A taxing start to the New Year

Small businesses which fail to keep proper financial records could incur the wrath of HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) in the New Year, it has been revealed. HMRC is planning a clampdown on inaccurate bookkeeping and tax underpayment in 2011 through a Business Records Checks campaign, it has been reported.

According to the agency, 40 per cent of small businesses suffer from poor bookkeeping and these are the enterprises most likely to be targeted by investigators. Existing legislative powers will be used to check out 50,000 small businesses, with fines of up to £3,000 likely for those with the most disorganised financial records.

One Accountant has warned that many small business owners find it a "nightmare" trying to keep up with accounts administration. A spokesman said: "One of the difficulties facing entrepreneurs and small businesses is that they may have to keep records for income tax, VAT, capital gains tax, PAYE and so on. Separate penalties apply for each set of taxes so a small business can fall foul of the rules in several areas. Tax inspectors have little understanding of what life is like in the business world, and therefore expect entrepreneurs to keep records in textbook order.

Companies House recently urged businesses with a tax year end date of March 31st to file their business accounts before the December 31st deadline.

APA supports the need for better bookkeeping but will be writing to the Business Secretary asking him to start with a process of better education for business managers (reminding HMRC that few small business can afford the luxury of an in-house finance manager), followed by simplified processes and greater assistance. Gareth Osborne said: “Raping and pillaging small business is massively counterproductive at a time when the economy is dependant on them to employ more staff; especially redundant public sector staff - with financial know-how. We will be lobbying hard for Government to find ways to improve the reporting and payment mechanisms before they start fining every business in sight.”

APA

The jury's still out

I’m not sure how I feel about the Rt. Hon. Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business, appearing on Strictly Come Christmas Dancing last night. I worry when the serious job of Member of Parliament (let alone Cabinet Minister) is confused with celebrity. I’m not sure I will see beyond the dancer when I next meet him to discuss issues of serious concern to our Members.

Still, I have to say it was better than the Dragons' move towards celebrity and especially Peter Jones’s attempt at acting the fool in his shopping trolley adverts. In his case I now see him as a definite contender for Strictly Orchestral, where he can play the buffoon.

I have always said that meeting Government Ministers is like a sparring session in boxing; you try and get a punch in against some pretty fair defending, you work hard to score some points but generally leave feeling like you have gone twelve rounds against a strong opponent. I will have to brush up on my footwork before my next visit to the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

I would be interested to hear what Members think. The question is: Are we human? Or are we dancer? Check out: http://youtube.com/watch?v=RIZdjT1472Y

Gareth, APA

Watch out for hackers over the holiday period

Companies and home PC users need to be on their guard over the holiday period, amid hacker attempts to compromise their systems. One senior security analyst has claimed that Christmas is a particularly busy time for virus and malware campaigns.

IT security firm Sophos recently outlined the history of Christmas malware and viruses in a blog post, ranging from relatively harmless festive pranks to those you definitely wouldn't want to wake up to on New Year’s Day. The company said hugely destructive campaigns have gradually grown to replace the worms of yesteryear, as malware technology has become more sophisticated. "Criminals absolutely do, every year without fail, conduct campaigns designed to take advantage of people's willingness to search for and click on links relating to the holiday period."

Whether it's going to be through phishing campaigns or sending social engineering emails masquerading as New Year cards, internet users are at risk during this period, they claimed.

They went on to say that apps on social networking sites had "come of age as an attack platform" and are "being extensively abused" due to the ease with which they can be created and uploaded to Facebook. It was noted that it is very easy for third-party developers to create applications and upload them using this website, as the code isn't checked by Facebook before the applications go live.

APA

Lack of energy

UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) feel they are being let down badly by the major utilities companies, a new study has revealed.

In a finding which may alarm the so-called Big Six, 33% of SMEs questioned by the Forum of Private Business (FPB) described the level of service they are receiving as 'poor' or 'very poor'. Many cite contractual issues – including the practice of rolling businesses over on to often more expensive contracts with little warning – as being a major gripe.

Just 11% of SME owners believe utilities contracts are easy to understand, while 35% think it is difficult to switch suppliers and 40% feel that contractual terms and conditions are poor. Some 69% believe it is difficult to keep track of contract anniversaries and switching windows, with 31% relying on renewal letters to keep them informed. Meanwhile, 47% of respondents believe they are paying too much for gas, electricity and water.

Ofgem does not have the necessary powers to protect all SMEs and unless proper levels of service and transparency are established which allow businesses to make informed choices, they will continue to suffer at the hands of utilities providers. There is however one glimmer of hope, under Ofgem's new utilities licensing condition 7A, many micro businesses – those with fewer than ten staff members – can have their contract rolled over for just a single year.

APA

PA Power rules The Apprentice

It is official, the former PA, Stella English, has been hired by Lord Sugar as his latest ‘Apprentice’; proving beyond all doubt that there is no limit to the versatility of someone with professional PA skills.

Mother of two Stella (31) will work as a product manager for the tycoon's computer manufacturing film Viglen after impressing Lord S with her determination and dedication.

She is reported to have had an extraordinary and colourful early life in Thamesmead before calming down and rising through the ranks. Stella now lives in St Albans, Hertfordshire with her fiancée.

Stella said: “I think I've been very consistent in everything that I've done. But I think my mistake is that I haven't spoken up for myself. I'm somebody that has to come up with new ideas and I'm constantly driving things. I'm not somebody who needs to be given instruction. I've got the best record in the process for a reason. I've taken a big risk here. I've got a family to support and I've walked away from a job that I do like. Anything I want I will get, I won't let go. That's a passion that enables you to do things that you never thought were possible.'

So Stella offers consistency, creativity, ambition, determination, an ability to calculate and take risks and passion. These are all traits that APA feels makes any great PA stand out from the crowd. Perhaps we can all learn a little from Stella and hope she does well for Lord Sugar and goes onto great things.

APA

A launch pad for entrepreneurs

The higher education system is "one of the most vital aspects" of the government's ambition for an "entrepreneurial" economy, it has been claimed. According to the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE), the UK's "engine of economic competitiveness" is whatever our universities are able to produce.

