Category: Wellness

Ice cream

How to keep employees motivated when working virtually

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How to keep employees motivated when working virtually.

Working virtually for a day or two is often a welcome relief from the noise and distractions of the office. But after a while, as sure as the sun rises in the morning, the novelty will wear off. This tip sheet is there to help you keep your team happy, healthy and motivated regardless of whether they are in the office or at home.

Tip 1: Regularly pick up the phone to talk to employees

Imagine you were back in the office. You’d probably now and then circulate around the office and have a natter with your team. Of course, with everyone working virtually, this just isn’t feasible to do. So, make a point of picking up the phone to speak with a team member or two each day, just to see how they are.

Old telephone

Tip 2: Keep an eye out for who has gone quiet

In these uncertain times many people process their fear and uncertainty by going very internal. In other words, they will go quiet and not contribute much to any of the dialogue. If you have one of these members of staff, then make a point of giving them a phone call and asking them explicitly how they are feeling right now. And if your instinct says they are not fine if they say “fine” in response to that question, ask more questions of them.

Tip 3: Set up a group chat for each individual team and encourage a mix of 50/50 work vs non-work stuff

If you were sitting in the office every day you wouldn’t just talk work, so it is the same when your staff are working from home. It may take a while for the conversation to get going on the group chat, so much sure that you take the lead. See something which makes you laugh? Then share this. Getting annoyed by the kids being under your feet at home now? Then share this. Loving the fact that the sun is shining, then share this. Etc (You get the idea…)

Tip 4: Encourage your team to look for the positives

Thumbs Up

Right now, it doesn’t feel like much is positive. However, looking for the positives is a great way to counteract all the doom and gloom, and constant fear in our minds. You will need to lead the ‘being positive’ attitude with your staff. For example, how about on the group chat ask everyone to tell them something good which has happened today. Or share something which made them laugh.

Tip 5: Set up daily team calls

It depends how many staff you have whether you have all employee calls or individual team-based calls, or a mixture of both. If you have young, inexperienced or staff who are struggling working based from home you may like to have 2 of these calls; one in the morning and one after lunch. Ideally, in these calls you want everyone to answer these questions:

  • How am I feeling right now?
  • What am I happy, grateful or positive about?
  • What am I planning to get done today?
  • What help do I need to get this done today?

Tip 6: Encourage your staff to do some exercise and get outside every day

This isn’t the time or place to lecture about the benefits of exercise. But it is a great mood and immune system enhancer, and even more so when the sun is shining and we can get out into nature. (And we all need this right now!) Many of your employees may fall into the trap of working from their desk all day. So, encourage them to think about their own well-being and how they will look after their physical and mental health in this uncertain time.

Trainer

Tip 7: Help your staff structure their day

Calander

It’s really easy when working from home to get sucked into the myriad of distractions available… laundry, Netflix, social media, kids …. Therefore, you may need to have a 1:2:1 with each member of staff to help them think through how they are going to structure their workload, particularly if they now have the kids at home and need to spend time looking after them

Tip 8: Be the strong leader your team need

You need to be there and present for your staff. Now is not the time to hide in a corner and stop talking to people. Your staff are looking to you to keep them calm, positive and motivated. This doesn’t mean bottling up your own fears and vulnerabilities. Actually, this is the time to admit to your staff that you are scared too. Strong teams form when leaders are prepared to admit their vulnerabilities.

Strong arm

Tip 9: Take decisive action

Your team are looking for you to take decisive action and be clear in what you want and need from them. It’s pretty easy to get down and depressed when you don’t know what is expected or required from you. The more direction you can give your team now, the better the morale will be from your staff.

Tip 10: Encourage staff to have a buddy to check in with

Remember that your business is not just you. How about encouraging team members to buddy up and look out for each other?

Tip 11: Remember to praise and thank staff more than normal

We often take our staff for granted. So, now is the time to make sure you are showing how much you appreciate the effort from each member of your team.

