< Previous40 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk PUBLIC RELATIONS Y ou may well recall that I used to be a business journalist before I turned to the ‘dark side’ and the world of PR? As a result, I tend to think as a reporter first, then as a marketer. This helps a lot because it ensures what I say and do for my clients is media friendly and works for both parties. Win/Win. However, what I often see when I first start out with a new client or if I’m critiquing a website for someone is that their website is simply not ready to generate or even react properly to media enquiries. Wasted opportunity Right now, there’s LOADS of journalists desperate for a good news story during this blasted crisis or at least a story of how a business has ‘pivoted’ its offering. The problem is, if I were to point them to a great little business whose website hasn’t been thought about from a media perspective - and the VAST majority have NOT - the opportunity can flounder right there and then. Now, if you have a PR consultant they will go ‘into bat’ for you here and pitch you as hard as they can but even then, there’s only so much we can do. So, with a brighter future in mind and the focus on getting stuff done that will help you to turn the corner post-COVID or even during this crisis, here’s some pointers for your website from the point of view of the media. I can’t guarantee that you will get enquiries from this but you will at least plug the ‘leaky bucket’ of media leads that right now could be dribbling away from your business instead of giving it the boost that it may well need. A newsroom with a view - with apologies to E.M Forster Let’s strip it all right back with a Be honest - are you even READY to speak to the media? By Greg Simpson, founder of Press for Attention PR and Enterprise Nation Champion for Nottingham. 40-41.qxp_Layout 1 07/05/2020 11:02 Page 1www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 41 PUBLIC RELATIONS simple question, do you have an area on your website dedicated to the press? This does not have to be flashy. In fact, avoid flashy. You might just keep this info on your blog and have another ‘tab’ on your menu that also points to that called ‘Media’ but first and foremost it must be clear who to contact and how, whether that is you, a colleague or your PR consultant/agency. It can also help to be honest about availability on here, so if you don’t work on Fridays you note that the press office ‘is manned between the hours of X and Y Monday-Thursday’ etc. but that you will check emails when you can. That kind of messaging already makes you sound a little BIGGER and more professional doesn’t it? Here’s what else you NEED to include: * Photos of key staff e.g. MD/CEO. * Links to previous coverage that might impress your TARGET media/audience. Use an image that links to it to improve visibility. It might link to a blog you wrote about the coverage achieved which is good practice with PR or go straight to the content. As a side note here, it can HELP SEO-wise if you link away from your site to the trusted source. Just make sure the link opens in a new tab so they don’t leave your site entirely. * Key milestones or company data. When established, market value, number of employees etc. Make it easy for a reporter to grasp if you are right for them in an instant. * Finally, see if you can include something that makes you stand out - it might be your mission. Don’t be vague, make it a REASON to be considered by a reporter. Awards are good here. Next time I will tell you what to do once you have these building blocks in place. As we know, foundations come first. 40-41.qxp_Layout 1 07/05/2020 11:02 Page 242 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk RELOCATION AND INWARD INVESTMENT © Shutterstock /Africa Studio Time for a change East Midlands Business Link explores the many business benefits of moving office. 42-44.qxp_Layout 1 07/05/2020 11:04 Page 1www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 43 RELOCATION AND INWARD INVESTMENT A change of setting has been compared to hitting the corporate refresh button, or as a means of kick-starting a new chapter in a company’s journey. It also offers immense expansion opportunities, as a business spreads out in and around its town or city setting, or as a means of establishing new national offices. As the expectation and responsibility of businesses shift, as organisations seek to reduce their carbon emissions, relocation can mean moving to more environmentally-friendly and cost- effective premises. Relocation comes with no scarcity of advantages, one of which involves businesses becoming more immersed with others, leading to an altogether more collaborative corporate backdrop to our cities. Business parks are a great example of this idea in action, as businesses sharing the same space, depend on some of the same resources, whilst also retaining their independence. Although our region is home to a plethora of business parks, each housing a variety of companies, specialised parks are fast becoming the norm. Prospective clients know well in advance the sort of businesses they’ll potentially be sharing the next few years (or more) with. This creates a culture of shared vision – an innovation engine that can prove crucial to each business’s future. Future acquisitions, deals and partnerships could very well hinge on these relations. From a logistical standpoint, business parks are typically developed with transport in mind, and are strategically located near to motorway exists and ideally positioned within reach of city links. These locations might then offer a more valuable position that can’t otherwise be achieved elsewhere. For some, a relocation move is part of a business’s ongoing expansion plans, which have often been charted out years in advanced. In such circumstances, a 44 Á 42-44.qxp_Layout 1 07/05/2020 11:04 Page 244 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk RELOCATION AND INWARD INVESTMENT company might opt for a purpose-built development, one which corresponds to its exact specifications and requirements, over what it might find elsewhere on the commercial property market. A move of this scale might be motivated by necessity, in that a company has outgrown its existing facilities, or as a strategic expansion plan as it gears up for future growth. It can also pull all of a company’s resources into one site, such as warehousing, meeting rooms or a showroom, streamlining its operations to run that much more efficiently. This provides as much a benefit to the business itself as to its customers, both existing and perspective, who might see having to travel to multiple sites as a major disadvantage. Many businesses are using the opportunities afforded by purpose-built developments to instigate more environmentally friendly operations. A company’s operations will undoubtedly be responsible for its biggest carbon emissions, but its premises and facilities will come in a close second. Often these two are intertwined, so creating a greener premise will have a significant impact on its day to day operations. This can include anything from using recycled or carbon friendly materials in the new build, or incorporating renewables into its energy mix. In terms of cost and deployment, solar panels make a worthwhile investment for businesses, whether for a new development or as an addition to an existing site. Wind turbines, on the other hand, are wholly dependent on space. Several of the business parks in our region are adopting a wind turbine as both a draw to new tenants and as a means of lowering its cost while boosting its green credentials. Purpose-built developments, however, are costly endeavours and usually require financial support of one kind or another. Many of the funding streams in our region are dependent on whether or not the development would offer a strategic benefit to the local economy, both in terms of jobs and bringing trade to the area. As part of an expansion move, say, new jobs will of course be brought to the area, as well as providing work in the short term for construction firms. During a company’s lifetime, relocation can present one of the most significant and defining moves. For a company seeking to reinvigorate its identity, plough ahead with expansion plans or seek to make its operations that much more environmentally-friendly or efficient, moving premises is the start of the next chapter. And as companies move into our region, it brings with it an influx of investment, signalling that Yorkshire and Lincolnshire is open for business. © Shutterstock /sirtravelalot 42-44.qxp_Layout 1 07/05/2020 11:04 Page 3www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 45 SECURITY © Shutterstock /NicoElNino A s offices move further towards being fully digital, it was perhaps to be expected that security concerns would do so as well. Businesses have been experiencing phishing emails and other scams for a while now, but many consider these only to be a threat when an unwitting employee opens an email with a virus attached to it. Even those who know a little more about hacking and the dangers of it, rarely have any additional internet security beyond their standard anti-virus and firewall. In a recent study undertaken by Dell, which looked at trends from across 2014, it was found that malicious attacks over the internet had increased dramatically within the Business environment. With Finland, the UK and the US being the biggest victims. In terms of specific attacks, there had been a dramatic increase in the amount of `point of sale` malware, increased malware traffic through encrypted web protocols, and perhaps most alarming – twice the number of attacks on supervisory control and date acquisition (SCADA) systems. The latter is of particular danger to many companies in the UK, and our region, due to the prevalence of SCADA systems within many of our most common businesses. Including most manufacturers with a central plant, recycling and waste management firms and logistics and transport companies. Fortunately, these systems rarely include any personal data, so there is no requirement to treat the breach as a data protection breach, but the downtime is breach The smallest Internet security has been forced to evolve in recent years, following an increased level of cyber-attacks targeting small companies. 