we all can get involved in, watch this space! Thu, 05 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/and-the-winner-is- http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/p-a-golf-society-places-still-available We are delighted to have had such a great response to our call for you all to grab your golf clubs. For those of you not booked in yet, we still have a few places available for the first game of our P&A Golf Society which will be on Friday 27th April. Venue: Hollins Hall Country Club, Baildon  Time: Meet at 11.30am Sandwiches and chips lunch and open bar prior to the golf 18 holes of golf (Green fee of £15 paid by client and for their guests) £5 per person prize money (best fourball score and best individual score) Relaxed drink (open bar) for an hour after the last group are in Limited places so book now We have established the P&A Golf Society in response to feedback from our clients that being a business owner can often leave you feeling isolated. As part of our Business Class offer we are providing opportunities for you to meet, mingle and discuss with other business owners in an enjoyable and fun way. There will be one event per month between April and September (six events in total) and we will use local courses. Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/p-a-golf-society-places-still-available http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/the-jelly-effect Communication. A word that crops up in every organisation and one where everyone says they can improve. I believe understanding (and avoiding) the 'jelly effect' can help improve every organisations communication, certainly in the area of sales and building relationships. The jelly effect comes from the analogy of someone will talk to us and tell us everything in the hope that a little bit of it sticks. But like throwing jelly at a wall, poor communication never sticks. I am sure we can all recall those conversations. As Andy Bounds the author of the book The Jelly Effect states: 'Audiences don't care about what you say, they only care what they are left with after you've said it'. The overriding component throughout the book is this concept of 'afters'. What added value can you give your clients or potential new clients? What is it you are going to leave behind to make you stand out, to make you become the supplier of choice? At the end of the day we all need sales, be it to sell a product, a service or ourselves. Just don't 'jelly' people, make sure you provide the correct information. Do have a look at more information about the jelly effect. It really is a simple concept to a recurring issue. Remember don't wibble or wobble! Paul Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0100 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/the-jelly-effect http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/easter-quiz We've put together this fun Easter Quiz for you to try - whether you quiz alone or have a go with friends, family or colleagues. Be honest please! We're looking for everyone to be squeaky clean and honest: please don't Google the answers (where's the fun in that?) and we also hope you'll make a minimum donation of £1 (you can also donate online). All monies raised will be going to Martin House Children's Hospice - part of our '12 for 12' pledge to try and raise £12,000 for them through 2012 (this is how much it costs to run the hospice for one day). Star prize The prize for the winner is Harry the Hare: he's over 2 feet tall, completely made of chocolate and looks delicious! How to enter Download the quiz and have a go. The closing date for all completed quiz entries is Tuesday 3rd April. Please return completed quiz sheets to us either by email at charity@pearsonandassociates.co.uk or post it/drop it in to our office. The winner will be announced and answers available here on our website on Thursday 5th April. Good luck! Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/easter-quiz http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/budget-roundup The Chancellor has delivered the 2012 budget and has promised that it will take millions 'out of tax altogether'. The following are key points that we think will be of interest to you as a small business owner. You can find the full budget and more detailed information on the HM Treasury website. As always, if there's anything you'd like to discuss with us then do get in touch. Personal taxes The tax-free personal allowance will increase to £9,205 from April 2013 (it will be £8,105 from April 2012). The top tax rate, currently at 50%, will be reduced to 45% from April 2013. Child Benefit Child benefit will gradually be withdrawn from households where at least one person earns over £50,000 with those earning more than £60,000 losing all of their child benefit. Pensions The state pension age is to be automatically reviewed to ensure that it keeps up with increasing longevity. Age-related allowances for pensioners are to be phased out and single tier state pension to be introduced for future pensioners, set at around £140. Business taxes The main rate of corporation tax will be reduced to 24% from April 2012. There will be a consultation on simplifying the tax system for businesses with income of less than £77,000. There will be consideration of enterprise loans for young people to start their own businesses. Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/budget-roundup http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/dickins-diary-hunting-for-badges Hello again, it's the next installment of my blog. I mentioned before about the team we have here at George Henry Decorators and now it's time to meet them. Here's the roll call of honour! Snodge 23 years old. An apprentice who served in Barnoldswick under Gary Pearson. Snodge has really come to the fore since we have been with Pearson & Associates and has now become the leader of the team on site. His interests are Rugby League (which he plays to a good level) and he's also now into body building.  