Tip 12: Make it easy for staff to speak up in meetings

If you struggle to get your staff to talk in meetings, it is going to be even harder to get them to talk when you and they are working virtually. If this is the case for your business, then start a document which everyone can access virtually and contribute to with agenda items for the meeting. In addition to this, start each remote meeting by asking everyone to answer some basic questions in the chat box, such as “on a scale of 1 – 10, where 1 = very down and 10 = amazingly positive, where are you today”.

Tip 13: Don’t talk about ‘remote workers’, talk about ‘virtual working’ or ‘virtual team members’

The language you use with your team really does matter. Talking about people as remote or workers can really emphasis the distance between your team and contribute to a sense of isolation.

Prison sells - lockdown

How to survive Lockdown.

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How to survive Lockdown.

Being on ‘lockdown’ and staying away from others can be a lot harder and more challenging than we probably could have imagined. The majority of us come into contact with people many times a day, even if we aren’t ‘socialising’ we come into contact with strangers all the time. From a visit to the shop, collecting a coffee, getting some petrol, visiting the gym, most of us have some form of social contact daily. For most of us staying in either alone or with just our families can feel very strange and difficult.

There are things that can make this easier, less stressful and anxiety provoking. Here are my top tips:

Routine, routine, routine!

This is more important than you probably realise. Firstly, distinguish between your ‘work’ days and your ‘off days’ if you can. Having a timetable will make your day go quicker and give it structure and purpose. Remember to factor in breaks, exercise and fresh air. These are all more important than ever, especially with the added stresses this pandemic brings. Take your time over things that you would normally rush, take time to find the recipe, chop the ingredients, do those hobbies you’ve never had time for.

Limit the News and Social Media Feeds

There is only so much that can happen in a day. Checking and rechecking can become addictive, destructive and all consuming; at the very least keeping your stress levels high and not allowing you to function. Also it is best NOT to check it upon awakening, you are likely to set yourself up for a stressful day, or before you go to sleep at night, we know that blue light can hinder restful sleep and that together with anxiety provoking news is not going to help you sleep well. Sleep is super important now more than ever to help you be calm and productive in the days ahead. I was listening to a podcast by Dr Judd who used the analogy of negative social media being like socially sneezing over people. This is a great analogy at the moment as we have all witnessed the sharing of the empty supermarket shelves causing more and more empty supermarket shelves. He describes it as a ‘social contagion’ whereby we are sneezing on others brains causing panic; the panic pandemic! Limit social media and unfollow/unlike people or groups that spread negativity.

Out of your head and onto the page….

Many suffer from anxiety and already know techniques to help. However for many this pandemic has caused new and unfamiliar feelings of anxiety. If you are feeling anxious I would highly recommend writing down your thoughts and feelings either as you wake up or before you go to sleep, or both! Many keep paper or a journal by the bed for this reason. By offloading these feelings you can set yourself up for a productive day or good nights sleep. This can be even more important if you have more limited social contact and haven’t been able to talk things through like you would normally.

Move It!

We all know that movement and exercise is good for our physical bodies, and it is widely known that it is good for our mental health. Whatever it is that you enjoy, timetable it into your day. You could dance to music, skip in the garden, there are loads of FREE workouts online now across loads of genres, many now streamed live, so you can join in with others ‘virtually’. Go for a walk, run or cycle, get off the beaten track if you can to avoid others and make sure you keep your distance if you can’t. While you are outside, make the most of it, take time to really appreciate nature, pay attention to what you see, birds, trees, flowers, use all of your senses, deep breathe the fresh air, be in the moment.

Stay Connected.

Social media and the internet have had a bad reputation over the last few years and sometimes with good reason. But where would we be without it now? Use the phone, email, Zoom, Facetime, Skype to stay in touch with your family and friends. Speak to people everyday. The possibilities are endless, our local pub is arranging virtual dinner parties and quiz nights! If you know of those who aren’t so technology savvy please pick up the phone and give them a ring and have a chat. Just because we are separated it doesn’t mean we have to be isolated.

Touch is important.

This is tricky while we are all socially distancing, but touch is still important, take time to cuddle your loved ones that you can at home, and don’t forget your pets. Giving them lots of love and attention is not just great for them but for you too!

