International activity grows

“PAs in the Scandinavian countries are rushing to take an APA PA qualification course at one of our five locations across the region,” says Anders Magnusson, the local APA Trainer. He reports high take up in Finland and Sweden with Norway and Denmark catching up fast.

“There has been a lack of any substantial training in the region and APA has brought its superbly professional programmes at just the right time. PAs in this region have many similar, but some quite different, issues but the training is so flexible eit allows us to embrace all of their needs. Having had great PAs myself I know what CEOs want from their assistant and can help the attendees recognise how best to support their leaders,” says Anders.

“We are already targeting a course per week in each of the countries and expect demand to grow even more in 2012. Naturally APA membership in the region is growing at the same time.”

Pictured (L-R) from the latest ‘PA Apprentice’ programme are: Emma Wu, Maja Jonsson, Clara Moller, Mathilde Madsen, Aino Heinonen, Venia Salo, Sahra Hagen, Emma Knudsen and Alice Pettersson.
APA

The Last Post

Businesses will be particularly badly hit by significant increases in the cost of postal services after an Ofcom announcement has allows Royal Mail bosses to set stamp prices themselves.

APA fears that increases, effective from 30 April 2012, could be the death knell for business post forcing more use of online, and often less securable, methods of communication. APA believes this will almost inevitably lead to first class charges becoming unaffordable for many small companies, forcing reliance instead on the far slower second class system.

For individuals it will be even harder as it is the older generation; not known for great online use or understanding, will be left to suffer the higher costs.

APA Director General, Gareth Osborne, said: ‘We think these increases are bad for business, and will ultimately leave smaller firms and personal users – the bread and butter users of the postal service – disadvantaged. The increase in the basic first class rate from 46p to 60p (30% increase) is out of step with all current economic escalators and is totally unreasonable. The knock on effect to businesses that are post-dependent will be horrendous.”

APA asks PAs, who have a routine interaction with postal services, to monitor the effect of the increase closely and report concerns.

APA

Spring blooms

This week saw a new group of PAs start their Diploma training in London and according to APA DG, Gareth Osborne, it was a lively and enthusiastic session that left him tired but smiling from ear to ear.

Gareth said: “We designed the Diploma programme to be challenging but fun. It brings the best out of PAs whatever their background. This group had different learning needs but, in common, all came from larger businesses. They bonded immediately and interacted wonderfully through the day In fact anyone using an adjoining room would have been more inclined to think we were having a party than a training course. I believe a little levity and camaraderie brings out the best from the group and aids the learning experience. It was a great day and I personally love delivering it. I generally do but this was an especially humorous set of PAs.”

For anyone wanting to enrol for this fun but exceptionally beneficial training programme create for and delivered by the people who know what they want from a PA should contact training@paprofessional.com or call 0800 107 1030.

APA

Pictured (L – R) are: Jackie Deveney, Beth Roberts and Tiffany Smith.

Frozen Planet

A small number of our members were invited to attend a unique event ‘Frozen Planet: the inside story’ on the evening of Tuesday 27th March at the Royal Society of Arts in London. Here is an account by Claire Howard of the evening:

‘I was greeted with a glass of champagne upon arrival at the RSA at John Adam Street in London, a great venue for holding private events. The evening was hosted by bespoke travel planners Brown & Hudson for PA’s of their elite clients.

I got to meet and hear Alastair Fothergill, the Executive Producer of ‘Frozen Planet’ speaking about his experiences, life, work and ‘The inside story’. I am a great fan of Alastair’s work and I felt really proud and privileged to be an APA member when he asked about my career as a PA. Alastair’s PA has been working for him for 8 years and he is very aware of how important our roles are, although unfortunately she is not an APA member…we'll work on that!

Thank you APA for a great evening!

Claire Howard FAPA for APA

HMRC announces £120 million drive on tax records

HMRC has announced that it will check the mileage records of thousands of small fleets as part of a drive to boost revenue collection by £120 million over the next three years.

The plan was outlined in an HMRC review document published in February.

“The move underlines the pressing need for businesses to keep detailed and accurate logs of business journeys,” says APA Director General, Gareth Osborne..