The organisation said that as a knowledge-based economy, it is vital to produce graduates who are able to contribute substantially to the economy and society as a whole. The Chairman of the NCGE said the types of entrepreneurs that emerge in a technology-savvy world with global competition will come from higher education. Mr Robertson said that an enterprising attitude is needed right across the university system if the right environment in which to nurture the new breed of businesspeople is to be achieved. He added that the benefits of entrepreneurial attitudes extend further than the private sector.

A Deloitte survey published this week showed that 90 per cent of the UK's entrepreneurial businesses expected to grow their revenues in the next year.

Gareth Osborne of APA said: Entrepreneurship in universities can be only be fuelled if you have entrepreneurial lecturers and sadly that tends to be something of an oxymoron. The UK hasn’t yet mastered the art of professional mentoring and would-be-entrepreneurs need proven entrepreneurs (and not necessarily business leaders) to inspire them.”

We have the perfect demonstration of university-educated versus street smart entrepreneur on the Apprentice tonight; let see who wins! Other than Lord Sugar that is.

Gareth, APA

Self-promotion needed

Women who want to climb the professional ladder need to get comfortable with endorsing their own skills, it has been claimed.

Suzanne Doyle-Morris, author of Beyond the Boys Club, claimed that women in business continue to be discriminated against. She feels strongly that women remain under-represented on every board across every sector. "People often assume that it is male-dominated fields that have this problem," Ms Doyle-Morris said. "An industry could be well represented with women but the more senior you get, certainly to a board level, you get fewer and fewer women," she added.

She advised women to "get comfortable" with self-promotion; something that is especially necessary when starting their own business, and feels that female professionals should take the opportunity to network with senior staff and board members where possible - even during their lunch break.

Earlier this week, the Confederation of British Industry called for more women to be offered executive roles within UK companies.

APA members should see the Knowledge Zone for tips on self-promotion.

APA

London's stirring

London-based business owners are increasingly confident about their future prospects as the economic recovery continues, it has been reported. The latest Confederation of British Industry/ KPMG London Business Survey found that 54 per cent of companies are optimistic about the coming six months, while just 12 per cent are pessimistic.

As such, 68 per cent are looking to expand over the next six months, compared to 58 per cent when questioned earlier this year. Some 84 per cent of respondents said they were benefitting from trading in the capital, the highest figure recorded by the survey since September 2008. The wide skills base and talent pool are viewed as being London's most attractive business strengths, cited by 69 per cent of companies. Access to markets was found to be the second most attractive strength, named by 67 per cent of respondents, up from 45 per cent six months ago.

KPMG said it was "encouraging" that after two difficult years for businesses in the capital, optimism levels are starting to return. Businesses are getting back on track with expansion plans now on the agenda. London has an amazingly robust business community who will be instrumental in getting the UK economy moving and putting us back at the top of the global competitiveness table.

Gareth Osborne of APA said: “It is obvious from the London focus of this report that the rest of the country does not yet feel as confident. If the Bank of England holds firm I am reasonably optimistic that business expansion will return in 2011. I am not as confident that the fortunes of the workforce or the unemployed will improve for some time to come.”

Gareth, APA

Defend against the double-dip

The Bank of England should overlook current inflation figures and keep interest rates low for as long as possible, APA has said today.

APA backs the British Chambers of Commerce claim that the threat of a major setback to economic growth is currently much greater than the danger of a surge in inflation. This was after the Office for National Statistics reported that Consumer Prices Index inflation rose by 0.1 percentage points to 3.3 per cent during November 2010.

Gareth Osborne of APA said: "The marginally higher than expected inflation figures were disappointing, but are still broadly in line with the Bank of England's own forecast and given the dangers facing the economy, we would urge the MPC to persevere with current expansionary policies and maintain low interest rates for as long as possible. We must do everything we can to avoid a relapse."

APA believes the New Year already looks gloomy with VAT increases looming and likely hikes in the price of petrol. Members are asked to feed back unreasonable or exploitative price increases allegedly linked to these and other economic pressures. APA is currently considering its own response and is hoping to find ways to prevent increases being passed n to Members.

Gareth, APA

Year-end working

APA Directors and Staff would like to thank Bloggers and Blog-readers for their involvement, interest and enthusiasm in 2010 and hope you will continue to bookmark this site in the coming year.

For reference, the APA offices will close at 4pm on 22nd December and reopen at 9am on 4th January 2011. During the intervening period emails will be monitored on a daily basis; this will be the best way to make contact.

Seasons greetings from all at APA.

Gareth, APA

Record Year for APA Qualifications

Recent participants have helped make the APA Diploma in Company Direction (DipPA) the most widely acclaimed and attended PA qualification programme in the UK . The Diploma has become the programme of choice for major businesses looking to develop a career pathway for their PAs and for small businesses looking to add valuable skills to their Executive Team. Having recently been accepted as one of the eligibility credentials for the PA Degree (BA in Business Administration for Personal Assistants: Middlesex University and APA), the Diploma promises to be even more popular in 2011.

APA is taking bookings for all of its programmes in 2011, from PA Apprentice, for newcomers, through PA Professional, for the more experienced and returning PA, to PA as a Manager and the Diploma. A full list with details of costs, dates and locations is available on the APA website at www.paprofessional.com and then select ‘APA Training’ on the navigation bar.

Pictured (L-R) are: Michelle Luggar, Siobhan Hall, Laura Richardson, Joanna Oldham and Julie North.

APA

Businesses face heightened fraud threats over Christmas

The increase in the number of transactions taking place at this time of year may make it easier for fraudsters to hide illegitimate activities, it has been suggested.

Research from CIFAS (the UK's Fraud Prevention Service) revealed there has been an increase in the number of impersonations in the UK. It advised people to be especially vigilant over the festive period. “It is about being certain about the merchants you are buying things from and being careful and prudent as to what information you are putting out there, whether that is in your Facebook profile or anywhere else.”

According to figures from the National Fraud Authority, identity fraud costs more than £2.7 billion and affects over 1.8 million people every year in the UK. At least £1.9 billion of this is the amount gained by the fraudster. That means that on average, fraudsters gain over £1,000 from every stolen identity; making identity theft a very lucrative industry.

APA

Maternity leave extension could hamper career development for women

Extending fully paid maternity leave to 20 weeks could lead to discrimination against women deemed most likely to become pregnant, it has been claimed.