There is no doubt that this is going to be a challenging time for most of us. Many are worried about their loved ones and many are concerned about their livelihoods, keeping their businesses going and paying their bills. However, there are some positives if you look for them. We will get to spend some quality time at home with loved ones and learn to appreciate things that get forgotten about in our busy and hectic lives. Try to appreciate the benefits of this time while you can as it will soon be just a memory we can tell future generations about.

Plants growing from coins

Being Green = More Green

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Going Green = More Green

Going green can help your business in more ways than one. Making changes can seem overwhelming, but just small changes can make a difference.  Many of these changes will also help your businesses bottom line. So what are you waiting for?

How can it save me money? 

We understand that as a business owner your time is limited. However depending on the size of your business, you could save a substantial amount of money by just making a couple of small changes.

  • Switch to eco-friendly lighting – LED bulbs can use up to 30% less energy and last longer than your average bulb.
  • Use eco-friendly paper or go paperless – If you are using paper processes this can save money and time. If you are not ready to go paperless, you can reduce paper use by printing double sided and asking your team to take messages on scrap paper.
  • Reusable Products – depending on your industry you can implement using reusable products. If you are in retail, you can offer reusable bags or if you are in an office simply offer your team a reusable bottle.
  • Working from home – Allowing your team to work from home can save money heating and powering your office space. Also educating everyone to turn off their appliances before leaving the office will help cut costs too.
  • Recycle your WEEE 

Tax Incentives 

The government are trying to become carbon neutral by 2030. This will rely on businesses making changes to help make the change. Therefore they are applying tax incentives to encourage businesses to operate in an eco-friendly way.

Eco Product on peg
Reusable Bag

First Year Allowances 

This means that if you buy an asset for your business that is eco-friendly you can claim 100% capital allowances within its first year. This allows you to deduct the full cost of the item from your profits before tax. Items that qualify can be; Cars with low CO2 emissions, energy saving equipment, water saving equipment, plant and machinery for gas refusing stations, new zero-emission goods vehicles and gas, biogas and hydrogen refilling equipment. To find out more about these allowances take a look at HMRC’s website.

Electric Cars

We are expecting a high increase in clients purchasing electric cars this year due to the new benefit in kind rates. The rate for the tax year 6 April 2019 – 2020 is at 16% however the benefit in kind for the tax year 6 April 2020 to 5 April 2021 is just 2%. That could be a huge saving. Take a look at our blog on the Jaguar i-pace. 

Electric Car Charging Point

Employee Retention 

Employees are putting more and more value into sustainability. By making an effort to become eco-friendly you could both attract team members and keep them. It also creates a great team moral, as everyone can work together to achieve a goal.

Brand Reputation and Publicity 

Toms Logo

Brand awareness is becoming increasingly important. Publicising the changes your business is making to become eco-freindly can only be a good thing.

For example the shoe brand Toms uses the tag line ‘every purchase has a purpose’ and they give £1 away for every £3 of their profits.  This idea was not only very generous, but it has helped develop and create their brand.

Recycle your WEEE

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Recycle your WEEE

Technology is a rapidly advancing sector, with new developments and devices being made all the time. This leads to a fast turnaround of electronic equipment, but what happens to our old tech? Unfortunately, the amount of electronic technology that we throw away is also growing.

WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) is the term used to define redundant or faulty electronic equipment waste produced within the UK and includes most products that have a plug or need a battery. It is estimated that the UK discards 2 million tonnes of WEEE a year.

The WEEE directive 2013 regulations define how WEEE needs to be handled, transported, refurbished and recycled. One of the key objectives of the WEEE regulations is to reduce the amount of WEEE that goes into our landfills, and a good way of doing this is through recycling schemes.

WEEE for Business Owners

Whether you are a sole trader or a large limited company, you will more than likely have at least one computer that you use to help run your business, and probably one for personal use as well. In order to keep up with the advancements in technology, it is necessary to upgrade these computers to newer models from time to time. This means at some point you will be left with an old machine to dispose of, or several old machines if you have a larger company with staff all wanting newer technology. However, in many areas, including Haverhill and West Suffolk, you should not throw away electric and electronic items in the regular waste. So how do you dispose of one or multiple computer systems legally and ethically in 2020?