HMRC plans to carry out Business Record Checks (BRCs) at 60,000 SMEs between now and 2015. BRCs are designed to identify companies where statutory record-keeping is unsatisfactory. The idea is that the firms can put their house in order instead of submitting inaccurate tax returns.

A pilot study run by HMRC last year found that 40% of firms’ records weren’t up to scratch and 11% were so bad they would be referred to the tax authorities for further investigation. In many cases, such probes lead to large bills for unpaid tax, plus fines and interest penalties.

Osborne believes that mileage is one of the weakest areas of a business’s statutory reporting, especially where the operator has a large grey fleet (people who claim for using their private vehicle for business use). Here many mileage claims were found to be overstated or clearly fraudulent and would result in fines of up to £18,000.

“You need to be able to show that your business collects sufficient detail on business journeys. That means recording the date and purpose of trip, the start and finish points and accurate mileage, he said. The Revenue will also check whether you audit your drivers’ expense claims regularly and correct them if necessary to prevent overpayments. Overpaying is tantamount to providing private fuel and carries a big liability for tax and National Insurance.”

APA will be addressing this issue and finding solutions for PAs who claim mileage but also for their bosses and the fleet they control.

APA

We're happiest at 33!

Forget the old adage that your schooldays are the happiest of your life - a study has found that 33 is the age at which people are most content.

A survey by Friends Reunited of people over 40 years of age, concluded, that the year they turned 33 was their happiest. More than half of those surveyed – 53% - said life was more fun and 42% said they felt more optimistic about the future. One in five said happiness came from success at work.

Life seemed relatively stress-free for 38% while 31% thought that was the time their family was closest together. Only 6% said they were happiest at university and just 16% in childhood.

Psychologist Donna Dawson said: 'The age of 33 is enough time to have shaken off childhood naivety and the wild scheming of teenaged years without losing the energy and enthusiasm of youth. By this age innocence as been lost but our sense of reality is mixed with a strong sense of hope, a can do’ spirit and a healthy belief in our own talents and abilities. 'We have yet to develop the cynicism and world-weariness that comes with later years.'

Shelley, APA

How are you feeling?

Suicide still remains a taboo subject but according to statistics from Samaritans, “every 2 minutes someone attempts suicide and every 79 minutes someone succeeds in taking their own life”.  With figures like these, Samaritans provide a vital service available 24/7 to those in the UK and Ireland so that people can talk openly about their feelings without fear of being judged. 

Katie Manning, ex-volunteer says;

“In today’s society not everyone feels able to talk to friends, family or partners about feelings of despair and depression, so I cannot talk highly enough of the valuable service that Samaritans provide. To have someone at the end of a phone anytime of the day or night to listen in total confidence can be a real source of comfort and support to many people.”

In the largest and oldest branch of Samaritans, based in Soho London, they answered the phone 95,693 times in 2011 alone.  APA encourages people to share their feelings and if you are ever feeling low or need a friendly ear, remember Samaritans are always there to ‘just listen’.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer please check the Samaritans website and look for volunteer opportunities in your local area. 

http://www.samaritans.org/


Katie Manning FAPA



UK Banks still vulnerable

The Bank of England's Financial Policy Committee says that the UK's big banks do not have enough capital "to ensure resilience in the face of the prospective risks". So it is advising them to raise external capital as protection against possible future losses "as early as feasible".

The Bank of England wants banks to reinforce their protection against shocks because it fears the Eurozone crisis has only been temporarily abated by the trillion euros of emergency three-year loans provided to European banks by the European Central Bank. The Bank of England says that "questions remained about the indebtedness and competitiveness of some European countries".

It warned banks with large exposures to the likes of Italy, Spain, Portugal and Ireland - where risks of "persistent low growth and potential credit defaults remained high" - to be "particularly alert to the need to build capital".

Barclays has the biggest retail banking exposure to Spain and Italy of the UK's banks. So there is likely to be considerable debate between Barclays and its regulators about whether it has sufficient capital as a protection against what might go wrong in those economies or not.

APA sees Q3/2012 as a critical period in the financial stability of the UK. More later.

APA

Takeaway Tax

The Chancellor has decided that VAT at 20% should be added to all hot takeaway food bought from bakeries and supermarkets, not just products sold by fast food chains.