The EU's proposed Pregnant Workers Directive has fuelled a storm of debate with objectors suggesting it could land small companies with unaffordable bills that they would look to find a way around. Estimates are that extending maternity leave on full pay to 20 weeks would cost the economy over £2 billion and would hit small firms particularly hard. Small business groups feel that many just couldn't afford to pay it, so might be tempted to avoid employing women they think may become pregnant.

UK government is campaigning against the EU proposal, which would enable new mothers to take five months off work on full pay. The German government is also strongly opposed to the extension, while countries backing the move include Portugal - a country that may well need an emergency loan from the European Central Bank.

Edward Davey, minister for employment relations, is visiting Brussels this week to lobby against the Pregnant Workers Directive on behalf of the UK government.

APA would be keen to know what Members think.

APA

APA calls for higher VAT threshold for small businesses

As many as 35,000 additional jobs could be created if the threshold at which small companies start to pay VAT is increased, it has been claimed.

According to a Federation of Small Businesses-commissioned report from the Centre for Economics and Business Research, increasing the VAT threshold to £90,000, from the current rate of £70,000, could save up to £162 million per year.

Savings could be made through the reduction in red tape surrounding VAT compliance, as well as £700 million directly through a higher VAT tariff, the paper stated. This money could then be used to create up to 35,000 jobs on an average wage, the FSB claimed.

Gareth Osborne of APA said: "If the government is truly committed to a private sector-led recovery, then it must implement a Small Business Programme for Growth to allow small firms to grow and invest – and this would be a great start. The potential loss to government in VAT receipts by increasing the threshold to £90,000 would be more than outweighed by the VAT rise due to come into force in January."

APA fully supports FSB in its call to Ministers to adopt this recommendation

The value-added tax rate is scheduled to rise from 17.5 per cent to 20 per cent on January 4th 2010.

APA

Christmas - crackers!

Employees should not behave any differently at the office Christmas party than they would in the workplace, according to the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS).

A spokesperson for the organisation has warned that behaviour is subject to the same rules regarding discrimination and harassment as it would be during an ordinary day at work. He said that it can be helpful for bosses to remind their staff of this fact before the party, to avoid any misunderstandings further along the line.

"Employers should have a quiet word with their staff before the party to alert them to the legal situation," the spokesperson said. At a party, things may get said that wouldn't normally. The party is not the place to raise a complaint, no matter how right it may seem at the time."

Meanwhile, he also reminded employers to remember that not every member of their workforce will necessarily celebrate Christmas or enjoy Christmas. ACAS said it is important to make sure that they are not left "holding the fort" while everyone else is out enjoying themselves. "It makes a lot of sense for colleagues to keep an eye out for each other. And finally remember to have fun," the spokesperson noted.

APA

Companies looking to recruit in 2011

Almost one-third of UK businesses intend to hire more staff over the next year, according to a new report from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). It found that 28 per cent of companies expect to bolster their headcounts in 2011, compared to the 15 per cent who predicted expansion for 2010 questioned last year.

Businesses across the UK and Europe are now looking to hire again following the recession, the company claimed – pointing to a rise in the number of entrepreneurs growing new businesses. While 43 per cent of employers claimed they would be making cuts last year, this figure has now dropped to 16 per cent.

Michael Rendell, head of HR services at PwC, said: "The expected headcount increases are encouraging news for the job market and suggest the private sector will be able to accommodate those public sector workers who are made redundant We expect demand to be particularly high among services, technology and manufacturing industries."

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation and KPMG's monthly Report on Jobs has pointed to increased hiring activity throughout 2010, in both the permanent and temporary labour markets.

However, the rate of growth has slowed in recent months, with employers cautious about the effects of the government spending cuts.

APA

Breakfast with Laura

Around 60 PAs braved the bad weather and early start to hear Laura Richardson talk about her time as a PA and her route to becoming the Hays and The Times ‘PA of the Year’ at the New Connaught Rooms in London today.

Gareth Osborne said: “Laura is a confident and passionate speaker and many of her anecdotes ring loud bells with the PAs present. Her solutions to common office problems between a PA and his/her Boss are humorously presented yet insightful and visionary. She is unquestionably an outstanding ambassador for the PA profession and a lovely person; what more can you hope for in a ‘PA of the Year’.”

This event marks the end of the autumn round of Hays and APA Roadshows but there are more scheduled for early 2011; watch this space and the APA website for future dates.

Also speaking were Geoff Sims, MD of Hays PA & Secretarial, and Gareth Osborne.

APA

Is the gloom subsiding?

Job satisfaction has shown a surprise increase across UK workplaces during the autumn despite an overall gloomy outlook, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development's (CIPD) quarterly Employee Outlook survey.

The survey of over 2,000 employees represents a bleak picture of employee attitudes throughout the UK, following the £81bn of cuts to public spending announced by Government. In the public sector, one in four (25%) workers believe it is likely they will lose their jobs and 63% say stress has increased as a result of the economic downturn, compared to 54% last quarter. Respondents across all sectors are also three times more likely to report their standard of living over the last six months has fallen (29%) than to say it has increased (9%).

Nearly a fifth (19%) of workers report their organisation is planning redundancies, however among public sector staff the figure is 50% - a 10% increase from the previous quarter. By comparison, only 10% of private sector staff and 17% of voluntary sector workers say their employer is planning to make redundancies. On top of this, 39% of employees say they are under excessive pressure at work either every day or once or twice a week, rising to 44% in the public sector.

Public sector workers are also most likely to report an increase in stress, conflict at work, bullying by line managers and an increase in people taking time off sick, as a result of the state of the economy. All these measures have increased when compared to the previous quarter.

Gareth Osborne of APA said: “This report offers little hope for short term confidence in the workplace; we have a long way to go before normal service will be resumed. In a poor economic climate workers tend to dig-in and settle for what they have rather than allow themselves to become dissatisfied. In these difficult times if you have a job, work hard and hang onto it. If redundancy is inevitable, then they should do some serious research into who is hiring and make their skills fit the employer’s needs – Members can go to the APA Careers Zone for help.”

APA

PA Diploma at the leading edge of science

Kate Richardson, PA to the Vice President, Biopharmaceutical Development at MedImmune has become only the third holder of a ‘Pass with Distinction’ for the highly prestigious APA Diploma in Personal Assistance (DipPA). And the second with the surname ‘Richardson’.

Kate said: “I am really pleased to have had the opportunity to take part in this Diploma programme and am, of course, thrilled to be the second Richardson to pass with such a great result!!”