46 Á 45-47.qxp_Layout 1 07/05/2020 11:06 Page 146 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk SECURITY still devastating to a business which has various deadlines to meet. In the study, Dell highlighted the age of many SCADA systems as being a key concern, with some companies neglecting to update to newer models until something had already gone wrong. What’s more, due to the removal of the obligation to reveal when a SCADA attack has taken place, many businesses are simply not aware of the increased amount of attacks taking place in their area. Point of sale malware can be far more devastating and has affected many large brands including Sears in the US. How PoS malware works is often that it infects card transaction machines and begins to record and transmit the card information of anyone who uses the machine. This information is then collected in a distant location for a period of time, before the bank accounts of those people are then broken into, and money withdrawn. While this malware is obviously devastating for the consumers who have their finances accessed, it can be far more damaging to the company itself. For many consumers it can be enough to make them abandon a brand entirely, as they no longer trust the company to protect their interests when they make a purchase. But beyond that, many companies who have been found to have lost consumer data to hackers in this way have been made to offer compensation, or free credit monitoring services to effected customers. While the media to this time has highlighted mostly large retails as being targets of this malware, due to the increased amount of card transactions taking place in a day. It is expected that SMEs and medium sized businesses within the UK might become targets. This is not only due to the larger potential for stolen money, since businesses often have more in their accounts than consumers, but also because of the lacking security that many of these companies have in place. Correctly identifying through what medium, a breach has occurred can be a daunting task for many, particularly when internal IT members might not be up-to- date on the latest malware attacks and what causes them – and since these 45-47.qxp_Layout 1 07/05/2020 11:06 Page 2www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 47 SECURITY © Shutterstock /REDPIXEL.PL Webeye, a Mansfield-based security specialist, explores the importance of robust, reliable securing during the coronavirus crisis and what measures businesses can take. Construction sites, empty properties and remote locations are under threat. You need to be confident your assets are safe and, if intruders do break in, you need to know ASAP. Security becomes ever more important in times like these and technology can play its part in keeping everyone involved safe. Governments are encouraging staff to stay at home, but how can you check your business premises are protected and your security provision is working properly or at all? This is where effective alarm delivery is crucial to maintain a credible security programme. If you’re monitoring sites, you need to make sure you can receive alarm notifications directly to your home computer, tablet or mobile device. But by their nature, home devices are not as robust as professional security systems. Webeye has developed a cloud technology that is robust platform and app that have thought through the pitfalls and have put checks and balances in place to make sure you receive credible alarm notifications. You also have to think about guarding and security staff. If you have no physical security staff on site you’ll need effective systems to be your eye-and-ears on the ground. Advances in wireless and battery technology means there are systems on the market such as the Videofied Visual Verification system or Webeye’s own webeyeOCULi that can effectively monitor sites where there is no main power. They trigger upon intrusion and send video clips directly to your home device via the webeyeCMS cloud receiving platform that can act as your automated central monitoring station. To find out more, visit www.webeyecms.com, email sales@webeyecms.com, or call 01157 149990. cases are incredibly recent, few can be. While external IT support companies will usually be more concerned with fixing the current problem, than identifying what caused it in the first place. As the use of digital products continues to increase in the business environment, further attacks are expected, and in many cases, it can be difficult to prepare for them. In their 2015 Annual Security Threat Report, Dell advises that companies take the time to impress on staff the importance of basic security practices, such as changing passwords on a regular basis, or using two-factor authorisation on remote devices. They also point out that for companies who have access to data that is protected by data sharing acts, that there be an incident plan in place if the unthinkable should happen. Several high-profile breaches in these matters have been shared in mainstream media recently, to the detriment of the companies who did not react in time. 45-47.qxp_Layout 1 07/05/2020 11:06 Page 348 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk HEALTH AND SAFETY © Shutterstock /narai chal t can be tough to keep on top of the rapid changes in health and safety