This means that at Greggs 18p will be added to a 90p hot sausage roll and 30p to a £1.49 pasty. A hot rotisserie chicken costing £5 at a supermarket will increase by £1.

Mr G. Osborne (The Chancellor, not our own!) said the extension was among a number that were necessary to end anomalies, and will raise an extra £125million this year and £350million a year by 2016. However ours was quite annoyed.

The detailed guidance says that 20% VAT will have to be added to all hot food, including rotisserie chicken, pies, pasties, toasted sandwiches and other products which are ‘above the ambient air temperature at the time they are provided to the customer’.

This means anything that is hotter than the surrounding air temperature when it is handed over at the till should carry VAT. Gareth muttered something about politicians, hot air and sausages!

Shelley, APA

New Shooooes ...

Experts are calling for women drivers to put a brake on the hazardous habit of wearing 'unsuitable' shoes with heels at the wheel. Road safety charity Brake is appealing for high heel lovers not to drive whilst wearing stilettos, steep wedges or inappropriate platform shoes. It says the current footwear fashion for the highest of heels could lead to tragedy and advised all drivers to avoid unsuitable shoes.

Brake’s deputy chief executive Julie Townsend said “it is deeply worrying that many drivers have such little regard for their own and others' safety that they wear unsuitable footwear driving is a responsibility that needs to be taken seriously.'

Her comments coincide with a survey that found 40 per cent of women drive in high heels.

The survey commissioned by price comparison website Confused.com also found that 39 per cent of women wear flip flops whilst driving and 24 per cent take to the road in bare feet. Sixteen per cent also confess to driving in slippers and just 34 per cent claim to always wear sensible shoes.

Men are also taking chances with 27 per cent wearing flip flops and 22 per cent going barefoot. Eleven per cent also use slippers but 57 per cent claim they never wear unsuitable
shoes.

The survey also found that one in ten women apply make-up at the wheel and 15 per cent of men shave whilst driving.

APA strongly supports all road safety campaigns and believes wearing high heels (and all other inappropriate footwear) is irresponsible and potentially life threatening and should be avoided.

Shelley, APA

Budget Review 2012: Conclusion - Much as expected

APA has made a detailed review of the 2012 Budget and its potential effect on PAs, their families and their businesses. The following highlights were identified from a fairly unimaginative and lack lustre budget.

Twenty-three million workers to be £346 a year better off as income tax threshold rises to £9,200.  Personal allowance to rise to £9,205 from April 2013 and £10,000 in 2014. The biggest losers appear to be current and future pensioners who will see there tax benefit brought inline with workers and there gain less advantage.

In total, from April next year the average worker earning under £100,000 will save £179 a year. By 2014 they will save £250 a year.

There is some child benefit advantage for families, especially where both partners work, with the removal of the reported cliff-edge in favour of a staggered reduction in allowance. This will disadvantage higher earning single parents and may hurt London-based PAs.

The Budget did contain some incentives for developers of low-cost housing which could hep young first time house purchasing PAs. Investment in the infrastructure, especially in London may also help.

The tax reductions have been brought in a year earlier than planned after pressure from the Liberal Democrats keen to show that they are helping low and middle income earners.

 
Raising the personal allowance will cost the Treasury around £3bn a year. But Mr Osborne said today that the savings would be made elsewhere.

APA recognises that there is very little room for the coalition to move in its efforts to reflate the economy but the moves proposed were thought to be as creative as they could be; given the lack of resources and the need to generate more.

APA will be responding to the Chancellor’s call for comments and reinforcie its call for additional actions for families, home working and equality of pay.

Members can read more and see APAs comments by going to the Knowledge Zone, News Section of the APA Website.

APA

Will today's Budget give us any help?

Here’s what we want from the Budget

Xavier Rolet, Chief Executive, The Stock Exchange says: "We would like to see strong policies to support the UK's innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). They will be the growth engines of our economy. There should be a greater choice of financing for SMEs, including strong access to equity and non-bank debt.”