One way of doing this is by selling your old laptops and computers to a recycling scheme that will either resell or recycle your old machines. Computer system recycling is an important part of The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE); a governmental initiative designed to reduce the amounts of waste reaching landfill. Recycling your laptops and computers is one of the most important aspects of the directive as:

  • Systems contain toxic materials & substances deemed unsuitable for landfill.
  • The Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS) has been brought it to tackle landfill pollution.
  • Computer system recycling is the dismantling and raw material recycling of laptop parts. Nothing goes to landfill and nothing is incinerated in the process.

If your laptop is in good condition without any cosmetic damage, it will have the highest value, however computers in worse condition can also have reasonable value. Different parts and components inside your computers such as CPU and memory can still hold value, even if the machine is very old or damaged.

This option is great because it reduces the amount of electronic equipment ending up in landfill, and you will also get the bonus of being paid for your unwanted tech.

Recycle Your Tec


Our friends at Recycle Your Tec can recycle your redundant computer systems for free, complying with the strict information security and environmental standards in the I.T recycling industry.

They offer a service which includes collection via a dedicated courier, and data wiping or destruction. All hard drives are either wiped or destroyed onsite depending on your preference and full documentation is provided to confirm the safe removal or destruction of your sensitive data.

Your unwanted systems will be carefully & properly recycled without the need to worry about pollution and permanent environmental damage. In most cases the items are reused by giving them a new home,  but some items may also have their working parts stripped out and used to repair other systems.

www.recycleyourtec.com

What about my data?

Where possible, you should reset all laptops and desktops to the default factory settings before sending them to be recycled. In theory this will leave only the operating system and pre-installed programs on the device.

It is essential to make sure you have backed up all the files you want to keep before you begin this process. Store them safely on one or more types of storage such as an external hard drive, your new computer or online cloud storage.

At Recycle You Tec your data will be completely wiped using software from White Canyon, which is certified to the standard of the US and in accordance with GDPR regulations. Full documentation is provided to confirm complete sanitation of the data held on your hard drives.

Good Service and Good for the Environment

Recycle Your Tec aim to provide first class service to individuals looking to recycle used technology, be it coming from you personally, a school, business or charity and turning them into cash donations quickly, while removing all data on the technology to comply with current data protection and environmental regulations. They accept WEEE such as laptops, PCs, tables, mobile phones and more.

  • Courier Collection.
  • Highest standard data wiping and destruction.
  • Fast payment for items.
  • Full certification.
  • Highest value for items recycled.
  • NO minimum disposal amount, all quantity no matter the size is accepted.
  • Fully accredited by the Environmental Agency.
  • T11 license holder (highest accreditation that any limited company can have that isn’t a recycling centre, such as like council-run tips)

By recycling these items not only do you give them a second home or use, but it’s good for our environment too by keeping toxic waste out of our landfills.

Better still, your business can make some money which can be put towards next year’s budget or help with buying replacement stock. Gone are the days of just giving old items away and making do with what your budget allows, sell unwanted items to us and upgrade to better technology.

Please feel free to contact Gary Ward on Gary@RecycleYourTec.com and on 01440 710700 to book a collection today.

Laptop on the grass

How can your business become Eco-friendly?

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How to make your business more eco-Friendly.

Since the industrial revolution both carbon levels and global temperatures have increased dramatically. The carbon pollution stays in our atmosphere and consequently traps the heat from the sun. This can cause extreme weather such as intense flooding or droughts. 97% of climate scientists agree that man-made pollution is warming our climate. In May 2019 the UK declared a Climate Emergency with many local areas stating they want to become carbon- neutral by 2030. To do this we need to work together, making a few small changes to our businesses.

Reusable Plastic Bottles

Plastic convenience products have made a huge contribution towards climate change. However the sales of bottled water are still on the rise. Look around your office, are your employees drinking bottled water now? Plastic bottles take hundreds of years to decompose if they make their way to landfills. One of the simplest ways to make a difference is to get rid of the disposables and purchase a reusable water bottle for your team. You will spot in our 1 Accounts office that each of the team have pink bottles from Hyd8 m8.

