For the second half of 2023, OMS are delighted to be able to add a series of health and safety training courses to their portfolio. And they are sure they’ll be 4.9 star rated on Trustpilot soon, just like OMS’ other courses already are. IOSH SHE OMS have been offering IOSH training courses for the last 17 years, with their trainers experts in their field, and provide a range of IOSH courses already. The newest addition to the offering is the IOSH SHE for Construction Site Managers. The construction and building products sector is OMS’ speciality as they’ve worked with many of the brilliant businesses located in the East Midlands over the years. The first IOSH SHE courses start on the 31st July and OMS are looking forward to seeing their training centre full of site managers and H&S managers who’re looking to gain this respected qualification. Construction NVQs OMS have added a range of NVQs designed specifically for different tiers within the construction sector; their NVQ Level 2 courses are for the operational level, so people doing the ground works for example could gain an NVQ at this level in modular paving. Moving onto the next level, NVQ3 is designed for site people to progress their construction career and understand what supervision of sites requires. NVQ4 provides a full qualification for site supervisors and covers planning, quality control, health and safety. Then the NVQ Level 6 is created for site managers to prove their competence and gain the much sought after CSCS Black Card Manager. NEBSOH Diploma When it comes to NEBOSH, OMS are a gold training partner. There’s been over 600 delegates on the NEBOSH course over the last nearly 20 years that OMS have been running them at their training centre in Leicestershire. “Having trusted partners to deliver the NEBOSH training courses is paramount, OMS have long been one such partner. The team at OMS have always focused on putting the customer first and this is proven with 25 successful years in business,” said Ian Cooke, Head of Corporate & Consumer Services at NEBOSH. The NEBOSH Diploma is the most highly respected health and safety qualification in the country. It’s the perfect choice for anyone in any sector to progress with a H&S career. OMS can offer open courses where one or more team members join the course at their Leicestershire-based training centre, or training can be delivered in house on site, bespoke to business needs. All courses can be viewed and booked via www.oms.uk.com.

Nine in 10 UK SMEs have reported hikes in their energy costs in 2023, with companies increasing their own prices and investing in their operations to help mitigate the impact, Paragon Bank research has found. Paragon’s survey of more than 500 businesses, conducted on behalf of the bank by Opinium, found that, on average, companies experienced a 26.6% increase in their energy bill during the first three months of the year. Four in 10 reported an increase of between 20% and 50%, with one in 10 recording an even larger energy bill hike. The increase in energy costs reflects the broader inflationary pressure facing UK SMEs. Businesses reported an average cost increase for raw materials of 22.6% during the period, and 21.4% in the cost of new equipment and machinery. Additionally, employee salary costs were up 17.7% on average. Businesses have implemented a range of measures to mitigate the energy cost increase. The most common action was to increase the price of their own goods or services, implemented by 54% of SMEs and being considered by a further 26%. Companies have also invested in their own operations to make themselves more energy efficient – 38% of businesses said they have made investments in greener equipment, such as more energy efficient machinery, with 36% making changes to their premises, such as the installation of solar panels. Other measures implemented by companies included encouraging more employees to work from home (27%), refinancing or extending loan terms on assets (20%), seeking new equity finance (21%) and taking out additional loans to fund the business (19%). Conversely, SMEs said they had cut planned investment (33%), whilst one in five had reduced production output (19%). John Phillipou, Paragon Bank SME Lending MD, said: “The cost of energy has negatively impacted the majority of business throughout the UK, even with the Government support package. Businesses have responded in several ways, with price increases being the most obvious way to mitigate the increase. “However, it’s also positive that companies have been looking at ways they can reduce their energy bills by making themselves more efficient. We have seen businesses invest in their operations with the addition of more energy efficient equipment, whilst we have also funded changes to premises, such as the addition of solar panels. These are positive steps towards a greener future.”

Over 200 employers including WH Smith and Marks & Spencer have been named by government for failing to pay their lowest paid staff the minimum wage. The 202 employers – who’ve now paid employees the balance – were found to have failed to pay their workers almost £5 million in breach of National Minimum Wage law, leaving around 63,000 workers out of pocket. Companies named include major high street brands, small businesses, and sole traders, in a clear message from government that no employer is exempt from paying their workers the statutory minimum wage. Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business Kevin Hollinrake said: “Paying the legal minimum wage is non-negotiable and all businesses, whatever their size, should know better than to short-change hard-working staff.

“Most businesses do the right thing and look after their employees, but we’re sending a clear message to the minority who ignore the law: pay your staff properly or you’ll face the consequences.”

The businesses named have since paid back what they owe to their staff and have also faced financial penalties. The investigations by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs concluded between 2017 and 2019. The employers named today previously underpaid workers in the following ways:

• 39% of employers deducted pay from workers’ wages.
• 39% of employers failed to pay workers correctly for their working time.
• 21% of employers paid the incorrect apprenticeship rate.

Whilst not all minimum wage underpayments are intentional, there is no excuse for underpaying workers, says Bryan Sanderson, Chair of the Low Pay Commission: “Guidance for employers on pay is available on GOV.UK, and today the government has published additional advice about breaches and the steps employers should take to make sure they pay their workers correctly. “The minimum wage acts as a guarantee to ensure all workers without exception receive a decent minimum standard of pay. Where employers break the law, they not only do a disservice to their staff but also undermine fair competition between businesses.

“Regular naming rounds should be a useful tool in raising awareness of underpayment and helping to protect minimum wage workers.”

The full list of companies and the amounts by which they underpaid employees can be found here.