“I would highly recommend the course to anyone who is keen to develop their career as a PA. Although the course was challenging at times, I came away full of enthusiasm and with lots of new ideas, which I am looking forward to putting into practice over the coming months. It was also a fantastic opportunity to mix with other PA’s from across the country (in our case, across Europe) and be able to share ideas and experiences.”

APA DG, Gareth Osborne said: “Kate is unquestionably a fine PA and plays a major role in the performance and success of her Boss and their division within a major international and highly visionary biologics business. Like all Diploma holders, she is a role model for great PAs everywhere.”

Shown left are: Kate Richardson FAPA DipPA and Dr. Paul Varley.

APA

PA roadshows fly

The latest round of Hays and APA Roadshows has been hailed as a great success by Geoff Sims, Managing Director of Hays PA & Secretarial and Gareth Osborne of APA.

At the three venues visited so far; Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, PAs have braved the early morning traffic to invest time in the development of their careers and to learn what’s going on in their professional marketplace.

The highlight of each event has been a very impressive presentation by Laura Richardson, the UK ‘PA of the Year 2010’ who has talked about her career so far, her take on the role of a great PA and the benefits of entering PA Awards.

Future events are scheduled for early 2011 in locations around the UK.

APA

Improved access to credit needed for full economic revival

Before implementing another round of quantitative easing there are other measures that the Bank of England and the British government could consider, it has been claimed. According to the British Interactive Media Association ministers should be doing all they can to encourage greater lending to the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector.

BIMA commented that quantitative easing is simply a short-term fix which ultimately dilutes the value of sterling, and genuine economic growth is the best way forwards. "The government needs to look at new ways that will promote international trade and international investment in the UK," it stated. It was commenting after the latest BDO Optimism Index, which shows how UK companies expect to trade in two quarters' time, revealed that businesses may be beginning to feel more optimistic about the UK's economic outlook.

"Businesses are undoubtedly starting to regain some confidence in the economy," said Gareth Osborne of APA. "British businesses, especially smaller ones, are tenacious and rather than battening down the hatches, they have been bullish and looked for new ways of working to succeed. It appears to be working. They now need new, creative funding regimes to deliver growth and employment."

APA

Mentors Rule

Vince Cable has announced the formation of a new 40,000-strong network of business mentors, designed to help UK entrepreneurs develop their companies. The business secretary is urging existing businesspeople to sign up to offer assistance to new start-ups and growing companies, plus those seeking financial support.

From summer 2011, there will be a single online gateway to mentoring provision for those offering support and those seeking mentoring. Mr Cable commented that the best people to advise new entrepreneurs and existing businesses are those who have already started and run successful companies.

"Mentoring is a very effective way of promoting start-ups, higher productivity and growth amongst established businesses, so I am delighted to announce this new network," he said.

Business and enterprise Minister Mark Prisk added that in the current economic climate, it has never been more important to promote an enterprise culture in the UK. "Mentors play a crucial role in advising, supporting and encouraging entrepreneurs and small businesses. This new mentoring network will be invaluable for businesses all over the country," he stated.

Six of the UK's leading banks recently joined forces to form a £1.5 billion business support fund, geared toward supporting small company growth.

Gareth Osborne, Director General of APA, has praised the new scheme but warns: “In the past business ‘gurus’ enlisted to support entrepreneurs have been rendered ineffective when surrounded by too much bureaucratic process and BIS will have to work hard if I is to make this initiative effective. I do however support the brave step and hope the right people ge involved.”

APA has its own mentoring scheme for PAs. Details can be fund with the Members’ Area of the APA website.

APA

Roadshow success in Birmingham

The Hays / APA round of Autumn Roadshows got off to a great start in Birmingham last week. Here is what a few of the attendees said:

Many thanks for getting me a slot on the road show – whilst it was a very early start it was well worth it! Karen Audis, PA, DEFRA

PAs deserve huge recognition for the work they do and the responsibilities they take on board and such phrases as “just a PA” don’t exist. The APA/Hays event was truly inspiring and speakers clearly demonstrated that PAs add real value to the business and can be the company’s best asset. Judith Fine, PA, Finesse

I am really grateful that you invited me to the course as it opened my eyes as to what was out there. I never knew that there was an Association for PA's or anything about the awards etc. It was a really helpful and informative seminar. Nicola Clason, PA, Blakemores

Both Gareth and Geoff were informative and delivered in a fun upbeat way. We were well informed on what’s to offer to help further our careers as PA’s. Laura was an inspiration and we picked up lots of useful tips from her speech. We left feeling enthused and fully motivated and intend to look more into what the APA has to offer. Rachael Towers, PA, EC Harris

I found it a worthwhile experience to listen to enthusiastic ambassadors of the PA profession, and to have a refreshing take on the broad and multi-faceted spectrum that the role of today's Assistant can encompass. Dominique Bennett, PA, Lafarge Cement UK

Just a quick note to say a big Thank You for inviting me to attend today's networking event. It was a great opportunity to not only be inspired by the interesting talks given by the speakers, but also to make some good contacts and have a catch-up with the team from Hays. I would recommend everyone who has an opportunity in the future to attend this; you won't regret it! Ulrika Froberg, PA

The Roadshows continue in Manchester 16th November @ 8am, Leeds 17th Nov @ 8am and London 30th Nov @ 8am. Call Shelley at APA for more details.

APA

Saving for the future

Automatic enrolment into a pension scheme, due to come into force in 2012, will cost small businesses thousands of pounds per year, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has warned.

From 2017, all companies and their staff will have to be fully enrolled into a pension scheme and business owners will have to pay a minimum of three per cent of an employee's salary into a pension. Consequently, the average small firm – those with four employees earning an average salary of £25,000 – will pay at least an extra £2,550 per year in administration and pension costs.

APA has called for micro-businesses to be made exempt from the automatic enrolment scheme, as it will cost them time and money they simply cannot afford. And while measures have been put in place to make the administrative burden easier for small businesses – such as introducing a three-month buffer period - APA is concerned that they do not go far enough.

Gareth Osborne commented: "It is vital that everyone is able to save for their future but the automatic enrolment scheme is going to cost smaller businesses dearly. The true administrative costs are as yet unknown and could be high. We will be watching this closely as the scheme develops."