Plastic Bottles

Reduce Paper Waste

Paper being thrown in the bin

Technology has come on leaps and bounds in the last 10 years. Whilst some businesses are embracing how technology can help, others are stuck still using paper processes. Moving to the cloud can not only help the environment but will help streamline your business processes too. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impact of human activity causing businesses with paper processes to be less efficient and under scrutiny from its customers.

Leave the car at home

Road transport contributes 22% of total UK emissions of CO2. Only 6% of the UK population are walking to work and only 3% are cycling. Walking & cycling can have great health benefits and can help reduce the carbon emissions that are caused by commuting to work. From the 1 Accounts team, Jade, Katie, Kerry & Paul all walk/wheel to the office. For some people walking or cycling to work will not be possible however encouragement to those who can cannot hurt. For those meetings where you have to drive a long distance or even fly, consider using a video call using software such as Skype or Zoom. You can also bring in a work from home policy, allowing you & your employees to work from home even if only on a part time basis. This will reduce the energy used in your office spaces each day both saving money and cutting your businesses carbon footprint.

Man riding a bike

Office Space

Small changes such as changing to LED Lightbulbs can conserve energy reducing your electricity bills and will help protect the environment. You can also improve the air quality of your office by investing in office plants. Plants will help to clean the air and specific plants such as peace lilies, rubber plants and snake plants can help to remove contaminants too.

Power Off

Many businesses unnecessarily waste energy by not turning off their computers or appliances. To help you both save money and conserve energy make it compulsory for your employees to turn off their computers. Then identify any electronics in your office that stay on overnight, such as the printer and assign someone to shut these off at the end of the day.

Power Button

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

Recycle sign

The three rules of protecting the environment are reduce, reuse and recycle. Set up a recycling bin for your employees. This will help avoid any recycling going into the waste bin due to an absence of recycling bin in the office.

Making your business eco-friendly does not have to be a big chore, by just making a few small changes you can really make a difference.

Watch this space for our next blog on how your business being eco-friendly can help your business:

  • Save money
  • Attract customers
  • Utilise tax incentives
  • Increase employee retention
  • Build a good brand reputation and increase publicity
  • Keep up with competition
  • Expand revenue opportunities.

1 Accounts helping the environment

Green is the new black – why go paperless?

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GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK

Trees. Water. Carbon emissions. Time. Money. The environmental impact of paper production in the financial industry is significant and yet completely avoidable. In an age where nearly everything is digital and in the cloud, we needen’t use so much paper. Using an online calculater we have esstimated that as firm we save the following per year:

  • 450kgs of Wood
  • 10,900 Litres of Water
  • £146.80K
  • 7000 hours

The Facts 

Worldwide the use of paper has risen by 400% in the last 40 years. The paper industry is the fifth largest consumer of energy in the world. Going paperless can help:

  • Save trees – Trees provide habitats for animals, covert CO2 to oxygen and help clean our water.
  • Save water – To make 1 A4 peice of paper it take 10 liters of water. Being paperless can help conserve our worlds water sources.
  • Reduce polution – Making one tonne of paper emits more than 1.5 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Using elss will help reduce the number of pollutants in our atmosphere.
  • Fuel – Documents need to get from A to B. The transportation of documents burns fuel and releases greenhouse gases. Eliminating paper documents will reduce the  amount of fuel used.
  • Save time – Printing, stuffing, posting, waiting & chasing all takes time. By going online you can get your time back.
  • Save money – Paper, envelopes, ink and postage all costs money.Imagain being able to eliminate this cost.

How We Work 

Emails not letters 

In todays era most companies are using email, however some still use ‘snail mail’ to send important documents. We however send all our emails via Microsoft outlook. If any include secure information we will send via Karbon. Emails not only save lots of paper they also save the time and money it would take to post each client queries. The only letters we send are to HMRC and to send goodies to our clients.

Digitally Sign Documents 

All our Accounts, Tax Returns and engagment letters have to be signed by clients. We do this digitally. For our engagment letters we use Practice Ignition and for accounts, tax returns and any other documents we use Docusign. These products have made our life so much easier, no more posting to clients and then waiting for them to sign and send it back to us.