Andy Clarke, Chief Executive, Asda says: [Our customers] are telling us loud and clear that the single most important thing they want from the Chancellor is a cut in the price of fuel. Most want to see the planned fuel duty increase scrapped. In fact over half want duty cut, not frozen. They know that would mean more money in their pockets to spend on their families."

Jerry Bulhmann, CEO, Aegis says: "Anything that stimulates growth and enterprise in the private sector has to be good for the economy. "Growth is only going to come from the private sector."

Gareth Osborne, DG, APA says: “We agree with all of the above and feel there is a need to support all initiatives that support the working family through tax incentives, family and child-based credits and nursery care and maternity and paternity leave. There should be tax incentives for flexible working and especially for home working and, above all others, the Government should, after 40 years, look to equalise the pay rates between men and women working in comparable jobs.”

Let’s see what happens later today.

APA

PA professionals

Almost every week APA is now running its acclaimed PA Professional programme (which also serves as Module 1 to its Diploma programme) at one of its many locations around the UK, Scandinavia and Germany.

The PA Professional course is tailored to give PAs from all sectors and styles of organisation a set of new or updated tools and techniques to help maximise the effectiveness of their support for their Boss. It serves to update or refresh more experienced PAs, up-skill more experienced office staff entering a PA role or equip the newer PA rising stars for the challenges ahead.

For more details about APA’s professional and accredited training programmes please go to www.paprofessional.com and select ‘APA Training’ from the navigation bar.

APA

Pictured (L-R) from the London course, held at the Melia White House Hotel, this week are:

Karen Lovatt, Sam Herridge MAPA DipPA (Mayfair 'PA of the Year', who joined the group to share her experience), Alison McMurtrie, Susan Boyle and Abigail Ginn.

The secret of PA success

Another good week for APA with a variety of courses running at new locations both in-house (with a client company) and in the various APA chosen hotel locations around the UK. This week delegates attended the final session of the much-prized Diploma in Personal Assistance (DipPA), the PA Professional (module 1 of the Diploma programme) and 'PA Apprentice' for new comers to the PA role.

All courses were well received by attendees. Jim Stranger, HR Director for Laminease said: "We have been frustrated by having no clear careerpath for our PAs. They seem to be subjected to a round of Advance Office programmes or PA courses more correctly targeted at old fashioned secretaries or overseen by people who were PAs before the role changed. APA programmes are on-the-button and offer a challenge and new tools and techniques to apply on their return."

Gareth Osborne of APA said: " Our courses still have one ingredient others haven't added, its like the contents of a Coca Cola ... everybody thinks they know the recipe but the difference is in the taste. Our courses give a definite sense of satisfaction, enjoyment and reward + just a little buzz!"

APA

Pictured (L-R) are: Stephanie Evens, Kaz Bentley, Dawn Lester, April Williamson and Faye Gormley.

APA on the forthcoming Budget

APA believes the coming budget needs to be an ambitious one for the small and medium businesses that promise to be the salvation for the economy and future employment. Britain's rising stars need a considerable boost when the Chancellor stands up to deliver his third Budget speech on 21st March.

APA is well placed to present the concerns of the leaders of smaller businesses with a huge number of its members being the PAs to the owners of small and medium sized businesses across all sectors.

Gareth Osborne of APA still believes the biggest frustration felt by innovative companies that are capable of wealth and job creation is finance, or specifically the lack of it.

“We will be watching the Chancellor’s presentation closely of Wednesday (21st) to see if he adequately addresses the big issue for smaller companies; especially the availability of credit to fund their day-to-day working capital needs. We regularly hear stories where suppliers have to turn down ‘company-changing’ orders because its bank would not help to finance the cash flow.”

It means all eyes at APA will be on the Chancellor's £20bn credit-easing plans - likely to involve using the state's credit rating to lower the cost for banks such as Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds to secure funds in the wholesale markets, which could then be passed on to small companies.

APA - Members can read more by going to the Members area of the APA Website

Fishy

For decades large businesses have criticized the professional ethics of smaller enterprises; especially some of their sales and marketing practices, describing them as sharp, and here we are witnessing Ofgem issuing a ‘penalty’ of £4.5 million to EDF Energy for unreasonably door-stepping potential customers.

This follows the multi-billion refund to customers by Banks for mis selling PPI to borrowers.