Raise the profile of your business by submitting an entry for Business Link’s prestigious East Midlands Bricks Awards 2023! Celebrating the region’s property and construction industry, its people, and outstanding developments, the annual awards attract leaders from across the region and are the perfect way for businesses to promote the work they are completing and create more buzz. Award categories include: most active estate agent, commercial development of the year, responsible business of the year, residential development of the year, developer of the year, deal of the year, architects of the year, excellence in design, sustainable development of the year, contractor of the year, and overall winner. A highlight in the business calendar, winners will be revealed at a glittering awards ceremony on Thursday 28 September, at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground – an evening that will also provide plenty of opportunities to forge new contacts with property and construction professionals from across the region. Nominations for the event are open, and now is the perfect time to make your submissions, ahead of the deadline (Thursday 31 August). To nominate your (or another) business/development for the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2023, please click on a category link below or visit this page:

Book your tickets now

Tickets can now be booked for the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2023 – click here to secure yours. The special awards evening and networking event will be held on Thursday 28 September 2023 in the Derek Randall Suite at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground from 4:30pm – 7:30pm. Connect with local decision makers over canapés and complimentary drinks while applauding the outstanding companies and projects in our region, and hear from Mike Denby, Director of Inward Investment and Place Marketing at Leicester City Council, our keynote speaker. Dress code is standard business attire. Thanks to our sponsors:                                                             To be held at:

Companies the length and breadth of the UK are becoming increasingly brow-beaten by a seemingly relentless deluge of gloomy economic news. Leadership teams grappling with rising costs, will be drawing up efficiency plans in a bid to identify how they can achieve more with less. When it comes to increasing effectiveness there are a selection of obvious business levers to pull, but there are also some simple yet deceptively powerful principles that can help make big impacts to bottom lines. Improving customer retention can contribute to impressive increases in revenues of between 25% and 95%. Keeping staff is another way for businesses to make gains, as reducing staff turnover means less hiring costs, increased productivity, and delivers a better customer experience. Achieving retention takes creativity particularly given that quiet-quitting, rapidly diminishing attention spans and time poor audiences are growingly prevalent considerations. As well as the more obvious choices of reward and recognition, delivering great customer service, loyalty, referral incentives and so on. A good old-fashioned face to face can be incredibly powerful when it comes to both winning and keeping clients or staff. The pandemic was a catalyst for change and served as a reminder that there really isn’t any substitute for human contact no matter how high-tech a virtual setting may be. Karis Hildred is an events specialist who manages an award-winning venue and events operation, she shared some insights saying: “We were honoured most recently with a bronze award from the M&IT which has been a superb stamp of approval for our venue. “The last few years have been eventful to say the least with most people adapting roles and rapidly upskilling to take events online through the pandemic. Now, in a post Covid world, like many, we are bracing ourselves. “We’re holding on to the hope that our industry won’t be affected again on such a massive scale as we enter a potential economic crisis. But we’ve found that organisations are still focusing on planning events and their priority is ensuring that every one of their guests gets maximum value from attending. Clients are looking for the wow factor that simply cannot be delivered online. “We’ve seen a huge increase in full day event bookings which incorporate experiences. Our venue and events centre is housed in a beautiful 200 year old building owned by a fourth generation family of coffee roasters, Stokes Tea & Coffee. This is fantastic for us as we can include tours of the onsite coffee roastery followed by tastings or ‘have a go at latte art’ classes at the Barista Academy located in the same building. “These dynamic elements allow the event organisers to interact with their guests in exciting and informal ways. Being able to provide such a wide range of unique options as well as a full range of events and venue services is valuable to our clients. “Shared experiences allows them to break down barriers and interact with their clients, along with having the right facilities to do the important stuff and deliver those key messages. Attendees want to walk away with something extra that cannot be delivered through a screen. Clients want to see, smell and taste an event and organisers stepping into this new field want to deliver these experiences with exceptional customer service.” Debbie Connelly, Head of Awards and Conferences Operations, Northstar Meetings Group, organisers of M&IT Awards, said: “From galvanising workforces to spreading knowledge and inspiring innovation, the meetings and events industry has played a crucial role in rebuilding economies in the aftermath of the pandemic. “Our latest research shows that, while business remains challenging, optimism about the continued return of in-person events continues to grow. That’s because, ultimately, you can’t replicate the in-person experience online – the special buzz you get when people are in the same room. At a time when hybrid working has become the norm, events like the M&IT Awards play an even more crucial role in bringing people together and celebrating success.” Budgets are tightening and the competitive environment is hotting up, so finding ways to cut through the noise and stand out from the crowd is crucial. The newfound popularity of in-person conferences is not just a result of people missing these interactions but rather that businesses are seeing real benefits. Businesses are using events to elevate their company brand, convert sales opportunities more rapidly, build contact lists and data, strengthen existing relationships to realise greater potential and value, build a collaborative approach to a collective problem or challenge, generate new leads and so much more. Putting on an event or arranging a conference doesn’t have to be costly, complicated or cumbersome. Using professional organisers and setting clear objectives is a focused way of achieving real results. The next 12 to 18 months look set to be far from plain sailing for all businesses everywhere. But resisting the urge to batten down the hatches and using ingenuity to reach the people that count in personal ways can make all the difference. Karis’ Top Tips For Event Success: 1. Have clear objectives – share these with your event organiser to achieve concrete outcomes. 2. Do something different – choosing the best venue with great facilities is a good start but consider what else is on offer to make your event unique and memorable. 3. Make it worth it – budgets need a pay back and so do your attendees – consider what’s the value for both. 4. Plan ahead – it may seem obvious but allowing enough lead-time will take your event from good to great. 5. Share the load – choose an organiser and venue with the solid facilities, expertise and the flexibility to make your event unique to elevate your brand and be remembered long after the car park is cleared. Find out more at: Wedding Venue | The Lawn | England (lawnlincoln.com)