Online Software 

All our clients use online accounting software, so not only are we paperless, we are helping our clients become paperless to. Gone are the days of manual books, paper records and bags full of receipts. With the online software we suggest to clients that they digitally send their invoices and request their suppliers to send their invoices directly to their Xero or receipt bank. This avoids the need for paper. We also use Xero and digitally send our invoices each month.

We love that being more efficent and saving money goes hand in hand with helping the envirnment and we love helping our cleints become paperless to!

should I employ a business coach?

Should business employ a business coach?

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Should Business’ Employ a business coach? – Absolutely!

A note from Paul

Over the years I have seen many people that say they are business coaches and I really would not trust them to deliver, especially those that are part of a franchise and just follow set procedures.

A business coach should understand your business, understand you and work to empower you to put your business in the direction that it wants to go.

Our first coach

My first encounter of a coach was about 20 years ago and the lady Gabriel Blackman-Shepperd was a life coach, she helped me to understand issue facing me at the time and my vision of the future, interestingly some of my vision at that time remains today.  Gabriel understood me and worked really hard to focus me.

Coming to present day I have used three business coaches, all of whom have had a significant impact on my business.

Tough Times 

Starting 1 Accounts Online was at a really difficult time, coming off of a terrible experience in my business career & my youngest daughter becoming confined to a wheel chair; I had lost a bit of the original spark I had and needed some guidance on where we were going.

The government had a great scheme in place where they funded a coach and I took on the services of Dominic Bowles who really helped me and my wife Jenni.

Dominic worked hard on the ethos of our business and his advise will always be part of our business regardless of changes.

Dominic helped us get personal and business goals which we smashed!  We also learnt  that family values are so important to Jenni and me and that this had to come through our business as well, something we had lost sight of over the previous couple of years!

Dominic has been back a few times since and we really value his input.

Pricing change

When we first started our Online business we had a specific business model that we identified would not work in the long term and this was based on price.  Price was OK to start with as it was only Jenni and me working from home but to move the business forwards I needed to really understand my pricing.

I signed up to a program with Mark Wickersham who is well known in our industry and via webinars and reading I started to understand pricing, my market place and the real psychology behind price.  This time spent with Mark was really important to us.

Once I had what I wanted I stopped the coaching and I think it is really important to know when you have gained what you need from your coach, but do not be afraid to return to brush up on your knowledge.

Skip to the present 

Our latest coach Heather Townsend has been a really interesting partnership.  I first met Heather at the Practice Excellence Awards where we won best New Practice in the UK, as you can imagine I was on top of the world and thought I knew everything.  Heather said that she would love to work with us and could really help us, at the time I really doubted that!

Six months ago we joined Heathers Millionaire Accountants program and it is really only today that I have seen real value in the process.  Heather no doubt will tell people that I am a really difficult person to recognise my achievements as my growth is never enough, she constantly reminds me that 62% growth last year is really good and yes I suppose it is.

Sitting back today reflecting on Heathers input to our business has been enormous.  With Growth comes pain and my real pain was systems and lack of robust systems to grow with us.  We started setting up Karbon four months ago and Jade (our practice manager and my daughter) has worked relentlessly in getting this right for us.  Karbon have also been a great partner in improving the software.

We have also changed our Tax and Accounting software to TaxCalc and the monthly saving has been over £800 per month, more than covering Heathers fees.

We have introduced daily team meetings, led by Jade and weekly full meetings led by Jade as well, these meetings have really helped to Gel the team together and our apprentices are now flying and having an important and significant impact on our business and our clients businesses.

We are also instigating our monthly management meeting with three of us focusing on driving the business forwards.

I also spend Wednesdays working from home and specifically working on the business, as a business owner this is so important to the business.

All of the above has been so positive on the team, our client service and the bottom line that we are looking forward to Heather and her team working hard to reach the goal we both promised our selves at the start of the process.

Top Tip – 

Chose your coach wisely, give them at least six months to prove themselves and re-evaluate what they deliver to your business.  Heather may not want to be but she is stuck with us for at least another six months and more than likely beyond!