APA

A little kindness goes a long way

Did you know that today is World Kindness Day; a concept started in Japan and now embraced by countries all over the world. And it marks the start of World Kindness Week – so watch out in the coming 7 days for people doing something special.

The Organisers say the purpose of World Kindness Day is to look beyond ourselves, beyond the boundaries of our country, beyond our culture, our race, our religion; and realise we are citizens of the world. As world citizens we have a commonality, and must realise that if progress is to be made in human relations and endeavours, if we are to achieve the goal of peaceful coexistence, we must focus on what we have in common. When we find likenesses we begin to experience empathy, and in such a state we can fully relate to that person or those people. While we may think of people from other cultures as being ‘different’ when we compare them with our own customs and beliefs, it doesn’t mean that we are any better than they are. When we become friends with someone from a different culture we discover that despite some obvious differences, there are many similarities.

So let’s all be a little more tolerant and try and make an extra difference in the lives of those around us.

APA

New business boom

The total number of companies registered in the UK increased again during the course of October 2010, latest figures from Companies House have revealed.

Records show a total of 2,647,500 businesses registered in the UK in the week ending October 31st, compared 2,643,377 four weeks earlier. The increase, 3,123 new businesses, continues the trend witnessed in recent months, with the overall number of incorporations rising steadily since the exit from recession. However, a fall was witnessed in the number of publically listed companies – from 9,612 to 9,563.

In England and Wales, the number of registered companies rose from 2,459,019 to 2,463,415. In Scotland, the number fell from 147,776 to 147,524, with 371 public firms in existence and in Northern Ireland also saw a drop, from 36,582 to 36,561, with the number of plcs holding steady at 37.

Last month the Institute for Employment Studies, suggested that the public spending cuts could persuade many individuals to enter self-employment.

On the overall numbers, Gareth Osborne of APA said: “These figures represent businesses registered with Companies House and does not include all those sole traders and business partnerships that trade (are businesses) but do not seek the protection of being a limited company. The total number of UK trading entities is around 3.8 million.”

“Like the IES, APA believes that many workers made redundant from the Public Sector will move into self-employment. From recent forecasts many of these are thought to be support staff, which includes PAs and, as a result, we are likely to see the rise of Virtual PAs in the marketplace and other similar services.”

APA

Head in a cloud

Business owners need to assess the impact hosted services have on their IT infrastructure in terms of total cost of ownership, it has been suggested. Dr Jonathan Reichental, an IT expert, called on companies to determine the cost of existing IT solutions, and how this will be affected by embracing cloud computing.

Whether an IT service should remain internal or be hosted in the cloud requires a level of cost accounting which is seldom applied to the cost of running a technology service. Factors such as the true costs of labour, utilities, backups and disaster recovery should be taken into consideration and this puzzle requires the chief information officer to understand and allocate the appropriate costs for each service being considered for the cloud," he added. He also reminded businesses to include opportunity costs in any calculations they make.

It was also suggested that potential business IT users can learn from the experiences of their counterparts when moving to a managed hosting model. “This is an opportunity for PAs to share best practice with APA for onward transmission to their peers,” aid Gareth Osborne.

APA

The Net gets wider

Small businesses around the UK will soon be able to benefit from access to faster broadband speeds. The UK's two main broadband network operators, BT and Virgin Media, are close to launching their respective fibre-optic networks, which will enable businesses to take advantage of a wide variety of online services. BT's national internet infrastructure currently provides web services to around 15 million UK premises, compared to the four million served by Virgin Media.

Faster download and upload speeds will be the major benefits of network upgrade work, which has been ongoing throughout 2010.

BT has announced that a number of London communities will be among the first to benefit from its new 40Mbps broadband service. It said that up to 90,000 business premises and households in Parsons Green, Merton Park, Mile End, Skyport and New Cross will be upgraded over the next few weeks.

BT's London regional director, said businesses switching to super-fast broadband "will soon be experiencing the internet as they have never experienced it before. The advent of BT fibre-based broadband in these parts of the capital will support local jobs and the local economy and is a vital part of BT's broadband plans for London."

BT's announcement comes days after rival Virgin Media announced the launch of its 100Mbps fibre service, which will commence in December. The firm will offer download and upload speeds in excess of those offered by any other UK broadband provider, including BT, however they will only be accessible in Virgin-connected streets.

Gareth, APA

Let's just sleep on it

Sleeping on a problem may really be the best way to solve it, researchers have discovered.
In a research study the students who did the best were the ones who had been distracted and were therefore unable to 'consciously think' Distracting yourself for a few minutes with something else or, even better putting off the issue until the next day, helps the brain come up with the ideal solution, the study found.

According to experiments, people who consciously struggle with a difficult question are more likely to get the wrong answer, compared to those who put it on the mental backburner. Putting it off" could also work for someone in a dilemma about a major financial commitment, such as buying a house.

Unconscious thought produces better decisions than when people decide immediately. The benefit of a period of rest is clear. "It allows us to differentiate between the vital and the irrelevant aspects.

When your grandparents advised you to sleep on a decision first, they may have intuitively sensed the benefits of letting it rest to get a clear grasp of one's priorities. The current research shows that our grandparents were right.

The study will be published in a forthcoming edition of the Journal of Consumer Psychology.

Shelley, APA

The height of Diplomacy

Another outstanding PA joined the ranks of the Diploma elite yesterday when Tina Skilton, PA to the Controller of the RAF Benevolent Fund, received her certificate from Laura Richardson, 'PA of the Year' and herself a Diploma holder.

Of the programme, Tina said: “The Diploma was unquestionably challenging and APA do well to pack so much knowledge exchange into just 3 training days and 3 work-based assignments between the two modules; but this fast pace is essential for busy PAs with only a limited amount of time available to be away from the office. It could appear daunting but good PAs can handle a little pressure and the course is definitely representative of the modern PA role and gives out a host of career enhancing information and practical tips. I am proud to have been recognised as a professional PA and even prouder to now have the letters DipPA after my name to help enforce the point that I am serious about my job and keen to demonstrate my continuing career development."

Gareth Osborne of APA said: "Tina is a highly experienced senior PA working in a demanding environment. Her commitment and passion to learn new thinking and best practice is a credit to her and her employer alike. I'm glad she found it challenging and as a credible award it shouldn't be any other way."

APA

Please send your PIN by return

Nearly one in five credit card users choose their birthday date as their PIN number, research indicates. Of those, 67% said they need a memorable number.