Snodge does a great job and keeps me in check on all the administration areas Darren 42 years old. He served his time under Boltons/Wellocks in Barnoldswick, where he joined them straight from school. This is his second only job. He is part and parcel of George Henry Decorators. He is unbelievably conscientious in everything he does and is great to have around for the young lads to follow. Everyone looks up to him. The quality of work is everything to Darren and he is known here as Mr Organised. Boo 35 years old. He previously served his time as a decorator with local firms. He is the character of the team and the company Jester. Clients love having Boo around and one even took his uniform off him every night, and then washed and ironed it for him ready for the next day. How good is that! He is known as the man with the brush and detail is everything. Joe 23 years old. He previously served time under Darren's wing. He is getting married this year, so that will quieten him!!! He is an amusing character and he brightens everybody's day up. Matthew 21 years old. Brother of Snodge. Apprentice trained with exceptional college qualifications which set him apart from the rest. He is enthusiastic for someone so young and already has a great eye for quality. Nothing gets past him. Chris 21 years old.  He's the son of the owner (yes me!). Lots to say about this young man, but shying away from saying it. He still likes a hug at bedtime (joking). He came through the ranks of George Henry Decorators and is the third generation of the family to be employed by the company. So now you've met the team, here's a bit about how we keep everyone on their toes! There has been an informal award in the company for years - the Badge Hunter of the Month Award. This is awarded to the employee who has been hunting badges from me. What I mean is the guys come up to me and say "what do you think about doing this Andrew", "what about that Andrew". And I'll give them a badge for their achievement - as they win more badges they line them up on their uniforms, a bit like McDonalds but without all the fried food and calories! It's all a bit of fun really. So that's us. Until the next time. Andrew Dickin Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/dickins-diary-hunting-for-badges http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/p-a-golf-society-first-game-announced We are delighted to announce the first game of our P&A Golf Society will be on Friday 27th April. Inspired by our own love of the green, this is a great opportunity for you to network with other P&A clients, to invite your own clients to enjoy some time with you, and to give you time away from your business to work on it rather than in it. Venue: Hollins Hall Country Club, Baildon  Time: Meet at 11.30am Sandwiches and chips lunch and open bar prior to the golf 18 holes of golf (Green fee of £15 paid by client and for their guests) £5 per person prize money (best fourball score and best individual score) Relaxed drink (open bar) for an hour after the last group are in Limited places so book now We have established the P&A Golf Society in response to feedback from our clients that being a business owner can often leave you feeling isolated. As part of our Business Class offer we are providing opportunities for you to meet, mingle and discuss with other business owners in an enjoyable and fun way. There will be one event per month between April and September (six events in total) and we will use local courses. Tue, 13 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/p-a-golf-society-first-game-announced http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/the-poetry-of-good-leadership A great little article by John Gordon has made me think about what we all have to do, not only during what we are seeing as hard business times, but throughout our working lives as business owners. We are there to get the best out of our team, we can only do that if we have a positive 'lead from the front' attitude. We have to guide and facilitate our teams. A poem I use to get across what leadership is really does still stand the test of time. Leadership A leader is best When people barely know he exists, Not so good when people obey and acclaim him, Worst when they despise him, "Fail to honour people, They fail to honour you" But a good leader, who talks little, When his work is done, his aim is fulfilled, They will say, "We did this ourselves" Lao-tzu, 6th Century BC So lets make sure we are all good leaders! Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/the-poetry-of-good-leadership http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/baby-boomers-enter-the-golden-years When the country is celebrating the Olympics in 2012, baby boomers will be turning 65 in record numbers. Over 800,000 of them, a staggering 150,000 more than in 2011, will reach this key milestone. This massive increase corresponds to the post-war spike in births in 1946 and 1947, and presents a challenge for the Government as many of those turning 65 will also start claiming their state pension. Since the first of the baby boomer generation started to draw their pension at age 60 in 2005/06, DWP spending on people over working age has risen by almost £14 billion. By 2012 spending will have risen by nearly another £4 billion. People are living longer (17-20 years is now the average for a 65 year old and an increasing number will make it into their nineties or beyond) and today's generation of retirees, the so-called 'baby boomers', is wealthier than any that has gone before it. This has effectively changed the nature of retirement completely, moving it from a relatively short phase of inactivity to a new 'two-stage' phase of life, where the early years (65-75) tend to be more active, compared to the latter years (75+) which can often bring more serious health problems and a greater strain on dwindling finances. This radical change