APA thinks it is time for small businesses to stand up and shout about their standards and values and point out that they stand to lose everything (even the owners property) if they get it wrong – not just a penalty or two. Big is no longer beautiful, in fact it can also be sleazy and heartless in the way it deals with its customers.

APA is still awaiting an apology from a major Hotel group that treated us like a trivial customer when a PA qualification programme was ‘bumped’ from its allotted and contracted room in favour of a leading accountancy & management consultancy client (with a much bigger budget I’m sure). Watch this space.

Standards should apply equally to all, irrespective of size.

APA

The mis selling definition consists of cases when a financial company sells you something without properly assessing your suitability.

Leeds training

Another Diploma programme was completed in Leeds this week with delegates taking their test following a busy session of scenarios, group assignments and training delivered by APA DG Gareth Osborne. Results are awaited but will be published before the end of the month.

Gareth said: “This has been an excellent course with very strong and capable delegates drawn from the world of academia and smaller private enterprise. PAs worked well together, developed professional bonds and relationships and shared experiences. Sometimes they gain as much from sharing thoughts about the job as they do from the tools and techniques we teach. It is an excellent blend of networking, absorption and hard work.”

Concurrently APA has been delivering in-house courses around the UK and in Scandinavia.

For more details about APA Training go to http://www.paprofessional.com and select the tab on the navigation bar.

Pictured (L-R) are: Dalya Bernstein, Hayley Smith and Emily Woodcock.

APA

Pourquoi nous - amo le donne - en Belgique

Only France, Italy and Belgium have clearly shown support in favour of introducing mandatory quotas in the European Union to increase the number of women on boards of listed European companies during the current debate; held this week between Employment Ministers of the twenty members focused on this issue.

In contrast, the ministers of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands, Sweden, Slovakia, Hungary, Latvia, Czech Republic, Cyprus and Malta have rejected the introduction of a quota system binding in the EU in favour of women.

Germany and Denmark have recognized that they do not yet have a definitive position on this issue; this was confirmed by sources of the EU executive.

APA believes that European businesses fail in their responsibility to foster genuine equality in the Boardroom and sight the fact, published earlier, that the ratio of women directors on the Board of Chinese companies is higher than that of UK and the EU average. The UK has 9% fewer women directors than China. Its time we came up caught up!

APA

A glowing reference

It is always nice when people share their experiences with peers and here is the view of Shelley Hulka, PA to MD / FD of Roquette UK Ltd on her participation in the recent APA Diploma in Personal Assistance (DipPA) course held in London last week.

Shelley, in an email later, said: “This course has been carefully structured to equip PA’s with a wealth of tools and knowledge, all highly relevant for dealing with the many situations that you encounter on a daily basis. Particularly excellent are the tools for problem solving and for learning what actually makes the people around you tick and why they behave in different ways when presented with the same problem. A truly excellent course for all PA’s, whatever your background”.

“I would add it actually improves your level of confidence. I really enjoyed the course and would certainly recommend it in a second.”

Gareth Osborne said: “Shelley is a highly capable, degree educated individual with a passion for her PA role, the Company she works for and the people around her. In my opinion she is definitely a role model for professional PAs and her comments are both pleasing and highly relevant to other PAs looking to enhance their skills.”

APA

Have you ever seen a happy jogger?

If you are too tired to go to the gym after work, there is an answer. More than two million of us now go for a run during our lunch hour - or a 'runch', as it has been dubbed - instead. And all those lunch time jogs mean we clock up an average of 468 miles per year.

'Hectic lifestyles mean the only real option is to incorporate exercise into the day,' said a spokesman for sportswear brand Helly Hansen, who carried out the survey of 1,500 Britons.

However the downside may be that the survey showed that working out requires a slight addition to the traditional lunch hour - those who regularly pounded the pavement admitted they often took more than the permitted 60 minutes.

Conversely research in the US Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology shows people who are physically active tend to be more enthusiastic about their jobs than those whose biggest daily exertion is taking the lift down to the office canteen.

Perhaps the new ‘out-of-office’ message should say: “Sorry I’m out jogging but I will be happy to call you on my return.”

Shelley, APA