21% admitted that they had given their PIN to a friend and 3% to a work colleague. Of those in relationships, 64% admitted that their partner knew their PIN number.

Although 11% of those surveyed had been the victims of identity fraud in the past, the study suggested that poor choice of PINs was indicative of a general lax attitude towards credit card security in general. Over half of those with multiple credit cards had the same number for every card, despite the obvious security risk.

The study comes at a time when personal information is more freely available than ever. With millions of people in the UK using social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, it is becoming easier than ever to obtain data such as birth dates.

Gareth Osborne said: “My Bank recently rejected my credit card when I was in Europe and told me I had to tell them when I was away from home. The Police tell me that you should only tell people you absolutely trust when you are away from home. So that rules the Bank out!”

Shelley, APA

Time to dig deep

APA has welcomed a number of measures included in this week’s Comprehensive Spending Review. Plans to increase the number of adult apprenticeships by 50 per cent to 75,000 a year have gained APA’s backing, as have measures geared at moving towards a low carbon economy and the commitment to improve the infrastructure of the country.

In addition, the £530 million directed from the Government and the BBC to put in place superfast broadband pilots is something small businesses are calling for, as is the new investment in the Post Office network. However, APA feels the government still needs to do more to demonstrate how it aims to stimulate growth.

Gareth Osborne said: "We all know times are tough and will be for years to come and our members understand that to reduce the public sector deficit, these cuts had to be made.”

"The business community is vital to a sustainable recovery and it needs to be encouraged to take on new members of staff to help tackle high unemployment and the huge costs to the economy that creates. As every business knows, cutting costs is only par of the solution. To create growth you have to enable cash to flow. The national economy is no different.”

APA will be meeting with Ministers over the coming weeks to share Member’s views.

APA

New Diploma Corps

More delegates attended APA Diploma courses this week in preparation for the next round of Diploma examinations in November and December.

Gareth Osborne of APA said: “I never cease to be amazed by the diversity of talent amongst PAs. They continue to demonstrate an ever increasing array of skills and the confidence and competency to provide outstanding support for their Bosses in the achievement of their strategic goals. This was a particularly strong group and I have high expectations of them as they progress through their Diploma training.”

Shown left are: (L-R) Julie North, Michelle Luggar, Jordana North and Marguerita King.

APA is taking booking now for the Winter/Spring round of qualifications starting in January and dates and location details for all 2011 course are available on the website. APA has over 70 courses scheduled across the UK next year, as well as courses in Germany, Sweden and the US.

APA

Home Wi-Fi can be hacked in seconds

Wireless internet networks in millions of homes can be hacked in less than five seconds, a recent study has claimed.

According to new research, a quarter of private wireless networks do not have a password and an ‘ethical hacking’ experiment in six cities, using freely available software, found almost 40,000 home Wi-Fi networks to be at high risk. There are also concerns about the security of those who use free Wi-Fi networks offered by coffee shops and other businesses. The study, commissioned by card protection and insurance firm CPP, highlighted a ‘cavalier’ attitude to keeping data safe.

According to the findings, nearly a quarter of private wireless networks has no password attached, making them immediately accessible to criminals. This is despite 82 per cent of Britons thinking their network is secure. The report also found that hackers were able to ‘harvest’ usernames and passwords from unsuspecting people at a rate of more than 350 an hour, sitting in coffee shops, restaurants and other open access facilities. The result could open up their identity and banking details to enable raids on their accounts. The hackers could also use the Wi-Fi access to tap into illegal pornography or upload and download stolen music and movies without being traced.

Nearly a fifth of wireless users say they regularly use public networks and Internet fraud experts warned users that any information they volunteer through public networks can easily be visible to hackers.

Shelley, APA

The technology is revolting

Thanks to those members who rushed to let us know that the website had fallen over last night. When I checked it out, the error message said 'Broadband limit exceeded' which I now know means that we were getting too many hits for the access capacity we had in place! Naturally our service providers have increased this and normal service was immediately resumed. But what good news that our popularity continues to rise and more and more PAs are using APA as their primary source of knowledge.

Also on a technology front, we have had a number of spam posting in this section recently so Colin has been forced to introduce a mediation service before external posts are authorised. Sorry to all our regular contributors, like Tracy @ ICM, if your post doesn't appear immediately but be assured it will get through unedited - we love your comments.

Gareth, APA

PA professionals

A new round of training programmes for PAs began today with the PA Apprentice Plus course in London at One Alfred Place.

APA Director General, Gareth Osborne, said: “It is always great fun to engage with Members and non-Members and share with them some of the expertise that has evolved from our membership. Today’s programme was extremely well received and I am confident that delegates with go back to their businesses equipped with new tools and charged with ideas to improve their personal effectiveness and be better able to support their bosses to achieve their strategic goals.”

On the course, pictured left, are: Lisa Williams, Keira Tait, Heather Williams and Siobhan Hall.

For details of APA training and qualification programmes go to http://www.paprofessional.com/apa-training-and-qualifications-open-access.html/

APA

Reviving employment

The latest ONS unemployment figures published last week has revealed that there are now 2.45 million people out of work, a 20,000 drop in the three months to August. This represents a 0.1 per cent drop on the quarter while at the same time, the number of people claiming Jobseekers Allowance rose by 5,300 to 1.47 million.

Commenting on the latest figures, APA Director General Gareth Osborne said:

"The ONS figures show that the jobs market is starting to flatten with the growth in job placements at its slowest rate for a year. This raises real fears, especially in light of expected cuts in the public sector following the Chancellor's Comprehensive Spending Review this coming week. The focus must be on incentivising private sector employers to take on more staff and improving the support given to the worst hit groups, such as the near million young job-seekers.”

APA believes the jobs market will remain flat for the last quarter of 2010 and not show any appreciable improvement for the first two quarters of 2011 and only then if drastic action is taken to stimulate employment.

Gareth concluded: “Government has to look to the 3 million plus small and micro enterprises for help; if each took on just one person the unemployment problem would be allayed. To achieve this Government has to incentivise employment through tax breaks for the business and a honeymoon period on employment costs for the employer and employee. It is time for radical action to revive employment. If people earn, then they spend and that will intubate the economy.”

APA

Express Delivery

Great news in from our good friend and colleague, Emma Kernan Staines FAPA DipPA.