to the pattern of retirement in just a few generations has brought with it two key challenges. People living longer: people living longer need to make their pension savings stretch further than ever before at a time when annuity rates are at historic lows. A longer life in retirement: a longer life in retirement will bring with it changing circumstances and differing financial needs as people get older, or a new phase of life. Baby boomers have enjoyed decades of booming house prices, generous final salary pensions and stock market growth. Everybody talks about the baby boomers being so lucky, but have they learned anything and got the pension funds to show for it? How about you? Do you know what you have in place for retirement? For the over 50s, it's not unrealistic to think that a pension fund of £100,000 will pay just £5,000 per annum. Think ahead in terms of what you need - it may be a case of having to ease into retirement. Your 50s is perhaps the most important decade of all when it comes to retirement planning. Pension tips for the over 50s Remove risk from your pension investment plan Maximise your contributions Consider all the at retirement options (not just annuities) Open market options - shop around for the best retirement income Retirement options It crucial that people should get the best rate they can, since they will be stuck with the rate they take for the rest of their lives. That is why pensions nowadays offer people the option of shopping around for the best rate, once they have decided which kind of annuity they want. People don't have to take the annuity rate offered by their pension company, but can take it from another provider if they wish. Unfortunately, most people don't do this and therefore don't get the best value from their many years' worth of savings. How can we help? At Pearson & Associates we want to ensure that you have received all the advice and support you need. Whether you are preparing for retirement in the next 10 years or you are one of the baby boomers entering retirement now, why not arrange a free 'Retirement Option Healthcheck' with our IFA team? Just call us on 01756 793300 or get in touch online. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/baby-boomers-enter-the-golden-years http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/dependency-claims If a person was supported by someone who has died and feels that the will fails to provide for them adequately, they can claim for weekly or monthly payments or lump sum under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependents) Act 1975. The act specifies four categories of claimants: the surviving spouse a cohabitee who lived with the deceased for at least two years  children; legitimate, illegitimate or adopted; and any other child, such as a stepchild, supported by the deceased and treated as her or his own  others supported by the deceased such as an elderly relative, or anyone receiving regular maintenance from the deceased; this can include the foster child of the deceased's son or daughter. The court will consider their needs and resources, the financial status of other applicants for the claim, the needs and resources of the beneficiaries of the will, the deceased person's obligations and responsibilities to the applicant, the size of the estate, and any mental or physical disabilities (such as limited mobility or dementia) the applicant or the beneficiaries may have. In terms of Limitation, any application must be made within six months of the grant of probate - for those clients who delay in obtaining a grant of probate they could be elongating the process under which claims can be made. It is necessary within any estate planning advice to consider estate planning options that take the above scenarios into account; the more complicated the client's circumstances, the more difficult it will be for a will to fit the client's requirements and ensure that inappropriate advice is given in relation to obtaining a grant of probate. The interesting point of the above, is that such claims are only limited to inheritance; clearly placing a client's assets into a trust expressly excludes any claim made under the Act, as a client does not inherit the assets. If a client's circumstances are complicated, or wishes to exclude dependents due to their financial recklessness, drugs dependency, alcohol dependency etc, then a trust is an ideal vehicle for the client to achieve certainty. Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/dependency-claims http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/adding-value The building of relationships is imperative in this day and age in order to grow your business. To turn your clients and customers into advocates for you is a goal we should all have. To have a team of sales people out in the business environment working for us and providing opportunities we could not reach is a perfect scenario. So how do we do this? Customer service, pure and simply. Whatever it is that we do or make, our customers expect it to be good (hopefully very good). The service they receive, before and after, is what will set us all apart from our competitors. That's the adding value part! This will be different for each business and a strategy can be built to improve what we all do now. Have a look at the case study 'Don Beyer Volvo' to see how adding value works. Paul Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/adding-value http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/which-business-personality-are-you- Following on from last week's thoughts on setting goals, here is a summary of the book 'E-myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About it', by Michael E. Gerber. It is not a substitute for reading the whole book (which I really recommend) but it will give you a flavour of the ideas behind the book. You will see it refers to the three business personalities of Technician, Manager and Entrepreneur. Which are