regulation, but if one does not the costs can be high. The repercussions can be in the form of a fine, imprisonment or, more seriously, injuries and fatalities. PPE is key in helping prevent workplace injuries and health or safety risks, and employers have a duty to provide it. Its use is particularly important in the construction, chemical, medical and food industries. Even if systems have been put in place to prevent, for instance, machinery injuries, other less obvious hazards remain, for instance contaminated air resulting in lung harm or corrosive materials or liquids causing skin damage. PPE is therefore vital in work environments with physical risks that cannot be avoided by usual means. According to Health and Safety Executive (HSE), PPE is a last resort to PPE keeping workers safe Personal protective equipment (PPE) is important in ensuring that your employees are safe in the workplace, but it is important to understand what exactly you need, the legislation that exists, and the new regulations that have come into place. 48-49.qxp_Layout 1 07/05/2020 11:08 Page 1www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 49 HEALTH AND SAFETY protect employees from workplace hazards. Regulation notes that equipment must be provided free to workers, and chosen carefully in accordance with what is needed. To do this, as an employer providing PPE, you also have the responsibility of checking with your supplier what attire is appropriate, whether it be safety spectacles, helmets, earmuffs, gloves or respiratory equipment. When choosing PPE products, one should consider the hazards in that particular workplace – are you working with chemicals, is there chance of cuts or perhaps electric shocks – there are numerous items that one may need to consider providing, and importantly the HSE says that you should choose products that are CE marked. The HSE also advises having the employee using the equipment help choose it so they are more likely to wear it and so it is a suitable size, fit, and weight. As an example, if staff are using a chainsaw one will need to provide a safety helmet, hearing protection, eye protection, gloves, leg protection and boots. Employers also have the responsibility, alongside their staff, to make sure that it is understood what PPE items can be worn in conjunction safely. Though it may seem obvious, employers and employees, including managers not likely to use it, in accordance with regulation must be trained how to use their equipment and know why and where to use it. Employers have a responsibility to make sure staff are using PPE correctly or could face legal trouble in the event of an accident. It is also the responsibility of the PPE provider to make sure you are taught how to use the equipment. A useful piece of advice is using safety signs are said to remind staff where PPE should be used. Further, employers are considered responsible for making sure PPE is stored and maintained correctly. Regulation changes in recent years have drastically impacted PPE. The latest regulation does not particularly affect the staff using PPE, rather the duties of the equipment’s suppliers, distributors and producers, to include those previously unaffected by regulation, such as importers who are now being held accountable for the PPE’s quality. Ultimately, more people in the chain of PPE are being held responsible for the equipment doing what it should, not just the creator and user. If one is a manufacturer or distributor of PPE one must become more stringent in checking PPE. PPE protecting from high risk incidents now have a more rigid compliance procedure, and a declaration of conformity must be provided with the equipment, or online, as evidence that it meets regulation. This documentation must be held by the supplier for at least 10 years once it is up for sale. Instructions must be also provided, labelling requirements met, the manufacturers name and address must feature on the product, and sample tests must be conducted. All of these regulations are in place to make sure the equipment is of a high enough standard for users, benefitting businesses and employees, as one can be more confident that the PPE is fit for its purpose, and will be effective at preventing injury. It is important to know these changes even if you are not the manufacturer or distributer as employers need to be able to identify that their PPE meets regulation. In addition, it is important to mention that the new PPE regulation makes changes to how certain pieces of equipment are classified in their risk categorisation, so that they are considered a product protecting from a serious injury. For example, hearing protection has moved from PPE Category II to Category III. This means it is now considered more important to protect staff’s hearing. This likely comes as a result of the 20,000 employees in the last 4 years suffering hearing problems as a result of their work. Employees providing PPE for hearing must also now check their providers certification and ask about the manufacturing process to ensure it is suitable. Category III items like this must be manufactured in a quality management system which will be assessed annually. 48-49.qxp_Layout 1 07/05/2020 11:08 Page 2Next >