Emma said: “Our little boy, Rui Samuel, arrived very quickly into this world at 19.46 on Thursday evening weighing in at a chunky 3.9 kgs! Excruitiating but all happy and well.”

I am sure all Members will join the APA team and me in wishing Emma and her family, especially Rui Samuel, a happy and healthy life.

Gareth, APA

It's all a matter of hot air

The air that circulates in plane cabins is actually no more dangerous to a passenger's health than sitting in an office, new research has revealed.

Travelers often complain about picking up colds and viruses from flights. But medical experts in the U.S. attribute that achy sensation to the effects of lower oxygen and dry air inside a plane flying at 35,000ft.

According to a study by the National Research Council, an airplane is as likely to make you sick as any other enclosed environment, such as a cinema or an underground train. 'There is always an increased risk of infection whenever you enter a confined space, but an aircraft cabin is no worse an environment than the office you sit in every day,' said Dr Mark Gendreau, an aviation medicine expert.

He said cabin air was refreshed about 15 times an hour, compared with fewer than 12 times an hour in an office building. On most trans-Atlantic jets, the air is filtered through hospital-grade filters that are designed to remove 99.97 per cent of bacteria and the tiny particles that carry viruses. Cabins are also separated into ventilation systems covering every seven rows or so to limit the spread of germs through the plane.

Aircraft manufacturers admit the arid air on planes - necessary to prevent the fuselage from corroding - can cause humidity levels to dip below 10 per cent and make travel uncomfortable. But the next generation of planes are being made from composite materials that can withstand more humidity.

Shelley, APA

Petrol prices up

APA has joined motoring groups and transport companies in their condemnation of the 1p rise in the cost of a litre of petrol and diesel as damaging and unnecessary.

The new higher price at the pumps facing people as they start work on Monday is a result of a Labour fuel duty increase which was not overturned by the incoming the Coalition government.

Gareth Osborne said: "This increase highlights a series of contradictions that drivers find it hard to accept. Petrol and diesel prices today are at least 10p a litre higher than this time last year and are generating an extra 1p a litre VAT windfall for the Treasury. This pushes petrol prices to almost the level of the 2008 record high and simply continues the folly of creating more pain for less gain. This increase will add to the pressure on businesses, especially road freight companies, and could backfire and hinder economic growth."

APA will continue to lobby government on all increases that restrict the ability of business to recover its financial stability, recruit and employ more people and return to profitability.

APA

An outstanding delivery

Emma Kernan-Staines FAPA DipPA, PA to Sir Trevor Brooking CBE at the FA and a passionate supporter of APA, and its journey to create a career pathway for PAs, gave a highly personal and passionate take on her career and beliefs when she spoke at the Office* 2010 Show at Earls Court this week.

Interviewed by Gareth Osborne, Emma told a packed Keynote Theatre about her route to becoming a PA, her strong relationship with and commitment to her Boss, the challenges and frustrations she faces as a PA and how she now wants to use her experience to help others achieve the same job satisfaction she enjoys from working with Sir Trevor.

Emma presented and answered questions in her typically calm yet self assured manner which was doubly impressive given that she is within 3-weeks of the arrival of her second child.

Gareth, the Director General of APA, said, “Emma is an outstanding PA and a true ambassador for the PA profession. The audience was thrilled to hear her speak and she has received numerous accolades subsequently. Emma has worked tirelessly at the FA to win HR and senior management support for her ‘FA PA Pathway’ programme which we now hold up as a model of best practice for major employers across the UK.”

“I am sure all APA Members and staff would wish to join me in sending best wishes to Emma, Ben and India on the pending arrival of their new team member,” concluded Gareth.

APA

APA verdict: Office* 2010 a Triumph

“The outstanding success of the last two days has put many ghosts to rest for the PA profession” said Gareth Osborne commenting on Office* 2010 held this week at Earls Court. “And full credit must go to the organisers, Diversified, who have invested heavily to ensure PAs got a show they can be proud to associate with.”

“Office* was delivered by a professional and dynamic team led by its MD, Carsten Holm and they worked tirelessly to ‘get it right’ and definitely succeeded,” said Gareth. “There may be one or two minor lessons to learn for next year but Diversified have shown keenness at every step to get better and better.”

APA used the event to launch the first ever Degree designed exclusively for PAs. The new BA in Business Administration for PAs, developed in partnership with Middlesex University Business School will play a major part in APA’s mission to ‘elevate the status of PA to that of a profession.

“We were thrilled to see so many of our Members at the show and they spent time networking as they visited our Stand. Next year we intend to have an APA Members lounge adjacent to the stand for even greater interaction”

“Overall, and especially for a first show, it was a definite 10/10 and APA has already committed to being there again next year but we would like to hear Members views on what they liked and what they would like to see enhanced. Please let me know your thoughts through this and all others APA mediums,” concluded Gareth. “The PA profession more has a credible annual show and a professional business running it. The future looks bright and the floor looks extremely pink!”

APA

Better deals ahead for Broadband users

Media regulator Ofcom is aiming to make it easier for consumers and businesses to switch broadband provider, it has been reported.

The watchdog says customers should be empowered in their relationship with internet service providers (ISPs) but, at the moment, the complications involved with changing vendor mean this is not the case. Research conducted by Ofcom found that 45 per cent of web users believe switching ISP is too complicated a task.

Gareth Osborne of APA said, “If the regulators are able to improve the freedom of users then the suppliers will be forced to make prices more competitive and services choices more innovative. Businesses and consumers are likely to change providers as they search for increased value and improved customer service.”

However, industry specialist s feel it will be difficult for the regulator to enforce immediate changes, given that there are two ISPs, and potentially a third in some cases – in the form of landline operator BT - involved in any switching transaction.

"Currently most users perceive that it's a bit of a pain and it's quite difficult to switch providers,” said Gareth “And it shouldn’t be. This is a proactive and commercial essential action and APA will be writing to Ofcom to encourage them to progress their aim.”

APA

Jude joins the team

APA is thrilled to announce the appointment of Judith Fine to the Membership Team of APA. She has impressed us with her knowledge of the PA profession and her passion to make it even more important within the world of business. She will be supporting our interests in the West Midlands and surrounding counties and helping identify and recruit new members there.