you? To grow your business successfully you need to be a bit of all three. This is a good concept to understand and will help you as a business owner apportion your time so you can work ON the business not just IN the business. If nothing else I hope it stimulates your thoughts as to where your time is spent in your business. Paul Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/which-business-personality-are-you- http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/business-resolutions-time-to-do-it-time-to-plan We are now past the January 'I am going to set my self goals that I won't keep' period. So now it is down to the reality of what really needs to be achieved. If you haven't set any goals for your business then pose this question to yourself: What do I want to achieve in my business by December 31 2012? This could include many things, such as: Financial targets Customer satisfaction Growth Adding value to your business proposition Developing of your vision, mission and core values We should always begin with the end in mind ('7 habits of highly effective people', Steven Covey). What do we mean by this? Simply think where you want the business to be in say five or 10 years time? Would you be looking to sell it?  Continue to work in it? Leave it as a legacy? This clarity helps you to build your business. If you know where the end is it is easier to set off on the right path! If you have a business you wish to sell then you have to be building a team led business ('Flight of the Buffalo' James A. Belasco and Ralph C. Stayer). If you are selling a business you do not want to be part of that sale, you have to be able to leave the business and it will continue to function without you. That means your team have to have the skills necessary to do this. So there are many things you will need to plan, such as training and development. You will have to plan your time so you can work on the business and not constantly be working in the business ('E-myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It', by Michael E. Gerber). As business owners we have to balance so many things and we believe that we have to do it all ourselves. That is not the case, if we have employees we need to use their skills to help us, alternatively we can outsource some of the areas we are not good at so we can concentrate on what we are good at. I have highlighted three business books above. There are many out there and if you asked other people they may well provide you with a different list of three books. However, I do think the reading of these three will provide you with a good base and understanding of what you, as business owners, need to be thinking about when setting your goals. The reading will also act as a reminder as to why you went into business and I bet that wasn't to be tied to your business! I will finish with one more question that we pose to you when we see you: Do you own your business or does the business own you? So set your goals, inform us about your goals. It is hard to move forward if you do not know the route. We want to help you achieve your goals. Paul Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/business-resolutions-time-to-do-it-time-to-plan http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/turning-the-first-page-of-our-new-blog-dickins-diary As a client of Pearson & Associates I have been asked to do a blog. A blog! I had to look it up. Anyway here goes, let's see what happens. A little bit about ourselves first. We are George Henry Decorators, decorators with a level of expertise that leads us to work in larger houses and for companies like Bilton Ward, whose client base covers the celebrity and footballer market. Why do we go to work everyday? Well because we want to be the very best at what we do and also because I'm no good at picking six numbers on a Saturday night and I'm too old to take over the seat from Sebastian Vettel. George Henry Decorators though are in the Barcelona league of the decorating world and that excites us. Our team of Lionel Messis aim to be the best: I want them to be the best so our customers receive the best. Our vision? Well we are on the magical road to deliver our vision of working at Buckingham Palace. Seriously, that is our aim. We are moving up the ladder, no pun intended, so watch this space as we move through the years. Working alongside Pearson & Associates has been a tremendous help, amazing actually. They have organised me and turned what I was making complicated into simple actions. They have focused my mind on the type of customers I am looking for and, most importantly, have helped me to bring the team to the fore. We are all working together now and I don't have to do it all myself, a great relief. You will hear more about the team as this blog develops, the work we are doing, the exploits and fun we get up to and how, working together with Pearson & Associates, George Henry Decorators is moving further along the road to Buckingham Palace. Join us on the journey, we will have a laugh along the way! I'm going to enjoy doing this, completely new for me, but exciting. Until the next time. Andrew Dickin Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/turning-the-first-page-of-our-new-blog-dickins-diary http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/proposed-employment-tribunal-changes Proposed employment tribunal changes have been slammed by the TUC as 'chequebook justice' (take a look at the news article on Personnel Today), but we think there's another side to this story. The current system has often left small business owners vulnerable to spurious claims from employees. Now don't get us wrong, we think it's vital protection is in place for employees who have genuine cases. Employees should be treated fairly and employers have a responsibility and duty to ensure this happens. However, as the current system is at present there is no cost incurred by a disgruntled employee who wants to take a trip to