Fines for employers who do not pay National Minimum Wage (NMW)

Did you know that if you fail to meet the National Minimum Wage that not only will you have to pay the employees affected compensation, you will also be subject to a fine under the tougher amended naming and shaming scheme that came into effect on 1 October 2013. 

As well as being publicly named and shamed, employers who fail to pay their workers the NMW face higher financial penalties of 100% of the unpaid wages owed to workers with a maximum penalty of £20,000 from 7 March 2014.

The NMW Regulations 2014 provides for a Notice of Underpayment issued by HMRC to require the employer to pay a financial penalty to the Secretary of State. The financial penalty is calculated as a percentage of the total underpayment of the NMW for all workers as set out in the Notice of Underpayment.  This percentage has been amended from 50% to 100% of the total underpayments, and also increases the figure for the maximum financial penalty from £5,000 to £20,000. 

So the advice here is make sure you meet the NMW as the absolute minimum and ideally make sure you are paying a living wage.  In the long run this will prove to be not only the legally right thing to be doing but will avoid negative publicity for you and your business and will show you to be an employer of integrity.

To get the latest NMW rates visit:
https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates

For more information about the 'living wage' visit:
http://www.livingwage.org.uk/what-living-wage

7 Top Tips to get the best from your communication

"I know you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure that you realise that what you heard is not what I meant"

RICHARD NIXON

1. Always begin by listening – it is said we have 2 ears and 1 mouth and should use them in that proportion!  By listening first we can ensure that what we then say is:

ü  on point

ü  relevant

ü  appropriate

ü  clear

Remember…We are distracted, preoccupied or forgetful about 75% of the time we should be listening.

We listen at 125-250 words per minute, but think at 1000-3000 words per minute.

Immediately after we listen to someone, we only recall about 50% of what they said.

Long-term, we only remember 20% of what we hear.

2. Less is more – Saying far more than you need to or over-communication, will have the effect that the person you are talking to stops listening e.g. we tell people in detail 'what we have to do to give them what they want'. But all they need is 'what can you do for me, by when'.

3. Pitch, pace and tone – it is not just the words that you say that matter – how you say them also has a significant impact on how your message is received. Think about what is the most appropriate pitch, pace of speech and tone of voice for what you are saying.

4. Avoid jargon – or at least explain it if it is necessary. Abbreviations or technical jargon if they are not familiar with it will create barriers to listening as they will spend time thinking what it means and so miss out on what is being said next or will feel awkward or irritated that they don’t know what you are talking about.

5. Think about the method of Communication. Do you write a letter, send an email, leave a voicemail or speak to them on the phone or in person. Experts say that written communication is good for information and confirmation but not good for emotion and discussion. Little wonder that if words are placed in bold or CAPITAL LETTERS or BOTH in emails, receivers understand it as shouting! Think about the appropriateness of the method you are using – do you leave a voicemail when it is something emotive or wait to speak in person?

6. Communicate in haste, repent … - it is never very successful if we communicate in the heat of the moment, it is fair to say we usual regret what we said and how we said it and wish we had waited a while to prepare what we were going to say and for any heightened emotions to subside a little.

How many times do we walk away from communication interactions thinking: "I wish I hadn't said that" or "I didn't mean it the way it came out"?

Think through the conversation beforehand:

·         What do I want to say?

·         How will I get a difficult message across?

·         How will I know they have understood what I am saying?

·         What reaction might I get?

·         How will I respond?

·         What outcome do I want from the conversation?

7. Body language – it is well know that communication is a 3-part thing:

The words you say (7%)

The way you say it (38%)

The body language that accompanies it (55%)

And the one that has the biggest impact is the body language accompanying it. So remember to use your body language to support what you are saying and not detract from the message.

·         Have good eye contact

·         Use open gestures

·         Stand or sit in an open and friendly manner – not closed up (folded arms, crossed legs etc) or turned away

·         Don’t get distracted by your mobile, what is going on out of the window etc

·         Use listening noises to show that you are listening

·         Ask questions to check understanding and summarise back what has been said to you so you are showing you are listening and interested.

If you are interested in training your managers or teams in effective communication then please get in touch – enquiries@7hr-training.co.uk 

Welcome to the brand new look for 7's HR!

I am very happy to announce the new branding and website for 7’s HR – isn’t it lovely?

The process began with a logo design and brand guidelines from one of my clients, RLA. They usually specialise in automotive clients, but created a great professional looking logo for me.

I then gave the logo and brand guidelines to a local Monmouthshire-based company, Creating Media, to create the rest of my design. They started straight away on the website, and when I explained the multi-layered meaning behind the company name 7’s HR they picked up the idea of the ‘neutral pH’ and came up with some really great, creative ideas for giving my website an extra colourful edge and unique hook, with bold and colourful images in the header throughout.

Creating Media listened to what was important to me, and ensured that all of these aspects were included. They helped me with setting up accounts on LinkedIn and YouTube, and then ensured these were linked prominently from the website. They also built a blog (which you are reading now!) allowing me to share news, views and videos to the website.

They also designed fantastic postcards and flyers for me, and got them printed. These are great tools for my marketing, as I can send postcards out to valued client or prospects, and use them as appointment cards so that people remember when we are meeting. The flyers have a brief introduction to the business, and I can hand these out at networking, or even use them for mail drops as a great way to get new clients.

The brand launch was on a deadline, which was met comfortably. I am thrilled with my new professional branding and eager to get out and show it off at networking! I`d like to thank the team at RLA and Michelle, Haddon and Victoria at Creating Media for all their help in getting me sorted.