August 2021 – Favourite places to visit

 

August 2021’s virtual breakfasters were asked to name their favourite places for a UK staycation and they ranged from Scotland to Cornwall, taking in North Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Suffolk along the way.

The 10-minute presentation was from Jo Moss, of Moss HR.

 

Tips for businesses no matter how small

Jo started her own company in 2019 after spending several years employed by large companies, firstly in finance and then in HR.

She described some shocking cases of employee behaviour that she had come across during those years. This included the employee who was eventually fired for circulating a video to colleagues of a woman “doing something with an aubergine”. There was also the employee who took time off work with cancer (which was a lie) and the employee who stole products from their company claiming they were for sale later.

Now that she is running her own company and is at the point of taking on her first employee, she is addressing the employment issues that face all small businesses when they first become employers and is creating a simple toolkit for them.

Her tips for employers include:

1. Think through what you actually want your employee to do and what you can afford, remembering that you will also need employee liability insurance and to register with HMRC.
2. Don’t skimp on recruiting.
3. Ensure you have the right paperwork including any company policies you need to give to an employee.
4. Always follow your own policy and processes. If not, you could lose a case if you should ever find yourself at an employment tribunal.
5. Take reliable professional advice from someone you can trust.
6. Always be a reasonable employer if you want to retain productive staff.
7. Know the difference between an employee (to whom you pay wages) and a worker (a contractor who has some employment rights such as holidays and NI contributions but can decide on the hours for which they will be available).

 

For the future

We’re hoping both meetings will be in person in September so we’re looking forward to seeing everyone face to face again. We are also offering the option of the breakfast being a hybrid version with some members joining via Zoom for those who are still wary of face-to-face meetings.

There will be more about this on the website and in our newsletters.

Chairman Colin Tapscott is always happy to receive any suggestions for what members want to see the Chamber doing in the future. Please send your ideas (and your wish lists) to [email protected].

 

Dates for your diary:

September Coffee	September Breakfast
Needham Market Community Centre	The Mix, Stowmarket and Online via Zoom
Friday, September 3	Friday, September 17
10.00am	7.00am

For more information contact Keely Taylor

phone: 01449 770965 e-mail: [email protected].

Anyone who has a story to publicise should contact publicity officer Alison Withers: [email protected]