a tribunal, even when there's no real substance to the claim. Many of these claims are thrown out at a pre-hearing, however many go through to a full tribunal. In 2010/2011 there were 218,100 claims to employment tribunals, which is a 44% increase on 2008/2009 figures. The surprising part of this is that these are funded entirely by the UK taxpayer, currently costing £84 million per year. The Government is consulting on different strategies to address this, one of which is the idea of having set fees to lodge a claim, with the idea being only genuine claims would be put forward. Clearly there are lots of considerations that would need to be addressed to ensure the system still supports employees in making genuine claims. But it's a good starting point to get discussions going about addressing the current system, which is unfair to small business owners, who can find themselves facing time out of work and associated costs in dealing with malicious claims. We'll watch with interest what happens through the consultation stage and will keep you informed. Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/proposed-employment-tribunal-changes http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/no-pay-rises-dont-make-it-top-secret I am sure that most employees will totally understand the restrictions their organisation has when it comes to pay rises. As employers, being open and honest about the trading position of the company, so that employees know fully the reasons why a pay rise cannot be provided helps to keep people in the loop. It might not be the greatest information to receive for an employee, however at least everyone is clear. It is far better than finding out on the grapevine that nothing is occurring. Think about how you might communicate with staff in this situation to ensure your team stays on board. Take a look at this article on Personnel Today which highlights the importance of open and honest communication and other ways you can motivate staff when a pay rise isn't on the table. If you need any support with employee issues then do let us know. Paul Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/no-pay-rises-dont-make-it-top-secret http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/welcome-to-our-new-website We listened, we took notice and now we have delivered! We have chosen the start of 2012 to launch our new website, and very proud of it we are too. Yes there are the 'normal' pages on here, which are aimed at potential new clients, to showcase our services and what we can do for our clients. There's also information about our service packages, which might be a new approach for some of our existing clients. However, the most important audience when building this new website was our existing clients. We want you to visit the site often and use this as a support tool to help you in your day to day business activities. This news section of the site will itself build into a useful library of information, keeping you up to date with the latest issues that might impact on you and your business. We listened to you at our Client Advisory Boards and the main theme was always that you, as small business owners, felt isolated and often alone in your business decision making. With this in mind the launch of the new website also sees the introduction of our Business Class service. Business Class offers our clients a range of events, resources, news, online features and information. You'll see we are introducing key events such as our Business Lounge Supper Solver and the P&A Golf Society, along with a variety of seminars over the coming months. These events are all aimed at giving you the opportunity of meeting with other like minded individuals, listening to other business people and hopefully having the opportunity to do business together. Further information on these can be found in the events section. We are very excited about these developments and continuing to add value to your business. For many of you initially we may have been purely your accountant, we can now add so much more to your business and business growth with the services we provide. We will continue to increase these services in line with your needs. When writing these words I am always drawn back to our mission statement 'To help small business owners create the future they aspire to'. Everything we are doing internally is driving us to achieve this for you. We hope you like the new website, as ever your feedback will be openly received. Tell us what you like or what you'd still like to see. We also look forward to your participation in the above services. Paul Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/welcome-to-our-new-website http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/pensions-changes-will-affect-every-employer Phased in from 1st October 2012, all employers will have to provide employer-contributed pension schemes for their employees. Most existing company schemes, even those with employer contributions, will need to be amended or replaced to meet the new requirements. The existing stakeholder schemes currently offered by most employers are unlikely to be qualifying pension schemes for the purposes of the new law. Why look at it now? Whatever you do, the new legislation will eventually carry a cost for employers but, by preparing for it now, employers can take advantage of the current, but soon to change, financial services regime and: Not only avoid the substantial cost of setting up a qualifying scheme, but may obtain an immediate cash injection into their business from doing so Mitigate the impact of employer contributions Prepare tax-efficient remuneration structures for the benefit of employer and employee alike What is needed from you?