Judith (or Jude to everyone who knows her) runs a freelance PA business called Finesse Jude has over 16 years experience as a PA and Marketing Manager/Director. Having spent 10 years working at 3i plc looking after 7 Industrial Advisers (ex MDs/FDs of businesses), she gained experience in different sectors including printing, oil and gas, food and drink, chemicals and automotive. She spent a number of years organising travel all over the world, conferences in a number of venues around Europe and spent a large amount of time visiting those countries.

From there, she worked for IDN Telecom plc as PA and Marketing Executive for the company. She supported the Board, brought all the marketing in-house from an outsourced agency and arranged seminars around the UK. When IDN sold to Redstone plc, Jude became Marketing Manager and PA to the Managing Director, controlling the entire Marketing budget for one of the four key divisions in the company.

It was at that time, that Jude decided to use her skills and experience helping a number of individuals/businesses who all needed PA and marketing support, so that is just what she did! Her clients include catering industries, designer shoes, charities, professional services and training companies.

Jude is a PA in the true sense of the word. She absolutely loves the diversity of the projects/tasks she gets involved in and just loves the job she does. In her spare time, she is an absolutely gym freak and will often be found on a cross trainer or treadmill together with Blackberry! She also enjoys meeting new people, putting people in touch with each other and talking!! She is contactable at judith.fine@paprofessional.com.

Welcome to the team Jude.

Gareth , APA

Millions now facing the lowest pension ROI since records began

Despite saving the same amount of money into their pensions, older employees now face the dire prospect of getting about half the income they would have received 15 years ago, research reveals today. And this comes on top of the collapse in final salary pension schemes, with millions locked out of the best type of retirement provision.

Experts said employees who want to retire are facing a nightmare which no previous generation has had to cope with.

The plunge in pension payouts is because annuity rates have nose-dived. Annuities offer a guaranteed monthly income to those who have saved into a pension pot, but over the last month several major investment firms, such as Aegon, Aviva and Legal & General, have started to cut their annuity rates. Their rivals are almost certain to follow and experts predict that rates will fall even lower over the coming months. Around 50,000 people a year buy an annuity, with up to £20billion of their hard-earned cash ploughed into the investment products.

Today's research, from the financial information firm Moneyfacts, looked at the annuity which a £10,000 pension pot can buy. In 1995, a 65-year-old man buying an annuity would have received an average annual payout of £1,111. Today, a man of the same age with the same pension pot would get just £606 a year, a drop of 5 per cent which shows how rapidly annuity rates have plummeted. Just 12 months ago, the same fund would have bought a pension of £647 a year.

The average pension pot is about £30,000. For a man aged 65, this would have resulted in an annuity worth around £3,300 a year in 1995, compared with just £1,800 today.

The report's author said the findings would be 'a rude awakening for many'. The victims will be 'baby-boomers', born after the end of the Second World War who are now starting to retire. After a lifetime of saving into a pension, many will be shocked and disappointed by the income that they will get from it, and feel that they are being forced into staying at work.

PAs are encouraged to check that their bosses best interest is being preserved by good pension management; find out who does it and that they are on top of the rapidly declining marketplace.

Gareth, APA

Wishing the day away

Council staff 'waste’ more than two-thirds of their working day according to research by a management consultancy.

The study indicated that only 32% of working time was spent productively. The cause it reported was poor supervision. This was far lower than the equivalent productive time by private sector employees, which was still only 44%.

Paul Weekes, principal consultant at Knox D’Arcy and the report’s author, said improving productivity in local government could ‘significantly offset’ planned cuts in the Government’s deficit reduction plan. Consultancy firm Knox D’Arcy, which carried out the research, said if all councils improved to match the private sector, they could increase productivity by a third and do the same amount of work with 500,000 fewer staff.

The research also revealed that public sector managers spent just 15 minutes a day on average actively managing their staff. It suggests that council managers lacked the skills to implement the scale of cuts requested and so were as likely to deliver chaos and reduced services as savings.

From its own work with the public sector APA has seen what can be done to increase management productivity by empowering PAs (which it considers a poorly used resource in some public sector areas) and has specifically created its programme called ‘The Productive PA’ with the NHS to support them. APA Director General, Gareth Osborne, said, “From early research by one of the Scottish universities we know that 31% of time is ‘wasted’, we then found that another 25% is unproductive; constantly being interrupted, redirected or inadequately briefed and managed leading to procrastination and frustration. We can all learn from these chilling facts and look at ways to improve output from 9 to 5.”

APA

40-years of good intent!

Despite 40 years of equal pay legislation a survey by the Chartered Management Institute has shown a male manager in the UK earns £10,071 more on average than his female counterpart. It has suggested that girls born in 2010 will face the probability of working for around 40 years in the shadow of unequal pay.

At a senior level, male pay outstrips female pay by as much as 24pc, the survey found. Even at a junior level, male executives were found to have received £1,065 more than females carrying out the same work, the study of pay at 197 organisations, covering 43,312 employees. This is despite a 2.8pc growth in pay packets for women over the last year, compared to 2.3pc on average for men.

APA lobbies hard for pay equality and stridently supports CMI’s call for Government to “take greater steps” to enforce pay equality by naming and shaming organisations who fail to pay male and female staff fairly. But it’s not just Government that needs to enforce its own legislation, businesses also have to neutralise subliminal gender biases it the equality goal is ever to be achieved..

Gareth Osborne, DG of APA said, “The forecast of continued decades of pay inequality cannot be allowed to become reality. We must press Government to take the matter much more seriously.”

The IT industry was the worst offender, the survey showed, with women on average getting paid £17,736 per year less than men. The pharmaceutical industry generally paid its female workers £14,018 less than males.

Across the regions, women in the Midlands fared the worst, taking home £10,434 less than men doing the same jobs, the survey, carried out in conjunction with XpertHR, showed. Even the smallest pay gap, in the North East, stood at £8,955.

The Equal Pay Act, designed to eradicate gender inequality, was introduced in 1970. Four decades after the legislation, the national gender pay gap stands at 16.4pc, according to the Office for National Statistics. In certain sectors, such as finance and law, women working full time can earn just over half the amount men get.

The Government’s new Equality Act due to come into force this October, is expected to outlaw contractual gagging clauses that prevent colleagues from discussing pay and bonuses. Theresa May, the Home Secretary, said the move will bring an end to the “culture of pay secrecy” that has dominated the workplace for decades.

APA