The input required from you is minimal. P&A Financial Services will review all aspects of the service and review any existing pension schemes for compliance, all at no cost to you. All you need to do is agree to have a no-obligation, no-cost meeting with us to review your existing pension arrangements. Urgency We know that everyone says that everything in life is urgent but in this case it is true. We are only able to offer the terms we do, because of the financial services market as it stands now. We know that opportunity will have closed next year; we do not know how much sooner than that it may close. Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/pensions-changes-will-affect-every-employer http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/extended-parental-leave-by-2012- The revised Directive on Parental Leave extends parental leave from three to four months for each parent. Currently under the Maternity and Parental Leave Regulations 1999 parents in the UK can take 13 weeks leave. At least one month must be non-transferable to the other parent (i.e. it is lost if not taken) to encourage fathers to take the leave. Other new elements include the clarification that all workers are covered, regardless of the type of their contract (e.g. fixed-term, part-time and temporary agency workers). The new directive also provides for better protection against discrimination and ensures a smoother return to work. A worker applying for or taking parental leave must not be treated less favourably for doing so. When returning from parental leave, workers may request changes to their working hours for a limited period. Employers must consider and respond to such requests, taking into account both employers' and workers' needs. Any Penalties are to be decided by Member States. Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/extended-parental-leave-by-2012- http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/social-media-and-dismissals-a-sign-of-the-times An employment tribunal has held that a pub manager was fairly dismissed on the basis of gross misconduct after she made inappropriate comments on a social networking site about two of her customers, who had verbally abused and threatened her. Her employer was entitled to take the view that the conversation and posts to the website, which took place while she was at work, did not reflect her upset or anger at the customers, but represented a joke between her and her friends. It did not have to be taken into account that she thought that only close friends could see her entries because of the privacy settings applied to her account. In fact, and as is often the case, a wider audience was able to view her postings, including relatives of the customers in question. The manager was subjected to a formal disciplinary procedure and found to be in breach of the e-mail and internet policy applicable to her employment. This policy made specific reference to employees' use of social media while at work. The case highlights the importance of having a clear internet policy in force and shows that employees can be held accountable for the comments they publish in the public domain. It also shows that the policy, if done correctly through a formal disciplinary procedure, will be upheld by a tribunal should the employee plead unfair dismissal. Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/social-media-and-dismissals-a-sign-of-the-times http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/extra-bank-holiday-june-2012- To mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, the late May bank holiday will be moved to Monday 4 June and an extra bank holiday added on Tuesday 5 June to form a long weekend of celebration. Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/extra-bank-holiday-june-2012- http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/life-can-be-a-lottery We can never be sure what's waiting for us round the next corner. It could be great - a new job, a new baby or even a win on the lottery. But sometimes, without warning, life throws the unthinkable at us. 
Many of us will know of someone who has died young or even heard of someone's battle to survive a serious illness. Anyone who's seen a family trying to deal with these things will know that the financial and emotional impact can be devastating. We think it will never happen to us, but sometimes it does. And while protection insurance can't stop the unthinkable from happening, it can make dealing with the consequences a lot easier. We want to ensure that our clients have been given the help to cover these issues. Take a look at our fact sheet. We'll help you identify your individual protection needs and make sure you get the right cover at the right price. If you'd like any more information just call Craig Reaney on 01756 793300. Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/life-can-be-a-lottery http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/minimum-wage-increases-in-place-from-1-october-2011 The Government has accepted the recommendations of the Low Pay Commission and has announced that the following increases in the national minimum wage will apply from 1 October 2011: The standard (adult) rate (workers aged 21 and over) will rise to £6.08 per hour (from £5.93) The development rate (workers aged between 18 and 20) will rise to £4.98 per hour (from £4.92) The young workers rate (workers aged under 18 but above the compulsory school age who are not apprentices) will rise to £3.68 per hour (from £3.64) The rate for certain apprentices (those under 19 years of age or those aged 19 and over but in the first year of their apprenticeship) will rise to £2.60 per hour (from £2.50) All other apprentices will continue to receive the national minimum wage at the appropriate age rate Employers must comply with the changes or risk being pursued in an employment tribunal. If you have any issues relating to levels of pay, unlawful deductions from wages claims, or wish to discuss an employment law issue, please do not hesitate to contact us. Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.pearsonandassociates.co.uk/blog/minimum-wage-increases-in-place-from-1-october-2011